Chris Long only played two seasons for the Eagles. He signed as a free agent in 2017 and that was a special year. His first season as a Eagle was the year that they won their first ever Super Bowl.
When I think of him, I think of the big play that he made in the NFC Championship game that season. The Eagles were down 7-0 to the Vikings and Long made the play that shifted momentum of the game. Long was getting pressure on Vikings QB Case Keenum and gets hand on his arm which causes the pass to be under thrown and intercepted by nickel cornerback Patrick Robinson, who returned it for a touchdown. This play changed the game. Eagles went on to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 38-7. The Eagles go on to defeat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl 41-33.
Chris Long got the city of Philadelphia and he loved playing there. He has said this on many occasions that he wished he played his whole career as a Eagle. Here is what he said.
When you get to a place like Philly, I just felt like they adopted me, man. I was like, ‘Oh, this is the NFL.’ And the sick joke of it was, I’m in Year 10. So I never got to really experience something like that my entire life. And I was like, ‘Well, at least I’m going to make the best of it.’ “Players don’t know how lucky they are, I think, to be in a place like Philly. I would’ve – if I could’ve kept playing a long time there, I would’ve played ’til the wheels fell off.”
Chris Long’s two seasons in Philadelphia he had 51 tackles an 11.5 sacks. He began his career with the St. Louis Rams after being selected #2 overall in the 2008 draft. Long played with the Rams thru 2015. In 2016, he signed a year deal with the New England Patriots. He went on win his first Super Bowl ring that year. He played for the Eagles in 2017 and 2018. Long had 70 sacks in his 11 year career.
In 2018, his final season in the NFL, he won the NFL Man of the Year Award for his charitable work, which included donating his entire 2017 salary to charity.
As a Eagles, I am very happy that Chris Long played here. He was a great player to watch and a even greater human being. The kind of player you want representing your team.
Chris is the oldest son of former Raiders defensive end and NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long. His younger brother Kyle was a guard for the Bears and the Chiefs.
Chris is the host of The Green Light Podcast. His podcast features interviews with athletes, musicians and celebrities. He and his co-hosts provide football analysis and sports gambling coverage. It is a awesome podcast and I recommend that you give it a listen.
photo coutesy of Sports Illustrated
