Kyle Long is doing anything but fading into the background. After announcing his retirement from the NFL due to repeated injury issues, the former Chicago Bears guard has made a boatload of media appearances. Undoubtedly it seems he might end up following the same career path as his father Howie who is a respected analyst. Long has shown plenty of personality and knowledge, while also not being afraid to share his opinion.
Obviously people have asked him several times about the state of the Bears quarterback situation and Mitch Trubisky. While the 31-year old continues to insist he believes in his the QB as a teammate and leader, he also has pressed home an urgent need for the offense to change. To what? More towards the scheme they ran in 2018 that featured power-running elements. A style that didn’t put the responsibility on the quarterback.
Long reiterated this on a recent appearance on Dave Dameshek’s podcast. There he stated that the team needs to bulk up the offensive line and, most interestingly, find a new running back.
“We need to find out, the Bears need to find out, what it is they need to do. Who it is they need to obtain in the draft or free agency to solidify the offensive line, get a power running back to compliment Tarik Cohen and David Montgomery and be able to play real, hard-nosed football.”
He was done with just that either.
Long appeared on NFL Total Access later in the week and was again asked about Trubisky. Again he alluded to the running game and the need for a power back. During his reply, he skillfully dodged a question regarding the exit of Jordan Howard last year.
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“If you’re going to get another guy, go get yourself a power running back to compliment your two scat backs who are Pro Bowl talents. But you need to have a guy featured as a power runner…Jordan Howard was a tremendous player for the Bears. He’s not there anymore. So what’s the answer? I don’t know the answer, but it’s out there somewhere.”
Kyle Long may love Mitch but clearly doesn’t trust him
These statements paint a fairly clear picture. Now Long is an offensive lineman at heart. Of course, he’d be all about the idea of the Bears pounding the football. However, he’s also not stupid. He knows franchise quarterbacks win championships. The fact he didn’t urge the team to improve the pass protection or add more receiving weapons? That was hard to ignore. Nobody is saying he doesn’t think Trubisky can play. Does he think he’s a franchise quarterback though?
Teams that feature a power running attack don’t usually feel that way.
Look at the Tennessee Titans. They just went to the AFC championship with Ryan Tannehill. One would think they’d jump at the chance to keep him long-term. Instead there have been serious rumors that they aren’t completely sold on that idea. Why? Mostly because he wasn’t the reason they got there. Derrick Henry and the defense were. The same can be said for San Francisco. Jimmy Garoppolo played his part but he wasn’t the main reason.
This is what Long is basically saying. Trubisky can be that role player, but he just isn’t the star they’re hoping for.
