Tough day: Even Kyle Long struggles in loss to Redskins

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Bears right tackle Kyle Long, who knows how great he can be and arguably holds himself to the highest standard on the team, was almost ready to put himself on waivers after an uncharacteristically difficult and humbling performance Sunday.

“I can’t expect to get beat like that and have a spot on the team and have a happy locker room,” Long said after the Bears’ 24-21 loss to the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field. “False start — uncharacteristic for myself; getting beat for two sacks — uncharacteristic of myself.

“A lot of things I did today that I wasn’t happy with. I’ve said before where there’s a few plays I could have back. I honestly feel like I cost this team the game in the first half. No matter how good our team played in the second half, I dug ourselves enough of a hole to put us behind the eight ball.”

Included in the team-wide uneven performance that dropped the Bears to 5-8 was a clean sweep for the Bears’ offensive line the mistakes department Sunday: From left to right, Charles Leno and Matt Slauson were called for holding; Hroniss Grasu was called for a false-start; Patrick Omameh was beaten for a sack; and Long had his most overtly subpar performance of the season.

It was a reminder of just how far the Bears’ offense has to go. Even Long — a two-time Pro Bowl guard who is the Bears’ best offensive lineman and some say pound-for-pound their best offensive player, is a work-in-progress in his first season at right tackle. But he’s not using that as an excuse — when he caught himself referring the “new position” he quickly set the record straight.

“I think true character is revealed in adversity and you have to remain confident,” Long said. “I’ve been humbled day-in and day-out this year, playing a new position. But it’s no longer a new position — I am the right tackle. I take full ownership of my mistakes and I won’t let it happen again.”

Long’s most costly mistake came on a first-down play at the Redskins 39-yard line in the second quarter, when outside linebacker Trent Murphy beat him for a sack and forced a fumble that Murphy recovered.

“I left my hand out there too long and he swiped it clean,” Long said. “That’s what it looks like to get caught with your pants down.”

Redskins sack leader Ryan Kerrigan beat Long for a third-down sack of Cutler on the first series of the second half.

“He made a great second-effort play,” Long said. “I thought I was in a position where I had him blocked. I’ve been in that situation a number of times where you’re running a guy around the edge. I need to do a better job of finishing.”

It was that kind of day for the Bears’ offense and the offensive line in particular. This was the fourth consecutive week the line of Leno, Slauson, Grasu, Omameh and Long started together — a season-high in continuity. They expected better results.

Even Slauson was at a loss for words to explain it.

“We didn’t get it done,” Slauson said. “It was a bad day. Poor execution. Just wasn’t good. We just aren’t executing. That’s all it is. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot — penalties. Just bad …”

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