When you think of football’s royal families, a few come to mind. The Mannings are probably the most famous, along with the Kelce brothers. There are plenty of others with that kind of clout, like the Long family.
Howie Long is not only a former Super Bowl–winning defender and Hall of Famer, but he’s also seen every Sunday alongside Michael Strahan on FOX’s pre- and postgame shows. Then there’s his son, Chris Long, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, who won two Super Bowls, one with the Patriots and another with the Eagles. Chris was also the 2018 Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient.
On his Green Light with Chris Long podcast, the former defensive end raved about how good Big Blue’s defense is, even calling it the best NASCAR package in the league. He talked about the nightmare Dexter Lawrence creates for opposing offensive linemen and went as far as to say how much of a challenge Lawrence must be for John Michael Schmitz to face every day in training camp.
Chris Long hypes Giants’ defense as one to watch in 2025
Long also discussed rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter and how his athleticism and flexibility to get around blockers have been a major topic in the preseason and training camp. Carter didn’t play much in the preseason-opening win over the Buffalo Bills, but he still recorded three quarterback pressures on the three pass plays he was on the field for.
This defense has already created buzz before the start of the season, with some believing it has the potential to be a top-10 unit, anchored by a dominant pass rush. Others think New York could be a sleeper team in 2025, with the defense being a big reason why. As the saying goes, when there’s smoke, there’s fire, and this team is producing plenty of smoke because of its potential and what the front could do.
The Giants defense still has to go out there in the regular season and show that it isn’t just all talk, but can produce on the field. If the talk is real and the results end up showing that the defense is for real, then good things could follow when the games count.