HOUSTON — Chris Long went to his father for advice, like he usually does, last offseason. His dad, the Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long, has always been there for words of wisdom. Last March, the veteran defensive end found himself on the open market and ready to play for a new team for the first time after eight seasons.

Plenty of teams were vying for his service, but Long’s decision came down to joining the Patriots, where his role was undefined, or the Atlanta Falcons.

“Our discussion, for me, it came back to one thing. It came back to — why are you playing?” Howie Long said on Tuesday. “His response was always, ‘I’m playing to win.’ OK, ‘What team has won the division over the last 13 years, 11 or 12 times? What team has been to six Super Bowls and won four and came close to winning the two others they were in?’”

The choice for his father was an easy one. Chris Long, however, needed a little more time to think. He did enjoy his free-agent visit to Atlanta and loved what the Falcons were doing, but at the end of the day the 31-year-old thought about never making the playoffs or ever playing for a team with a winning record.

“It came back to the same thing – the opportunity to win,” Howie Long said. “He made the decision on his own. He asked for my input and I gave it to him, but Chris is someone that makes informed decisions and generally chooses wisely.”

As it turns out, Chris Long was bound for new heights either way. The defensive end will make his Super Bowl debut this weekend, ironically against the Falcons in Super LI. The journey with the Patriots this season has been extremely enjoyable not only for the veteran player, but also for his father.

Like his dad, Chris Long has had a lengthy successful NFL career. But unlike him, didn’t find team success early. Howie Long played and won Super Bowl XVIII at the end of the 1983 season, his third year in the league.

After not making another Super Bowl, the father always talked to his sons Chris and Kyle Long about the importance of making the most out of your opportunities.

“He always talks about how quickly it got there and thinking, that’s a hell of a team he’s on and thinking he’d be back and never in his 13-year career going back,” Chris Long said. “It was like his second year in the league. Just how much you have to appreciate it, can’t take it for granted. Obviously, it’s the opposite for me. It took me a long time. I don’t need any reminder there.”

Although both his sons ended up in the NFL, Howie Long and his wife didn’t want their sons to play football.

“They just figured because I was soft, if you will, that they’d send me out to football practice and I’d come back and be like, ‘The hell with this,’” Chris Long said. “But, it backfired. Fortunately or unfortunately, 18 years later, I’m still playing.”

“At the end of the day, your DNA is what your DNA is,” Howie Long added. “Chris is someone who, the day he committed to it in high school, he’s 110 percent, all the time. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who’s worked harder to get to this point and then through more throughout the first eight years of his career.”

It was difficult for the father to watch his son at times during his eight-year stint with the Rams. Every loss hurt. Every losing season did as well. When his son was down, he’d call home after games. There’s only so much one parent can say after eight losing seasons in a row.

“I ran out of things to say on Sunday nights. I really did,” Howie Long said. “As a dad and as someone who played – ‘It’ll be better next week. It’ll be better next year.’ Eight years – that’s hard to do.”

That makes this week even more special for the Long family. Howie Long will work Super Bowl LI as a Fox Sports analyst and couldn’t be happier to see his son at the top.

"For Chris, particularly given the journey he’s been on to get here, he’s a kid that’s just always did it right,” Howie Long said. “Always. Poured his heart and soul into it. I saw how hard he worked in high school, in college and in St. Louis and in preparing from coming back from injuries to be a part of the Patriots team and have a shot to contribute. I’m extremely happy for him.”