Chicago Bears: 3 ways to fix the offensive line problems
Kyle Long does not look right
This is painstakingly hard for me to write. I am a huge Kyle Long fan. I have been a fan of his since he was drafted in 2013. I love his on the field ferocity. I love his off the field personality and how he interacts with the fans. For years, Long has been my favorite player on offense.
Injuries have derailed his career though. Long went to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons in the NFL. Unfortunately, he has not started in double-digit games since that last Pro Bowl season in 2015. That is three seasons in a row now where he has only started in nine or fewer games. Not to mention, he has already missed a game in 2019 due to a hip injury.
Could the hip injury be a reason why Kyle Long has looked so bad this season? Could it be the compounding injuries over the last three seasons, which has limited his game reps, why Long has struggled mightily at maintaining his Pro Bowl level of play?
light. Read. Bears: Sloppy play catches up to them
As someone who does not have direct access to his doctors or even Kyle Long himself, I cannot answer that question with certainty. I can, however, make the intuitive conclusion that something, no matter what that something is, is wrong with Kyle Long. Until the team can figure that out, they need to bench him.
I am not trying to be harsh or overly critical here. I would love to see Long back in form. I was not lying when I said I am a big Kyle Long fan. As you can see from my offseason response on Twitter, I am a huge Kyle Long fan.
I have only ever owned one offensive lineman jersey...Kyle Long was an easy choice and one of my all-time favorite #Bears https://t.co/rVom3ykeJC
— Rob Schwarz Jr. (@ChiRuxinBGO) April 15, 2019
Right now though, Long is doing more harm than good. He is missing blocks. He is unable to hold his blocks long enough in pass protection. He is even struggling to create push against defensive linemen to establish a run game. If I am Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace, during this bye week, they need to determine if Cornelius Lucas III or Ted Larsen should start in his place.
Hell, I would even consider promoting Alex Bars off the practice squad. The New England Patriots tried to sign him, but Bars actually turned down that option to remain on the Bears practice squad. Pace and Nagy obviously like Bars or they would not have given him a pay raise to remain here in Chicago. Could he be the Kyle Long replacement needed?