Sep 14, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Rams tackle
Jake Long(77) during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. St. Louis Rams defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The bad news continues to pour in for Rams fans as they lose another star player for the season. This time, its left tackle Jake Long. The former All-Pro suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s brutal loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. After the game, it was speculated that the 29-year old Long tore the ligament, but today an MRI confirmed it, according to NFL.com.
This is the second time Long tore his ACL, the last time coming in week 17 of last season. This is going to continue to force the Rams to make tough decisions in the coming months as both Long and quarterback Sam Bradford re-tore their ACL’s in the past few months after spending some of last season and most of this past offseason rehabbing to make a comeback. This is sad news, but the NFL is a business and with both Bradford and Long due a combined $22 million dollars next season, it may be the last time we see both players in a Rams uniform.
The silver lining for St. Louis is that they prepared for the future at the left tackle position, drafting Greg Robinson out of Auburn in May’s draft. Robinson has played some this season at left guard, but he played left tackle his senior season at Auburn, and after Long went down with the injury on Sunday, Robinson came in to replace him.
Prayers go out to Jake Long and his family for a speedy recovery.
Ben Carter is a staff writer for NFL Spin Zone; follow him on twitter: @ASAP_Athlete