BOURBONNAIS, Ill. _ The Bears held their final practice of training camp at Olivet Nazarene University Monday. Before the moving trucks were packed and pointed back to Halas Hall, here are three things we learned.
Kyle Long's explosive temper got him sent off.
The offensive lineman's fifth NFL training camp has been a grand mental and physical challenge as he slowly works back from the reconstructive right ankle surgery he had last November. It also ended early Monday when he was dismissed from practice for fighting.
Long was not available to reporters afterward, but coach John Fox was asked about the confrontations he had with offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu and defensive lineman John Jenkins.
"There's a standard we have, and it's something we weren't very pleased with," Fox said. "I haven't had a chance to visit with him yet, but it's something that we'll handle it internally."
Only Long could answer whether his fuse is short these days as a result of being relegated to the sideline for most of camp. Since Aug. 8, he has been participating in small portions of team drills, but Fox has indicated there's a significant chance Long won't play in any exhibition games.
Long did speak to media Sunday, describing the restraint required during his comeback and the difficulty therein.
"It sucks when you can't be out there every team rep when you're used to running off the field after a team period with the rest of the (starters) and I'm sitting over there in a hat watching," he said.
"It sucks. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. I love the game of football, and when it's taken away from you, and when you're limited to just practicing against other O-linemen during individual (drills), it's tough. So the more I can get on the field, the better off I'll be."
The Bears almost went the entire camp without fighting on the field amongst themselves. That was something Fox had emphasized entering camp. Receiver Cameron Meredith and cornerback Prince Amukamara had to be separated from shoving each other in the first padded practice, but otherwise there was harmony until Monday.
The Bears had 10 men on the field for the Broncos' game-tying touchdown Thursday.
On third-and-18 from the Bears' 47 at the 6:20 mark of the fourth quarter, the Bears broke the huddle with 11 men. They had in their nickel package_five defensive backs. Broncos quarterback Kyle Sloter repositioned the in-line tight end into the backfield. The Bears didn't like how that adjustment would stymie their defensive play, so they called time out.
Coming out of the stoppage, the Bears switched to their dime package_six defensive backs_a rarity under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. They subbed out defensive lineman Roy Roberston-Harris, but the defensive back to replace him somehow didn't get the new call.
NFL rules prohibit a team from calling consecutive timeouts in the same dead ball period, so the Bears, by rule, could not call time out to save themselves.
The defense was supposed to be in a 3-deep zone. The absent defender was responsible for the deep middle, while second-year safety DeAndre Houston-Carson had the middle on the second level. Houston-Carson got his hands on receiver Isaiah McKenzie to disrupt him and pass him off to a teammate who, as it turned out, never took the field. McKenzie was wide open for the touchdown.
The Bears have a new injury concern with a first-string defender.
Top cornerback Amukamara left practice early. A league source indicated it's a right hamstring problem but gave no sense of the severity. The Bears are counting on his veteran presence to help the secondary improve its takeaways total this season.
Amukamara, a first-round pick of the Giants in 2011, repeatedly flashed in training camp by taking calculated risks to play the ball. He returned a Mike Glennon interception for a touchdown Sunday.
