Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long, who was lauded for his dealings with the media during the Eagles Super Bowl LII-winning season in 2017, has been selected as the 2018 Good Guy Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Long, the 14th Good Guy Award winner, is the first member of the Eagles franchise to receive the honor from the PFWA.
Other nominees for the Good Guy Award were Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Calais Campbell, Philadelphia safety Malcolm Jenkins, New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown, recently retired Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas and recently retired Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.
The Good Guy Award is given to a NFL player for his qualities and professional style in helping pro football writers do their jobs. The award has been presented annually by the PFWA since 2005.
Long was nominated for his availability to local and national writers on a consistent basis and his offering of thoughtful answers on a variety of topics, both on and off the field.
“Chris Long was honest, thoughtful, and available to reporters throughout the season. He understood the value of his platform and the power of his words, and he used both to discuss a wide range of topics, said Zach Berman, who covers the Eagles for the Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News/philly.com. “Whether it was the Eagles defense, the team’s underdog status, the unrest in Charlottesville, his philanthropic endeavors, or his involvement in and support of social justice issues, Long’s insight and perspective were appreciated during his first year in Philadelphia.”
On the field, Long led the Eagles with four forced fumbles and was second on the team with 38 quarterback pressures/hits in the regular season. He finished with 32 total tackles (23 solo) and five sacks. In the playoffs, the 10th-year veteran tied for the team lead with 13 total QB pressures/hits and recorded eight of those in the NFC Championship Game vs. Minnesota, including one that forced a Vikings interception. He also recovered a red-zone fumble to stop a Minnesota drive in the second quarter as the Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl. With the Eagles’ victory over New England in Super Bowl LII, Long became one of just four players in NFL history to appear in back-to-back Super Bowls on different teams and win both.
ABOUT THE PFWA: The Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) is the official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public. The PFWA is made up of accredited writers who cover the NFL and the 32 teams daily. Bob Glauber, the national football columnist for Newsday, is the organization’s president for the 2018 season, while Bleacher Report national columnist Dan Pompei is the PFWA’s first vice-president. Follow the PFWA at ProFootballWriters.org and on Twitter at @PFWAwriters.
GOOD GUY AWARD WINNERS (To a NFL player for his qualities and professional style in helping the pro football writers do their job) Year indicates when award was presented for previous season: 2005 – Jerome Bettis (Pittsburgh Steelers); 2006 – Tiki Barber (New York Giants); 2007 – LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers); 2008 – Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers); 2009 – Kurt Warner (Arizona Cardinals); 2010 – Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints); 2011 – Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers); 2012 – Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos); 2013 – Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta Falcons); 2014 – Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks); 2015 – Richard Sherman (Seattle Seahawks); 2016 – Thomas Davis (Carolina Panthers); 2017 – Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals); 2018 – Chris Long (Philadelphia Eagles)
