He may not have achieved the true greatness he was capable of, but Kyle Long became a three-time Pro Bowler and fan favorite for the Chicago Bears during his seven seasons with the team. His feelings about the organization haven’t changed. He still loves the fans and the organization. They did right by him for years. However, he hasn’t held back his feelings about how his time in Chicago ended. More specifically, it was clear he had beef with former head coach Matt Nagy.
Part of it came from his treatment of quarterback Mitch Trubisky, with whom Long was close. However, the bigger issue surfaced in 2019 in the fateful game against the Las Vegas Raiders in London. The Bears came out flat in the first half. Long didn’t play well, largely because he was injured. Rather than offer encouragement, Nagy lit into him at halftime, going so far as to call him a “gutless bitch.” The guard admitted he almost left the game after that but decided to play the second half. It would be his last snaps in a Bears uniform.
Long was cut that off-season. His bitterness about it was evident.
His opinion of Nagy hasn’t changed since then. Meanwhile, Long got the chance to meet his successor in Matt Eberflus. He and his brother Chris Long interviewed the Bears head coach on the Green Light podcast. It seems Flus made an impression.
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Kyle Long seems to think the Bears are in good hands.
Eberflus demonstrated his usual straightforward approach. He likes the progress guys have made, but there is still plenty of work to do. The standard remains unchanged. This team expects to win. His job is to get the 22 best players on the field to make that happen. Status doesn’t matter. Hustle, intensity, turnovers, and smarts do. Everybody gives 100%. Pay attention to the details. Nobody is above the team, including himself. This is why it’s easy to understand why the man had so much success in Indianapolis.
After a rebuilding year in 2022, he finally has a credible roster to work with. Kyle Long seems as anxious as everybody else to see what the Bears do. Eberflus has everybody energized and competitive in training camp. Both the offense and defense seem improved from last year. Guys have bought into the culture. No doubt Long wishes he could’ve been around to experience it. Either way, it’s nice to hear the former guard give his nod of approval to a Bears head coach for once.
