Could the Bears Offensive Line Get a Huge Boost Before the Playoffs?
Aug 10, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears offensive guard Kyle Long (75) during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears seem to have most everything locked in and going right for them. If there was a list of weakness it comes down to the offensive side of the ball. That list, rightly or wrongly, is the inability to stretch the field through deep aerial attacks, experience at the quarterback position, and ability to run block.
The aerial attack is as much to do with how teams defend the Bears as it has to do with a capable QB and speedy receivers. With every passing week Mitch Trubisky gains more and more experience. These are two aspects that the Bears can’t do anything about. They can’t all of a sudden gain a WR with blazing fast speed that can get past a defense. Trubisky can’t download every game experience overnight.
The one area they can improve is run blocking. To run block you need attitude. You need to be mean. You need to want to dominate a defender.
In week 17 it is hard to all of a sudden gain that attitude, but that type of attitude is contagious. If there was ever a player that embodied that attitude and that mindset, it is Kyle Long.
Long tore a tendon in week 8 against the New York Jets, and has been out since. A player with incredible pedigree, and one of the meanest SOB’s on the field, he has certainly been missed. But the Bears might not be without him for long.
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Long has practiced with the team, and is expected to play this week verse the Minnesota Vikings. So what can this potentially mean for Trubisky, the running backs, and the Bears?
“When you plug a guy like that into the offense, it makes everyone else around them better immediately — the guys up front — and it’s going to give me more time, open up bigger holes in the run game,” Trubisky said Wednesday. “When you put a player of his caliber in there, it makes the offense better.”
The one side of the ball that has been carries most of the season, should get better. The offense should feel more balanced. Running backs should see more holes and better opportunities.
While Long’s impact might not be huge this week, he can play a big role in the Bears success in the playoffs, when it’s cold and very much a running-like atmosphere. This is good news Bears fans.
