Winning was only thing Chris Long considered when picking Patriots

HOUSTON – Imagine watching your son, approaching the end of his NFL career, finally achieve his lifetime goal of playing in the Super Bowl.

Imagine being at the stadium to see it in person. And this: You are a member of the Fox Sports TV broadcast crew calling the game.

You are Howie Long.

When his son, New England Patriots defensive end Chris Long, was debating whether to sign with the Atlanta Falcons during the offseason, his Hall of Fame father had one question for him. As Howie said, “It came back to one thing.’’

“Why are you playing?’’ the father asked his son. “His response was always, ‘I’m playing to win.’ ’’

“He loved his (free-agent recruiting) trip to Atlanta, but where do you fit? It’s interesting because the place that gave him the least definitive idea of what his role would be was New England. But it came back to the same thing — the opportunity to win.’’

Howie Long, 57, was an integral member of the Oakland Raiders’ championship team of 1983 when they won Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa, Florida. He has been there, done that. Which makes his counsel about all things Super Bowl invaluable to his son.

“My dad’s done a great job of kind of allowing me to slow down and appreciate the moment,’’ Chris said. “I think a lot of times with football players we’re just head down, grinding away. Maybe not enjoying it as much as we should. So I’ve taken a moment and just realized everything I’ve been through.’’

Long, 31, played eight seasons for the St. Louis Rams, a team that won only 33 games during that stretch. The former Virginia star was only the second son of a Hall of Famer to be selected in the NFL Draft when the Rams plucked him as the No. 2 overall pick in 2008. (Kellen Winslow Jr. was the first).

The 6-foot-3-inch, 270-pound defensive end recorded 54.5 sacks in 115 games for the Rams, but injuries derailed his past couple of seasons. He had not recorded a double-digit sack season since 2012, and the Rams released him after his injury-plagued 2015 campaign.

“Losing was tough,’’ Long said. “When I cut, I knew it was time for them to move on, or for me to move on. I definitely have no ill will. I love those guys. I had a lot of ups and downs there, but for me, it was more about, ‘Can I get back to myself and be healthy again?’ That was the bigger question. I was ready to keep pushing on, and I’m glad I did.’’

His father said that, “You’d be hard pressed to find someone who has worked harder and been through more in the first eight years of their career. I ran out of (advice for Chris) on Sunday nights. I really did.”

After the Patriots traded right defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals last spring, they signed Long to a one-year, $2.4 million contract. Money wasn’t really a concern because Long already had signed two humongous contracts with the Rams, including a $48.2 million extension in 2012. At one point, Long suggested he would have played for $5 at this juncture of his career.

“Four would have been too low – they don’t make a $4 bill,’’ he said jokingly. “They make a $2 bill. Thomas Jefferson is on that. But I wouldn’t have played for a $2 bill. I’ll play for a $5 bill – Abe Lincoln.’’

The opportunity to perhaps have a chance to slip on a Super Bowl ring was the main thing. Signing with New England not only helped Long in that regard, it gave coach Bill Belichick a chance to revitalize some of his veterans. Long has started seven games, registering four sacks.

“I think he appreciates winning a lot, and I think that energy and spirit that he has been about winning carries over to some of the guys,’’ Belichick said. “They realizes how special it is, and (he) makes them realize it a little bit more.’’

In any case, father and son realize how fortunate they are, what a special, once-in-a-lifetime moment this is. So does the entire Long clan that will be at the game, including brothers Howie Jr. and Kyle, who plays guard for the Chicago Bears.

“I tried to push them away from football,’’ Howie said. “In fact, I subconsciously pushed Kyle, without really knowing I was doing it, into baseball. But, at the end of the day, your DNA is what your DNA is.”

Jon Mark Saraceno can be reached at jsaraceno@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jonnysaraceno on Twitter.