April 24th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
Come help coach the line!
Although I don't know how much he knows other than "be bigger than everyone who has ever played football."
April 24th, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^
the Left Tackle position and we'll be good!
April 24th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
A fine career despite the injuries.
Will always remember him being the highest paid lineman in the NFL before playing one snap because of the NFL's crazy CBA
One of a handful of Michigan players I have been "up close and personal" with, and a pretty good bro-story...
It was 2006, I think. I used to live in the Georgetown neighborhood of Ann Arbor (near King George and Packard, if you know the area). There was a Rite Aid about 1 mile from my house there. I needed to get something - probably baby related, as that was when my babies were still cute - and so I went in at 9 at night or so. I get in line, and directly in front of me was a literal mountain of a human being. I am no little guy, but this was just a monster. His shoulders were larger than my whole body. In each hand, a case of Miller Lite. It looked like a normal person holding two 6-packs. But it was Jake. I gave a little "Go Blue" after he paid and was walking out, and he turned and smiled. I've always wanted to believe that Jake was spending a quiet night at home alone, and those 48 Miller Lites were what he consumed on an "off night"
Good luck in what comes next, Jake!
In 2006 my brother and our whole tailgate crew went to South Bend to watch the ND game. We got a spot on somebody's lawn on the street directly accross from the stadium and down the block from "Linebackers".
About an hour after we set up a car showed up and parked next to us with a tiny Lapeer 77 in the rear windown so I asked the couple were they related to Jake. The lady said yes - we're his parents! Next thing I know Mrs Long was on the phone giving directions to somebody and was asking us for coordinates (pre-smart phone GPS) and when I asked her who else was coming she said Garret Rivas's dad (he apparently went to all the games and was hillarious - smoked a HUGE cigar the whole afternoon) and the Henne's. Needless to say this was way beyond cool to me and I asked Mrs Long (sorry cant remember her first name) if the players were going to come by after the game and she said if they could, they would.
So we have a great afternoon of kicking Irish ass, the weather was fantastic and later when we got back to our tailgate for some celebratory beers all three players showed up to say hi to their folks and we got introduced to everybody.
Oh....and on the other side of our tailgate was a guy selling smoked BBQ that would trade sandwiches for beer and the local radio station was also playing music on a remote with the BBQ guy.
It was the best road tailgate ever!
That would be a very difficult experience to ever top. I'm hoping someday we'll tailgate next to the Brady's somewhere. But at the rate he's going, it will be a while.
Assume he managed his NFL money well, and seems like a guy with his head on straight. I'm sure he will do well
Banks who was from Denver and played at UM. He said his first practice with pads he went against Long. He said Long drove him off the ball through the sidelines and about 10 rows up into the stands. He said right then I was like holy shit this isn't high school anymore and I better get a lot bigger and stronger.
April 25th, 2017 at 12:24 AM ^
Does Jameson sound right for a DE around 2007. A reporter happened to be on the scene at a practice and along with everyone else that was watching saw Jake completely own him in the manner Banks describes above. When the reporter, asked after practice if he felt bad about being manhandled like that, Jameson responded, "Well look at him." He's right. That's all really anyone needed to do. Damn, I hope he starts hanging around AA in his spare time just so the current players can be close to greatness and possibly somewhat inspired. What a great, great player. As mentioned by OP, I too am happy hes getting out before he gets to an age where reflexes become slower bringing about a greater chance of late career injurty. Good Luck, Mr. Long.
Ran into Jake (yes physically) when I was a freshman at Mich. He was in his final year. I flew back a couple feet and fell down. He helped me up and said, "Happens more often than you think." Was a great guy for the 10 seconds I met him. Couldn't believe we were/are the same species.
Long was the most massive human being I've ever seen, and if memory serves, his girlfriend was about 5-foot-nothing. Used to see them in the Union all the time. It's like someone took a person, put them in a copy machine, and hit 150%.
I lived down the street from the house that caught fire in 2004. June 14th 2014 was the night that the Pistons had completed the 5 game sweep of the Lakers and sprits ran high in Ann Arbor that night. The rumor that I always heard was that K Garrett Rivas was actually responsible for the fire, as he started the volley of fireworks that led to the house fire.
Rumors aside, the sight of the teammates car that Jake Long ended up jumping on to escape the fire is forever burned in my head (see what I did there?)... He absolutely destroyed the car. Caved in the roof, smashed the windshield etc. It was pretty neat to live so close to the imfamous "football player house fire" and see firsthand the effects of a scared 6 foot 7 330 pound man-child leaping from a second story window...
I lived down the street from the house that caught fire in 2004. June 14th 20114 was the night that the Pistons had completed the 5 game sweep of the Lakers and sprits ran high in Ann Arbor that night. The rumor that I always heard was that K Garrett Rivas was actually responsible for the fire, as he started the volley of fireworks that led to the house fire.
Rumors aside, the sight of the teammates car that Jake Long ended up jumping on to escape the fire is forever burned in my head (see what I did there?)... He absolutely destroyed the car. Caved in the roof, smashed the windshield etc. It was pretty neat to live so close to the imfamous "football player house fire" and see firsthand the effects of a scared 6 foot 7 330 pound man-child leaping from a second story window...
I watched him on TV and liked when he pancaked people, especially while he was playing for Michigan.