kyle Long was his usual exuberant self Tuesday afternoon. As he arrived at the Bears’ annual Ed Block Courage Award luncheon at Manzo’s Banquets in Des Plaines, the veteran offensive lineman had reason to feel upbeat.
For starters, receiving the award was fulfilling. Plus, hours earlier Long had attended the first official team meeting under new coach Matt Nagy at Halas Hall, signifying the beginning the spring offseason program.
Oh, and Long wanted to make it known that physically he has been feeling great, a positive report after he underwent a trio of surgeries since December. Asked to specify the procedures, Long said he had surgeries on his neck, shoulder and elbow. “It comes with the territory,” he said. “I signed up for this.”
Long, however, wasn’t able to pinpoint a timetable for when he’ll get clearance to return to full football activities.
“I couldn’t tell you,” he said. “If it were up to me, I’d be full go right now. I feel as if I am. But there are certain things that are time-sensitive that we have to follow a certain timeline with — the neck being one of them.
“It’s not something you want to take lightly. We’re going to take all the time we need, but there will be no limitations once the season rolls around.”
Long has missed a total of 14 games the last two seasons and wound up on injured reserve in December, the second consecutive year a move to IR was necessary. The Bears were often deceptive with injury information under former coach John Fox and had never listed a neck issue for Long on their injury report. But the lineman knew something wasn’t right and had his neck surgery the week before Christmas.
“I couldn’t tell you medical jargon (for what they did),” he said. “But I can tell you my neck wasn’t structurally the way it was supposed to be. I had some nerve issues that contributed a lot to the shoulder (problem) that I had been complaining about for a while.”
Long’s perseverance and push to play through pain the last two seasons has been notable. Now, he’s hoping for a far more healthy 2018, insistent he’ll be ready for the start of the season.
“I’ll be flying around,” he said.
In accepting the Ed Block award, Long expressed humility and gratitude. The honor is voted on by teammates to highlight a player who displays outstanding professionalism, strength and dedication and is a role model in the community.
Long recalled learning of past Ed Block Courage Award honorees, a list that since his arrival has included Matt Slauson, Patrick Mannelly, Robbie Gould and Pernell McPhee.
“I remember sitting in meetings when that award was given out at Hals Hall and thinking to myself, ‘I’m not tough enough, smart enough or a good enough guy to ever win this award,’” Long said. “But I guess I fooled my teammates enough to vote me in here, and it’s a tremendous honor to be here today.”
Heading for his 30th birthday in December and entering his sixth season with the Bears, Long realizes how quickly he has gone from wide-eyed rookie to established elder statesmen. He singled out Slauson as a veteran who helped mold him into a professional a half-decade ago.
“And if I can have any impact on a kid that comes in as a rookie, that’s all I’m here to do,” he said.
Bears Chairman George McCaskey expressed his appreciation for Long’s personality.
“(It’s) his enthusiasm,” McCaskey said. “His passion for the game. His dedication. His selflessness. His willingness to be there for his teammates. Those are the kinds of things (that leave an impression). His sense of humor. He has a zest for life, a joy for life that’s infectious.”
As for the official page-turn in Lake Forest with Bears players uniting with Nagy, McCaskey and Long acknowledged the enthusiastic vibe that was present Tuesday morning. McCaskey labeled Nagy “a dynamic presence” whose enthusiasm has been obvious.
“I think,” McCaskey said, “the players are really going to pick up on that.”
Added Long: “Everybody’s very, very, very excited to get started. It’s a fresh feel and we’re all really stoked about it.”