Frustrated Long limited in practice
Guard Kyle Long said Wednesday what coach John Fox wouldn’t earlier in the week — that he was active Sunday simply to serve as the Bears’ emergency backup in case someone got hurt.
Josh Sitton left for one snap, so Long played on the field- goal team.
“We just didn’t have anybody else,” Long said. “If everybody went down, I was the emergency guy. Just trying to help the team out when I couldn’t help.”
Whether he can be of more help the rest of the season seems like an open question. Two and a half weeks after hurting a finger on his left hand, Long was limited in practice Wednesday. He admitted that he’s dealing with more than that — he’s still monitoring his surgically repaired right ankle and has a labrum problem in his left shoulder.
“I think there’s a few things going on,” Long said. “But if you ask everybody in this locker room, everybody’s got a lot of stuff going on. You’ve got to be comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Asked if he was frustrated, Long was succinct.
“It sucks,” he said.
Lions coordinator a hot name
Lions wide receiver Golden Tate doesn’t want Jim Bob Cooter, his offensive coordinator, to go anywhere.
“I hope to have Jim Bob here for as long as I’m here, at least,” he said. “He’s doing a heck of a job.”
If the Bears are in the market for a coach in January, they could change that. They tried to interview Cooter, 33, who had worked for coach John Fox in Denver, for their offensive- coordinator job in 2015. The Lions refused to grant them permission.
Cooter’s reputation has only grown since the Lions promoted him from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator in Week 8 of the 2015 season.
The Lions are 5- 4, but their average of 27.1 points per game is sixth- best in the NFL. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is fifth in the league with 273.4 passing yards per game.
“Very smart guy,” said Tate, the Lions’ leading receiver. “He puts a lot of work into it. But what sticks out the most is that he studies what guys do the best and puts them in situations to execute.”
Injury report
Tight end Dion Sims exercised, Fox said, but did not practice. He hasn’t been cleared and has been suffering from the same illness for two full weeks.
Linebacker Danny Trevathan ( calf) and cornerback Bryce Callahan ( knee) didn’t practice, either. Four players were limited: linebacker Sam Acho ( shoulder), offensive lineman Tom Compton ( ankle), cornerback Sherrick McManis ( hamstring) and defensive end Roy Robertson- Harris ( hamstring).