02/23 — Something I've tried to do in my Radar reports from the NFL Scouting Combine this week is to bring out whatever Jets angles there are. And that's not hard to do with Chris Long, the Virginia defensive end and son of Hall of Fame Raiders DE Howie Long.

For one, there is the coaching he's received with the Cavaliers and head coach Al Groh, who was the Jets' head coach for just the 2000 season. Among the elements Groh passed on to Long were a good, healthy respect for the highly successful and famous coaches he's worked under and with.

"I’ve heard a lot about Coach Parcells and Coach Belichick," Long said today. "I think Coach Groh is a guy with a tremendous amount of respect for that coaching tree. A lot of his coaching styles and the schemes derive directly from Parcells and that tree. It will be a tough transition whatever I do and wherever I go. I think he does have a lot of similarities."

Long also was schooled along the way by none other than Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

"I would not be here if it weren’t for D’Brickashaw and guys like Branden Albert who’s here now and Eugene Morrell who will be here next year," he said. "It’s humbling when you get beat every day in practice. The games are easier than practice by far. I was always very fortunate and appreciative not only of the type of player Brick was but also for how he approached practice, which forced me to raise my game and my level of intensity so I’m ready for the game."

And Long had a little training before even getting to UVa from his father.

"My dad taught me to work hard and to be the same guy every day," he said. "If that's going 100 miles per hour and working hard, then that's what I'll do."

Oakland, where Howie Long played much of his NFL career, is one of the teams that could be in line to draft Howie's son. Chris was asked if he knew Raiders legendary owner Al Davis and he answered with a great anecdote from his childhood.

"My earliest memory of Al Davis," he said, "was ducking in the car when I came to visit my dad at training camp because there were no families allowed in. That was my earliest memory. Don’t tell Al Davis that happened. I remember meeting him when I was a kid, but I have not seen him since."

Long had similar responses to questions about where he may play and where he'd like to play, such as whether he'd like to play for the franchise for which his dad starred for 13 seasons

"It would mean the same as playing anywhere else, honestly. It would be an opportunity to play in the NFL," he said, adding about his future employer to be determined at the April draft, "I can see myself fitting in wherever a team wants and needs me to fit in."

One sage observer here at the combine said he's become convinced that if Parcells, now the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations, doesn't trade the first overall pick of the draft, he'll go with Long.

But whichever team picks him, it should be aware of that fit that Long talked about. He measured in today at 6'3" and 272, which is not a good size, say, for a 3-4 lineman.

"I feel this is a good weight for me," he said. "I feel I could play in either scheme. Interestingly enough, people talk about what a transition it would be for me to be a 3-4 outside linebacker. But let’s not forget that I never played in a 4-3 in college either. I was a base defensive end in a 3-4. Either position would be a fresh start for me and an opportunity to learn and an opportunity for me to progress as a player."