FanPost

Which Spencer Long Will We See This Year?

First time poster here. Just wanted to get my thoughts out about Spencer Long.

Long has had an up and down career so far, with his most recent seasons being down. His performance as an offensive lineman has gotten worse every year since 2015 (at least, that’s what his PFF grades show) and this downward trend has worried me a bit that he will be even worse this year. Because of this, I have not liked the idea of him starting. However, after digging into his career a bit to see why he has played so poorly over the last couple seasons, I’m starting to come around to it.

In his rookie season (2014), he received an average PFF grade but only played 16 snaps. In 2015, he had a breakout year as a guard in Washington, receiving a PFF grade of 80.4 while playing 845 snaps. In 2016, Washington moved Long to center after their starting center was placed on IR. His PFF grade dipped to 71 that year – still pretty good. In 2017, Long received injuries to his knee and quad. He continued to play while injured but was eventually placed on IR to receive surgery. That could potentially be the reason his grade dipped to a below average 60.4. Last year, Long was signed by the Jets who have a horrendous offensive line. The caliber of an offensive lineman’s neighbors often has a great impact on how they perform – either making their job more difficult or easier. Additionally, Long was once again playing while injured last year. His injury was to his snapping hand, which I’m sure made it very difficult for him to do his job well. The Jets eventually moved him to guard late in the season. All of this may, or may not, be the reason Long has struggled over the last couple seasons.

Bottomline, if he can remain healthy this year, I think there’s a good chance we will see the good Spencer Long. It appears he might be better as a guard than as a center, which bodes well for us since that is where he would play if he starts. Additionally, after adding some upgrades to the offensive line in free agency, Long will probably (hopefully) have a better supporting cast than when he was with the Jets, making his job easier.

Thoughts?




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