Jake

Long

Don’t read too much into this; the ‘Fins will probably talk numbers with UVA DE/OLB Chris Long and possibly Ohio State DE/OLB Vernon Gholston before the draft as well. Still, the negotations indicate that Jake is being seriously considered for the No. 1 overall pick. To avoid a holdout, Miami wants a contract in place before making its choice, unlike Oakland last year.

Henne has never had great pocket presence, but LG Richie Incognito admits the offensive line has been a major problem. It’s not just on washed-up RT Marc Colombo, who leads the NFL in QB pressures allowed (13). Pro Bowl LT Jake Long has already allowed four sacks, and RG Vernon Carey has allowed five pressures and five hits. Long will improve; the other two will likely stay shaky all season.

Berardino believes Long — who is entering a contract year — is “about to get caught in the vortex of this sweeping Dolphins overhaul.” Miami drafted Stanford OT Jonathan Martin in the second round, and GM Jeff Ireland says the team is adopting a different philosophy along its line. “We’re not going to be as much a power scheme as we’ve been in the past.” However, Ireland insisted Long can “transfer to any scheme.” Berardino’s dot connecting is not illogical, but we’re skeptical an embattled organization like Miami will be willing to let a former No. 1 overall pick and four-time Pro Bowler get away.

The suggestion came via the consistently unreliable South Florida Sun-Sentinel, which is essentially the National Enquirer of newspapers from a football point of view. “I want to clear the air on an article,” said Ireland. “I don’t normally go overboard on media speculation but last night I saw an article about Jake Long. I have plans to keep Jake Long right here for a long time.” Expect the Fins to approach Long about an extension before the season.

The consistently unreliable South Florida Sun-Sentinel claimed last week that Long’s rookie deal had added a sixth year and would extend through 2013. As we suspected, that is not the case. Long is entering a contract season, and the perennial Pro Bowler will surely command one of the richest left tackle deals in league history. Browns LT Joe Thomas signed an eight-year, $92 million contract with $44 million guaranteed last August.

Long is looking to bypass the Browns’ Joe Thomas ($30 million guaranteed) as the highest-paid tackle in the game after voiding the final year of his rookie contract. One of the most underpaid players in the NFL, Wake is due to $615,000 in base salary this season. All three players are slated to hit free agency in 2013, along with RB Reggie Bush, DE Randy Starks, CB Sean Smith, and TE Anthony Fasano.

“I feel great,” Long said. “This is the healthiest I’ve felt in a long time. All healed up, working out 100 percent, ready to go.” Plagued by a lingering left knee injury before a torn biceps sent him to injured reserve in Week 16 last season, Long missed the first two games of his career. One month shy of his 27th birthday, Long will make $11.2 million in the final year of his rookie deal.

Long was able to put in a full practice on Friday and will matchup against a combination of Mark Anderson and Mike Wright with Andre Carter (leg) on injured reserve.

This injury doesn’t look related to the back injury that kept Long out of last week’s game against the Bills. Before that scratch, Long hadn’t missed a game in his career.

Take this with a grain of salt. Beat writer Omar Kelly claims that Long’s deal added a sixth season when he earned a rookie-year Pro Bowl berth. We were under the impression that Long’s sixth year voided and was always expected to, and therefore was not even included when the rookie deal was initially reported.