THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Rams’ defense has collected only one sack through two games. As the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2008, Chris Long is receiving a lion’s share of the criticism for the defensive line’s lack of pressure on the QB. How would you assess Long’s productivity? Do you see him progressing from Year 1 to Year 2 or do you feel he’s not as far along as he should be right now?

BERNIE MIKLASZ
I’ve talked to scouts about Chris Long, and the strong consensus is that he’ll be a good NFL player. And if they put enough high-end talent around him, he can be a very good player. But he does have a ceiling. He will likely develop a better set of pass-rush skills, but he may never be an elite sacker. Former Rams DT LaRoi Glover told me that Long relies on the same pass-rush move too much and needs to develop other options.

JIM THOMAS
Eighteen games into a career is way to early to determine whether a player is a bust. That being said, improvement is needed from Long in his second year in the NFL. He has been pretty active against the run; in fact, his 12 tackles is tops among Rams defensive linemen two games into the season. But like the rest of the defensive line, Long hasn’t been a factor on the pass rush. It’s time to pick up the production.

BILL COATS
Ideally, you’d like to see more production from Long, but it’s still way too early to judge him. He’s been getting close at times, but it’s tough to get sacks when the opponents are using short drops and quick releases, as both the Seahawks and Redskins did.

KATHLEEN NELSON
I think Chris Long is doing fine, though the Rams need more from him — and everyone else — to step up the pressure on the QB. He bears the burden of many busted No. 1 draft picks on the D-line who went before him. Measuring progress is tough, since he’s played only two games under a new defensive coordinator. Ask again at midseason, and we probably can make a fairer assessment.