Patriot hopes to end long wait for Super Bowl ring

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts – There was a time when Chris Long didn’t think this opportunity would ever come.

A time when words like “playoffs” and “Super Bowl” seemed like unattainable unicorns that the 31-year-old Patriots defensive lineman might never touch. Eight years in the NFL spent on underperforming teams, and having seasons potholed by injuries have that effect.

So when the veteran was asked this week whether the chance to earn a ring was on his mind when he signed with the Patriots this offseason, he didn’t hesitate to answer.

“It’s the whole reason I came here,” he said. “Everybody wants to win. That’s the bottom line. When you’re making a decision as an older player of where you want to be, you want to be in situations like this with opportunities like this. We’ve earned the opportunity...Whatever we do with it, that’s up to us.”

Next week’s Super Bowl matchup with Atlanta will also be a chance for him to match the Super Bowl ring won by his father, Hall of Famer Howie Long, who won a title with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1984.

The elder Long will have a unique vantage point to watch his son as an analyst for Fox, which has the broadcast rights for the game. But Chris said it shouldn’t affect him.

“Not a ton. It just means he’s there,” he said. “We’ll see each other. But we’re not big on the sentimental stuff.”

While Howie Long was an integral part of the Raiders’ defense, Chris has embraced being a role player on a New England defense that’s really void of any big names.

With 35 tackles, four sacks and fumble recovery, he is having his best year since 2013 when he recorded 40 tackles and 8 1/2 sacks.

He also helped steady a New England defense that started the season without linebacker Rob Ninkovich, who was serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances.