Mike Vrabel Puts Chip on David Long's Shoulder

David Long Jr. has probably crossed Mike Vrabel’s name off his Christmas card list.

During the introductory press conference for the newly signed Dolphins linebacker, Long was asked about comments Vrabel, his former head coach, said about him during the Tennessee Titans end-of-season press conference.

During that season wrap-up chat, Vrabel singled out Long and defensive back Kristian Fulton for their recurring soft tissue injuries.

"We look at soft tissue injuries. We look at those soft tissue injuries of repeat offenders," Vrabel said. "It doesn't take too hard to look and see that Kristian Fulton and David Long were repeat offenders of soft tissue injuries. 

"They have to figure out a way to train….There is a durability factor to playing professional football that we should not overlook. That is real. There are guys that are durable and there are guys that are not."

The comments potentially smeared Long’s free agency because they raised concerns about his durability at one of the NFL's most physical positions.

Long said Vrabel’s comments caught him “by surprise,” adding that it was "unfortunate it created a narrative about how I take care of his body.”

"If you watch film, since my rookie year to this year to the end of [2022], every play I lay it down on the line,” said Long, who started all 12 of the games he played last season, contributing 86 tackles and two interceptions. 

“It created a narrative, a little bit, as far as how I take care of my body. But if you ask anybody I’m the ‘first one there, last guy out’ type of guy. And he knows that as well."

Long admitted Vrabel’s comments, and likely Tennessee’s preference to sign Azeez Al-Shaair as his replacement, placed a chip on his shoulder.

“I take it with a grain of salt. I’m not really a media person. Why you single me out?,” said Long, who signed a two-year deal with Miami that could be worth $11 million. “I’m going to roll with it and get back to work.”

Long's new job will likely be to pair with Jerome Baker as one of the two starting inside linebackers in Miami’s 3-4 scheme.

Long is supposedly a better fit for new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme than Elandon Roberts, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, because he’s reliable when it comes to covering tailbacks and tight ends one-on-one in the passing game. 

Fangio's scheme also requires linebackers to drop into zones more often, and that's supposedly one of Long's strengths.

He’s started 26 of the 50 games he’s played, contributing 230 tackles, four interceptions, and forcing two fumbles. He’s also broken up 14 passes.

The hope is that he’ll blossom as a full-time starter in Miami. To do so he’s got to prove he can be durable, making himself available for the majority of Miami’s games.

“Sometimes you come into a new defense and have to get a feel for guys,” Long said. “How close you are off the field plays a major role to that chemistry on the field. I’m just glad I know a lot of the guys on each level…I know those guys play aggressive and talk smack, just like me.”