advertisement

Bears' Long eager to get back on the field with teammates

BOURBONNAIS - Kyle Long finds himself in a Catch-22 scenario as he struggles to recapture his Pro Bowl form following last season's ankle surgery.

Although he has moved from right to left guard, Long has had little trouble grasping the mental nuances of the shift. He hasn't been cleared, however, for full-speed, 11-on-11 practice, so he's behind on the physical curve.

"Mentally I know what I'm doing," Long said. "It's just a matter of tying the mental and physical aspects together. I feel a little awkward, just (getting) my feet under me and the timing of certain plays. (It's) subtle techniques that wouldn't look any different to you guys, but to me it's a radical change. I just have to hone in on the details."

That requires more practice, but the Bears have been cautious in bringing Long back.

"Repetitions," Long said when asked what he needs to get up to speed. "And that's the thing that's tough when you're getting limited reps. It's finding that balance between pushing it too much and getting yourself ready."

Long was voted to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons, as a right guard in 2013 and 2014 and then as a right tackle in 2015, and he missed just one game in that stretch. The streak of Pro Bowls and good health ended last season when Long was felled in midseason by severe ligament damage in his right ankle. His ankle was rolled from behind by teammate Paul Lasike when he was tackled near the goal line. Long also suffered a shoulder injury that did not require surgery.

"Luckily, early on in my career, I didn't have to deal with anything as debilitating as what I sustained last year," Long said. "So this is my first time through something like this. I've been champing at the bit to get back, but they've done a good job of pulling the reins a little bit and making sure that I understand that it's a long season.

"Even though I fully understand that, you're kind of shortsighted when you're injured because you want to get back at it as fast as possible."

That angst may have been responsible for Long's behavior in Monday's final training camp practice, when his combativeness with teammates earned him an early shower.

"Obviously there was some frustration," coach John Fox said in regard to Long's slow return to the field. "(But) that's not how we operate."

A day before he took a swing at fellow offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu, Long expressed his frustration.

"It (stinks) when you can't be out there every team rep," Long said of the forced inactivity. "When you're used to running off the field after a team (11-on-11) period with the rest of the ones, and I'm sitting over there in a hat watching.

"I love the game of football, and when it's taken away from you and when you're limited to just practicing against other O-linemen during individual (work), it's tough."

The sooner Long can participate 100 percent, the sooner he'll play well with others.

"The more I can get on the field, the better off I'll be," Long said. "I think that will be the way it is until I'm done playing the game."

• Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere.

Bears have a deep, diverse running game

Bears coach Fox on his QBs: 'We don't do comparisons'

Barth familiar with competition

Kyle Long dismissed from Bears practice for fighting

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.