Here's why:
* The vowel sound in "feel" is a long "ee" sound. This is represented by the letter combination "ee" in the word.
* A long "e" sound is different from a long "ee" sound. A long "e" sound is typically represented by the letter "e" at the end of a word or followed by a silent "e" (like in "cone" or "mate").
Therefore, "feel" has a long "ee" sound, not a long "e" sound.