EARTH CITY, Mo. -- On a St. Louis Rams roster with plenty of holes to fill, losing a starter at most positions would be nearly impossible to overcome. But if there's one place the Rams have the talent in place to step in when injuries strike, it's defensive end.
At least in terms of production on the field.
While the Rams are equipped with talented backups like William Hayes and Eugene Sims, the loss of stalwart Chris Long to ankle surgery for the next two-plus months is a blow that runs much deeper than tackles, sacks and quarterback hurries.
Long is the fiery heartbeat of the Rams' locker room, a player beloved by all of his teammates regardless of position. Just last week, Rams players voted him a team captain and cornerback E.J. Gaines sought advice from Long as he prepared to make his first start even though he plays a much different position.
Before Sunday's opener against the Minnesota Vikings, it was Long who delivered the pregame speech in the end zone, a job he's done countless times in his six-plus seasons in the NFL.
When Long stayed down on the field after it appeared defensive tackle Kendall Langford rolled up on his foot in the third quarter, it was almost a shock that he didn't get right up and walk off the field.
"It was kind of a unique injury," coach Jeff Fisher said. "I've been here for a few years now and it's not good when he doesn't get up because he's never on the ground.”
As the most tenured Ram on the roster in his seventh NFL season, Long has never missed an NFL game in 97 tries. For a team that hasn't won much over that time, for Long to never miss a game was an even more impressive feat. In fact, his consecutive games streak ranks second only to Chicago's Jared Allen among active defensive ends.
"He's played through a lot of injuries," Hayes said. "He's a very tough guy. At the end of the day, it was mind-boggling."
Langford was as surprised.
"When it first happened, I thought maybe he might miss a couple of days of practice, tape it up and get out there," Langford said. "But unfortunately that wasn't the case."
To be sure, Long's absence won't just be felt in terms of leadership. He's been among the league's most productive ends over the past six seasons. His 50.5 sacks since 2008 are tied for 14th in the NFL. His 41.5 sacks over the past four seasons is 10th in the league in that span.
Replacing that production will fall into the capable hands of Hayes, Sims and maybe even undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks. That trio should be able to provide a reasonable facsimile of Long's production from down to down. Hayes has 12 sacks in the past two seasons while Sims is a solid run defender who can spell him when needed.
Picking up the slack for Long in a leadership role is more of a day-to-day proposition. Hayes is an emotional type, quick to offer vocal guidance, and would seem the most likely to handle some of those duties. Players like Langford and end Robert Quinn are more lead-by-example types.
Outside of that group, linebacker James Laurinaitis is also a captain and would seem poised to take on more of that responsibility moving forward.
"Everybody carries their own weight and leads in their own way," Langford said. "You have just got different types of guys. We all respond to each other well and we respect each other and would do anything for each other."
The Rams placed Long on injured reserve with the designation to return Wednesday afternoon, which means he's out for at least the next eight weeks. In the meantime, they'll make a roster move to fill his spot. But just because they'll have another name on the depth chart doesn't mean they'll be able to replace him.