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. So does he, saying that with that 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.�