HOUSTON -- Chris Long, perhaps more than any other player in Super Bowl LI, appreciates what the New England Patriots have been able to accomplish this season.
After eight years with the Rams in St. Louis -- notching just 39 wins -- Long is finally on a winning team. The Patriots have 16 wins, including 14 in the regular season, in his first season in New England. As he prepares for the Super Bowl matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, Long said he hasn’t taken this season for granted at all.
“I joke that every time I’m in the playoffs, it feels like I’m in the Super Bowl," Long said. "I’m one-for-one, so that’s a good rate.”
After Long was cut by the Rams after last season, he had several teams interested in signing him, including the Patriots’ Super Bowl LI opponent, the Falcons. Long said he thought joining the Patriots would give him “the best opportunity” to play in the Super Bowl.
Long’s dad, Howie, who will appear on the Fox broadcast of the Super Bowl, said that although he tried to stay out of telling his son where to sign, he did offer his input when Chris was trying to pick his next NFL team.
“It came back to one thing. It came back to why are you playing? His response was always, ‘I’m playing to win,’” Howie Long said.
“OK, what team has won the division over the last 13 years 11 or 12 times, and what team has been to six Super Bowls and won four? He loved his trip to Atlanta, but where do you fit? It’s interesting because the place that gave him the least definitive idea of what his role would be was New England. But it came back to the same thing: the opportunity to win.”
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Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he has seen a similar thing before on his teams: Restbet Guys who “weren’t with great teams” had success in New England and “brought an energy to the team that from a veteran player was unique and special.”
“Some of these players that have been with the Patriots for a while have had a lot of successful seasons and won a lot of games. Chris hasn’t,” Belichick said. “I think he appreciates winning a lot, and I think that energy and spirit that he has about winning carries over to some of the guys. They realize how special it is and makes them realize it a little bit more.”
Long called this Sunday’s game a special family affair. Howie will be part of the national TV broadcast, and Chris' brothers, Howie Jr. and Kyle, a guard for the Chicago Bears, will be in attendance. Howie won Super Bowl XVIII with the Raiders, and Chris said he appreciated the advice his dad provided when they spoke in the past week.
“My dad’s done a great job of kind of allowing me to slow down and appreciate the moment. I think a lot of times with football players, we’re just head down, grinding away, maybe not enjoying it as much as we should,” Long said. “So I’ve taken a moment and just realized everything I’ve been through. We’ve all been through something different to get here. Appreciate that, and it makes it even more special.
“He’s just told me to keep things in perspective, enjoy it and don’t let the moment just fly by and be so into your work that you can’t just take a step back and be like, ‘Hey, it’s pretty cool that we’re all here. We’ve earned it,' and go have fun."
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