Post by JABF on Dec 4, 2017 9:24:31 GMT -6
I firmly believe we are seeing Kyle Long nearing the end of his career due to the injuries. He may hang around the NFL a few more years, but his body seems to be breaking down bigtime now.
LINK
It’s possible we’ve seen the last of right guard Kyle Long on the field this season. His final offensive snap on Sunday came with 10:37 remaining in the second quatrter on the 9-yard run quarterback Mitch Trubisky had. Remember, that was the play coach John Fox unsuccessfully challenged. It didn’t look like Long was injured specifically on that play but the left shoulder has been giving him ongoing issues. Tom Compton replaced him for the snap the Bears had with 24 seconds remaining in the first half and Long watched the second half from the sideline wearing turf shoes even though the team labeled him as questionable to return.
“I don’t know the extent of it,” Long said after the game. “I jacked up my shoulder pretty good. I’ll know more tomorrow.”
Presumably, that means Long is headed for some tests on the shoulder, which I originally reported was injured prior to the start of the 2016 season. Plenty of folks have suggested in a lost season why not shut Long down as soon as possible and divert his focus to doing whatever it takes medically to get fixed up about 12 months removed from reconstructive surgery on his right ankle?
The short answer there is Long is not programmed that way. He’s a competitor and wants to be out there with his teammates when at all possible. The other thing I think most people have managed to overlook is the fact that you want the best possible offensive line on the field as possible for the quarterback that is struggling through his rookie season. Shut down Long prematurely, have a fill-in miss a few blocks and get Mitch Trubisky clobbered and, well, that’s not a good thing. It’s gotten to the point that Long may not be able to battle through what are multiple injuries. The left shoulder is the most serious one right now and he knows he needs to get it fixed. It might be a matter of whether or not that procedure happens this month or next month.
“Kyle is one of the toughest people I know,” Compton said. “He has been battling through a ton of stuff and he usually stays in there even if it’s really hurting him. We’ll see what happens with him. I am always eager to step up. Every week, I tell myself I am playing. I am starting. That is how I have to prepare so when I go in there it is not foreign to me. They do a good job of giving me a lot of reps during the week so that helps.”
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It’s possible we’ve seen the last of right guard Kyle Long on the field this season. His final offensive snap on Sunday came with 10:37 remaining in the second quatrter on the 9-yard run quarterback Mitch Trubisky had. Remember, that was the play coach John Fox unsuccessfully challenged. It didn’t look like Long was injured specifically on that play but the left shoulder has been giving him ongoing issues. Tom Compton replaced him for the snap the Bears had with 24 seconds remaining in the first half and Long watched the second half from the sideline wearing turf shoes even though the team labeled him as questionable to return.
“I don’t know the extent of it,” Long said after the game. “I jacked up my shoulder pretty good. I’ll know more tomorrow.”
Presumably, that means Long is headed for some tests on the shoulder, which I originally reported was injured prior to the start of the 2016 season. Plenty of folks have suggested in a lost season why not shut Long down as soon as possible and divert his focus to doing whatever it takes medically to get fixed up about 12 months removed from reconstructive surgery on his right ankle?
The short answer there is Long is not programmed that way. He’s a competitor and wants to be out there with his teammates when at all possible. The other thing I think most people have managed to overlook is the fact that you want the best possible offensive line on the field as possible for the quarterback that is struggling through his rookie season. Shut down Long prematurely, have a fill-in miss a few blocks and get Mitch Trubisky clobbered and, well, that’s not a good thing. It’s gotten to the point that Long may not be able to battle through what are multiple injuries. The left shoulder is the most serious one right now and he knows he needs to get it fixed. It might be a matter of whether or not that procedure happens this month or next month.
“Kyle is one of the toughest people I know,” Compton said. “He has been battling through a ton of stuff and he usually stays in there even if it’s really hurting him. We’ll see what happens with him. I am always eager to step up. Every week, I tell myself I am playing. I am starting. That is how I have to prepare so when I go in there it is not foreign to me. They do a good job of giving me a lot of reps during the week so that helps.”
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