Sean McVay impressed with how David Long Jr. performed vs. Cardinals

[theramswire.usatoday.com]
Sean McVay impressed with how David Long Jr. performed vs. Cardinals

Skyler Carlin
December 15, 2021 9:35 am PT
On the morning of Monday night’s matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Angeles Rams learned that Jalen Ramsey wouldn’t be available due to a positive test for COVID-19. Along with Ramsey, Dont’e Deayon was also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and Robert Rochell was placed on injured reserve.


With the Rams thin at the cornerback position, David Long Jr. was asked to return to the starting lineup for the first time since the team’s first meeting with the Cardinals in Week 4. It’s safe to say that the former third-round pick out of Michigan performed well enough to capture the attention of Sean McVay.

“The response, that’s what I liked. A guy that just stayed the course,” McVay said. “He was sick last week, was inactive as a result of missing all last week with the flu, and he came back and he made some big plays. I think the biggest thing for David, too, is if you look at the first time we played these guys, there were some plays that I think he would tell you he wanted back and maybe was at the moment of truth and had an opportunity to make some plays and just missed on them. He made them last night. He stepped up, he had a good look in his eye and really happy for David Long. I thought our coaches did a great job getting him ready and then ultimately David delivering. My favorite part was his response based on working through some adversity. I think that’s kind of a theme with our team as a whole is, I really like the mental toughness of this group.”

Long began the year as the starting nickel cornerback for the Rams, putting him alongside Ramsey and Darious Williams. However, due to Long struggling in his new role, Los Angeles benched him in favor of Robert Rochell following his woeful outing in Week 4 against Arizona.

During Monday night’s victory over the Cardinals, Long was strong in coverage, allowing only three receptions for 28 yards on nine targets, per PFF. Long should have had an easy interception on his resume, but he was unable to corral a wayward pass from Kyler Murray late in the game that almost came back to bite the Rams.

Even after an ugly start to the season, it was great to see Long get an opportunity to bounce back in Week 14. While Long will likely head back to the bench once Ramsey and Deayon return, he deserves a ton of credit for being mentally and physically prepared to step into a starting role again, which undoubtedly thrilled McVay.