Kyle Long

I was reading what I could find on the shoulder labrum tear injury that Long had.  I don't doubt athletes can play with the torn shoulder cartilage, but it sure doesn't sound like a smart thing to do.  And trying to go 1-on-1 with violent 300+ pound DT's can't be too easy with the torn shoulder.  And we're seeing he's not playing very well.  

The guy's a precious commodity right now for the Bears.  Why not let the guy heal?  This season is going nowhere with or without KO.  Let the guy heal.  I also read that this type of injury doesn't mean the person will recover to pre-injury level.  Usually they do recover at least 80% of pre-injury level of play though.

LINK

SLAP tears are usually treated with rest, anti-inflammatory medications and, in some cases, an in-office cortisone injection. This is followed by gradual stretching of the shoulder, initially with a physical therapist, for six weeks to two months.

In general, non-surgical treatment is usually most appropriate for older patients who do not engage in regular physical activity, while younger athletes who regularly participate in higher impact sports can expect recurrence and may want to consider arthroscopic surgery.

Regardless of treatment type, almost all athletes are advised to wear a sling for the first four weeks post-surgery to protect the shoulder as it heals. Following surgery, athletes may require six months to one year for full recovery, with overhead throwing athletes taking the longest.

“If fixed properly, most athletes should be able to return to at least 80 percent of their pre-injury level of play,” says Dr. Fealy.

I wouldn't connect to two too much unless we know the exact diagnosis from the physician, as well as how his physical therapy has gone throughout the weeks. In my experiences working in a physical therapy clinic i saw many different recovery times for all kind of injuries and surgeries. 

There did seem to be a common theme in faster recovery for those people who had stronger will and a good pain tolerance. I would probably put Long in the category LoL but like i said, it all depends...hell for all we know, he is just trying too hard with a rookie to his left and the broken dancer on his right.

If/when we have no real chance of playoff, he should stop playing. Theres no reason why he should be allowed to play with an injury that might effect him for the rest of his NFL life.

+1
And while a player can play through pain in many circumstances, pain is our body's way of telling us something needs to heal.  We can take drugs for pain and ignore our body's warning - and sometimes that is fine... it works out just fine.  But sometimes we should stop and let the body heal.  

Kyle Long is a player whom we've recently made a significant long-term investment in.  Not because we expect to win a super bowl THIS year, but because he is expected to be a critically important piece of a future team that WILL be that competitive.  This year the team is going nowhere.  Why not protect our investment in this player for the future seasons remaining on his new contract extension?  It sounds like this injury may limit him from ever recovering 100% - even if he does everything right in allowing it to heal properly (they say 80% and above for athletes).  An OL puts tremendous stress on his shoulders every game, all career long... so why not shut him down until he gets the shoulder properly healed?