Kyle Long Had Brilliant Answer to What He Wants to See Most in London
Kyle Long missed the game against Minnesota last week as he’s dealing with a hip injury. So far this week he’s been limited in practice. The veteran guard stated that he expects to return for the team’s London contest with the Oakland Raiders. This is good news since backup Ted Larsen is now on the injury report dealing with a knee injury. The Chicago Bears could really use a vintage performance from Long in this game to help get the team into the bye week at 4-1.
This will also be the first and likely last time in his NFL career he gets a chance to visit one of the most famous capitals in the world. There are so many possible landmarks. The Big Ben clocktower. The London Eye observation wheel, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, and the Parliament Building among others. They’re views not a lot of Americans might ever get a chance to see in their lifetimes.
Long though? He has a different place in mind. When asked by Chicago media prior to departing on the long overseas flight, his answer was about as perfect as one could ever expect.
Kyle Long was only half-joking with that quote
On the surface that’s just a witty comment from a guy known for his sense of humor. However, there is definitely a bit of seriousness buried beneath it. Through four games, the Bears have scored a total of five offensive touchdowns. That is not good. In fact, it’s really bad. It is also a testament to how dominant the defense has been to this point. The 2018 Bears offense wasn’t great but they still scored 44 touchdowns. At their current rate, the 2019 Bears will manage 20. That is a remarkably steep decline and unacceptable for a team run by an offensive head coach.
Long wants to rectify this situation against the Raiders. A team that ranks a distance 24th in point allowed. So there are reasons for optimism. If the offensive line can control the line of scrimmage and give backup Chase Daniel time, there’s no reason to think the Bears can’t score some points. Then again nothing is certain with this offense. People will just have to wait and see what happens.