Bears' Long back at practice, but no timetable for his return
BOURBONNAIS - Guard Kyle Long was limited at Thursday's practice, but any participation on his part was a positive, considering he's coming back from ankle surgery and a shoulder problem that he opted to rehab without surgery.
"I liken it to going around a NASCAR track," Fox said of Long's rehab. "You don't want to go real slow and putz around all the time. You want to get a little faster each lap without wrecking. So that's kind of the deal we're on with him."
There is, as yet, no timetable for Long's return. But especially since the three-time Pro Bowler is moving from right guard to left guard, the more practice time he can tolerate, the better his chances of being full-go on opening day.
Long, whose 2016 season ended after eight games, suffered complications following the ankle surgery including an adverse reaction to prescribed medication that resulted in weight loss. He doesn't consider the shoulder situation a concern, at least for now, and an additional surgery would have delayed his return to the field.
"The ankle has been the larger issue by a wide margin," Long said. "Initially the shoulder was very loose and it would come out and come back in. But your body does a great job of healing itself over time. The shoulder hasn't really been an issue and hopefully it won't be an issue. I've done a lot of stuff extensively to work on the smaller muscles and strengthening around (the shoulder).
"Unfortunately, you have to run on an ankle, so I had to do my best to take care of that."
While he's still got a ways to go before he's 100 percent, Long said he's not obsessing over his health or his ability to regain his elite playing level.
"I wouldn't say I have a lot of anxiety in regards to my health and my future," he said. "I would say that there is a lot of pressure, and pressure's good. I have to fight pressure with pressure. I have to work harder and harder in the training room, in the weight room and on the field."
Here we go again:
The decision to place oft-injured linebacker Pernell McPhee on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list on the eve of Thursday's first training camp practice was unexpected.
A year ago McPhee started camp on the PUP list and also missed the first six games of the season, when he was slow to recover from left knee surgery. That was expected.
But he was considered much healthier this season until doctors found "a little irregularity," in his right knee during Wednesday's physical, according to coach John Fox.
"I don't want to speculate what it was," Fox said, "but obviously it was something that was bothering him a little bit to mention it in the physical, and they're still evaluating it."
McPhee has dropped about 20 pounds to 269 to reduce wear and tear on both knees. His stay on PUP could be as short as a few days or be similar to a year ago.
"I think mentally, he's fine," Fox said. "He's still confident, now it's just about getting him healthy. Don't want to be too negative or positive, with the idea that we don't really know yet."
Minor setbacks:
Defensive lineman Eddie Goldman and safety Deon Bush were at Thursday's practice but did not participate because they were pulled from Wednesday's conditioning test due to dehydration concerns.
Both are expected to practice Friday.
Goldman had the same problem as a rookie in 2015.
"He came back in great shape," coach John Fox said of Goldman. "He weighed in at 315. He might have dropped too much weight too fast - not really sure. I don't know what climate he's been training in over the last five weeks. It was pretty humid (Wednesday) and wasn't that he wasn't in good shape, his body froze up, which happens when heat gets to you."
Veteran cornerback Marcus Cooper, an unrestricted free agent addition, tapped out early from practice, but Fox downplayed the seriousness of that situation.
"It was no setback or anything," Fox said. "Our goal is to have them ready for (the season opener,) Sept. 10."
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