bears notes
Before Khalil Mack sat out Wednesday’s practice, Bears coach Matt Nagy said he expects the star outside linebacker to follow a similar routine to the last two weeks as the team gears up for Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Mack, who is still recovering from a sprained right ankle he suffered Oct. 14 in Miami, sat out Wednesday and Thursday practices in Weeks 7 and 8 and did some on-field work on both Fridays. He played against the Patriots on Oct. 21 but was inactive against the Jets.
That marked the first time in five NFL seasons that Mack had missed a game. And he could miss a second game in Buffalo with the Bears vowing to remain cautious with how they approach Mack’s recovery.
The team is cognizant of an important 12-day stretch in November in which they’ll play three NFC North games, sandwiching a home game with the Vikings between two games against the Lions.
As for injured guard Kyle Long, Nagy carefully steered around revealing details of the guard’s right foot injury. On Tuesday, Long was seen at Halas Hall wheeling around on a scooter with his right foot in a protective boot. But Nagy wouldn’t offer specifics of Long’s diagnosis on Wednesday before practice.
“We don’t know the complete extent to it yet,” he said.
Pressed on whether any bones in Long’s right foot were broken, the coach didn’t offer a direct answer.
“Well,” he said, “I’m not going to get into the details of it. But there’s an issue in regards to … the tendon. There are some issues there.”
Nagy said Long’s right Achilles tendon isn’t damaged. Nor is this current injury related to the season-ending right ankle injury Long suffered in 2016, a setback that has continued to bother him into this season. That injury included a torn peroneal tendon on the outside of his foot.
Still, regardless of the specifics, the Bears are preparing to be without Long for an extended period and are still having conversations on whether to place him on injured reserve.
“Those are decisions we’re going through,” Nagy said. “We’re not there yet. And we don’t need to be. Once we need to get to that point, then we’ll decide what we need to do.”
With Long out, guards James Daniels, Eric Kush and Bryan Witzmann will compete for playing time. Kush has started six games at left guard, and he can play right guard. He missed the Jets game because of a nerve problem in his neck and shoulder, and Daniels started in his place. Kush returned to practice Wednesday and was limited.
Receiver Allen Robinson (groin) sat out Wednesday’s practice. Nagy said he and Mack will follow the same schedule this week.
This was a topic Wednesday after Trubisky had mixed success in varying his arm slot on several throws against the Jets. For him, it’s a matter of consistency with mechanics while also not stifling his athletic instincts and creativity.
“Sometimes it got me in trouble,” he said. “Sometimes it’s pressure up front, you’re trying to throw around a D-lineman, and it works. And then sometimes it comes out really sloppy. So … it’s just got to be more consistent.
“Finding the passing windows, a lot of the time it’s bringing my feet instead of trying just to change my arm slot. So, the more consistent I can be, the more you’ll see the completion percentage go up, and I’ll just be a lot more consistent.”
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