Howie's boy

ST. LOUIS -- After just a year in the NFL, Chris Long feels like a veteran.

The defensive end was the Rams' No. 1 pick last year and the second overall selection. He started all 16 games and had 57 tackles and four sacks, tied for second-most among NFC rookies.

Now the Rams expect even bigger things from Long, the son of former Oakland Raiders defensive end Howie Long. So does Long, saying that with his first season behind him, he's more comfortable not only with what's expected of him on the field, but the off-the-field routine.

"You just know what you're doing on a full scale," Long said Monday during a break between the Rams' two daily training camp workouts. "You know how to approach everything from meals down to how to learn your plays. That's the difference between being a first- and second-year player.

"I just think me personally not being a rookie any more will help a lot."

New Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo called Long a "high-motor guy, a real team guy, a great character guy."

Then again, Spagnuolo said the expectations will be higher.

"He's a second-year player," Spagnuolo said. "There's a big jump you've got to make from year one to year two, and we're hoping Chris makes that."

Long said that as a rookie, there is so much to learn that some of the football instincts take a back seat.

"First year, it's definitely football, but the game just involves a lot more thinking than you'd like it to and a lot less reacting," he said. "Now, it's just time to react and have fun and play again."

It can't be much less fun than last season. The Rams were outscored 147-43 in their first four games, leading to the firing of coach Scott Linehan. Jim Haslett took over but wasn't retained after St. Louis finished 2-14, tied for the second-worst record in the league.

Spagnuolo, whose defense helped the New York Giants beat undefeated New England in the 2008 Super Bowl, has brought in a new system, one which focuses heavily on the defensive line getting pressure. That's fine with Long.

"I just want to get there [to the quarterback] more," Long said. "I think we all want to get there more. I think we have the pass rushers and the ability to do that."

Long also likes the intensity the new coach brings. That has included full-contact plays as part of training camp. The quarterbacks wear red jerseys; everybody else is fair game.

"I feel like there's definitely an attitude, more so than last camp," Long said. "Just having these live periods allows people to compete and forces people to compete."