ATLANTA — Guard Kyle Long still is processing the Bears’ playoff loss to the Eagles.
‘‘You’re never really over it,’’ Long said Saturday. ‘‘But the great thing about football, if you’re lucky enough, is that you get to play again. You get to put your helmet back on and do it again.’’
He’ll do so with familiar faces. Right tackle Bobby Massie’s contract extension, which he signed last week, means all five of the Bears’ starting offensive linemen are under contract for 2019.
Long said he can’t wait to play alongside them next season.
‘‘That’s incredible,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s a credit to our staff. It’s a credit to the leaders in our room.’’
Massie doesn’t get enough respect around the NFL, Long said.
‘‘He’s as consistent as they come,’’ he said. ‘‘He’s as deserving as anybody.’’
Long attended the NFL Honors at the Fox Theatre to cheer on his brother Chris, who was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year for his work building wells in eastern Africa.
Chris Long, a defensive end for the Eagles, beat out Bears tight end Trey Burton and former Bears kicker Robbie Gould, among others.
‘‘It’s amazing the things these guys do,’’ Kyle Long said. ‘‘My pick is Chris Long, all the time. We’ve got a good one in Chicago, too, in Trey. . . . I think it’s a credit to not only how they were brought up but the kind of stuff that’s inside their chest, the kind of men they are.’’
RELATED
• Bears’ Matt Nagy named AP Coach of the Year
• Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed highlight 8-man Pro Football Hall of Fame class
Rodgers wins for Week 1 rally
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the NFL’s Moment of the Year award for leading the Packers back from a 20-0 deficit to beat the Bears in Week 1. He was carted off the field in the second quarter but returned after halftime.
Former Packers great Brett Favre presented the award.
‘‘As [Favre] knows, there’s nothing like beating the Bears,’’ Rodgers said.
Fangio named top assistant
Former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who became the Broncos’ coach last month, was named the Associated Press’ Assistant Coach of the Year for his work with the NFL’s best defense.
‘‘A heck of a coach that does things the right way,’’ said Bears coach Matt Nagy, who was named AP Coach of the Year.
This and that
Burton said his Man of the Year nomination was special because he shares a team with the trophy’s namesake.
‘‘That’s where Walter [Payton] played, and to see the impact he made on the community is unique,’’ he said.
• Former Bears linebackers Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher are expected to be among the legends in the two-minute commercial Sunday celebrating the NFL’s 100th anniversary. It will air before the halftime show of the Super Bowl.
• Former Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery, whose dropped pass-turned-Saints interception eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs, said attending Super Bowl weekend makes him want to play in the game again.
‘‘It’s motivation to be in Miami next year,’’ he said.
