The last couple days Long has made remarks on twitter about... - Knowing in the next couple months if he can play again. - Saying the Bears "fired" him at half time of the Raiders game last season. - That if he came back to the Bears it would need to be with a new staff. None of his remarks came across as actually bitter to me and he wasn't trying to trash the team. Just interesting. He definitely was banged up and not himself last season. One of the things I have always liked about Long is his honesty and how he engages fans on Twitter.
I agree with the assessment, especially the part about appreciate his honesty and fan engagement. I don't use Twitter much, but he is one of the few I pay attention to. Having read through all of his comments in real time, my impression of it was simply that he was brutally aware of the reality with Chicago: the team let him go, and if he's going to have another chance in the NFL, it won't be with this team / staff. There was a distinct moment in the last few months where he went from showing off his non-football life (eating what he wanted to, losing weight, etc), and then flipped the switch to getting back to football workouts (showing himself pushing a truck, back to football diet, the usual stuff). So he's definitely working out for teams, and given the potential for injuries and COVID over the season, I would be surprised if he doesn't end up on a team this season. That said, he's said from the moment he left the team that he loves Chicago and the team. I don't get any sense that's changed. He's just been very realistic about his end with Chicago, going as far back as comments he made during the season (after the Raiders game). Also, it seems he was going after some broadcasting jobs after the end of last season, and that hasn't materialized for him. I think he has potential in that field, and I'm sure that'll still be a pursuit going forward. But he probably sees a playing opportunity this year, and is trying to take advantage.
I remember that interview he did with Waddle and Silvy right after the season ended. The tone of these tweets strikes a contrast with his thoughts back then. At the time he admitted he played like garbage in 2019, was embarrassed watching himself on film, and that he wasn't the same player he used to be. He seemed very understanding of the Bears decision to move on from him and accept a new phase of his life. I agree he's always been honest. His mind has obviously has changed on his future. I loved Long as a Bear but he's done as a player no question about it. Must be hard to accept, I can't imagine. But he's done and the Bears were right to move on.
I too appreciate the honesty, but at the same time, I'm not sure exactly what he gains by tweeting. Might just be the old man in me. I think we all could read between the lines that he was fired, but like blang says in the Waddle and Silvy interview he was really upfront on how he wasn't good enough, I think he even said something like "I would have benched me sooner". But then the Bears gave him the graceful retirement so he could go off dignified. Trying to get it back? That's a tough road and one that in all likelihood he'll just be lucky to get to play a year or two more, maybe as a backup before it's all gone, and very possibly he won't even get that. Players don't get to have super long careers, particularly once the injuries start to hit. The exceptions like Brady can be laid on the backs of the careers of the multiple guys that lined up in front of him over the years. dline hits the nail on the head I think, he thought he'd be able to transition quickly to broadcasting, and that hasn't happened. I think it still will (especially since his dad must have some connections), but those jobs are few and far between. He's also probably missing it a lot more than he thought. I'll always love his time as a bear and don't think worse of him for any of the tweets. But it's also a little rough watching it play out.
