HOUSTON — Chris Long was mostly joking, but the Patriots defensive end clearly had heard one too many questions about the college with the most players here at Super Bowl LI. (Perhaps you’ve heard of it?)
So, with one of those players within earshot during a New England media availability this week, Long decided to make his feelings on the topic known. Loudly.
“I am so sick of Rutgers. I am SOOOOOO sick of Rutgers! I — AM — SO — SICK — OF — RUTGERS!!!”
Duron Harmon, in the middle of his own interview, refused to acknowledge his teammate. But the point was made: We in the media certainly have mastered the art of overkill when it comes to the Super Bowl.
But guess what? There is another Rutgers connection to this game, one that has mostly flown under the radar while the Mohamed Sanu and Logan Ryan and the rest talk about their playing days in Piscataway. And this one is a direct connection to the current head coach.
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Brendan Daly, the defensive line coach for the Pats, not only played alongside Chris Ash while they were at Drake in the mid ’90s, they later shared an apartment while the two were breaking into the coaching profession at the Iowa college in 1999.
“He was and still is an absolutely relentless worker,” Daly said. “It was an inspiration, to be quite honest, and still is today.
“He came up and visited us in New England for a day last offseason. He’s the same way. He’s in early. He’s meticulous in terms of detail and organization. He’s always search to get better, even to this day. He and I talk pretty regularly and he’s always calling me with scheme questions. What are you guys doing? How are you handling this or that? Always trying to get better.”
Daly rides on the same bus during road trips as the four Rutgers players on the Patriots roster. So when Rutgers hired Ash in December 2015, it was Daly who filled them in on the unfamiliar name.
They wanted to know: Who is this guy? What was his like?
“We’ve talked a bunch when Chris got the job,” Daly said. “I’ve visited with all those guys about him, and we’ve bantered back and forth about that in the time since then.
“I think all of them have connected with (Ash) now. As I said to (Ash) when he took the job, ‘Look, we’ve got half of your damn NFL alumni on our roster, but the good thing is, everyone of those guys is a great guy. They are quality people you want around your program.'”
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Like everyone in football, Daly understands the challenges in building a consistent winner at Rutgers, and from a far, he watched the Scarlet Knights struggle mightily during his 2-10 season.
But this longtime friend believes that Ash, if he is given the resources and the patience from the Rutgers community, will build a successful program over the long haul.
“I was really excited for him. Great opportunity. Great program,” Daly said. “I know he had been involved in a couple of potential opportunities over the previous year or two, so I was really excited that he got an opportunity. Hopefully, he’ll do a great job with it.
“He’s either going to get it done or he’s going to exhausted himself trying. I know he’s hired some quality individuals. I know he’s got the right mindset and the right temperament for the job.”
Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find Steve on Facebook.
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