As Kyle Long Begins 'Explosive' Movements In Rehab, He Expresses Gratitude To Bears Fans

By Chris Emma--

(CBS) An avid tweeter, Bears guard Kyle Long has used his platform on social media to update fans on his status.

Long is recovering from surgery for a broken right ankle while healing a torn left labrum that didn't require surgery. He often checks in with updates, but his message Thursday night was different.

While updating the beginning of explosive movements in his rehab, Long offered a message to fans in a series of tweets.

"For the first time since my injury, I worked on explosive movements," Long tweeted. "Box jumps (low ones haha) and broad jumps. Some days slower than others. The hard thing through this process has been remaining positive. Even harder than that is being patient. It's been a grind getting healthy, but I have had nothing but support from the guys on the team. Couldn't even fathom not having a group like them pushing me to get back. Today was a big milestone for me. Thought I'd share my sentiments with y'all. The fans have been very supportive through the process. I figured since it's National Best Friends Day, I would shout out my teammates and the great fans of Chicago. We don't always see eye to eye but one thing you always do is support us and ask for more, which is precisely what we wanna give y'all. Thanks as always. #BearUp"

Long has been present but not participating during OTAs. His status for training camp remains unknown. The Bears will hold their three-day mandatory minicamp next week at Halas Hall before breaking for six weeks.

The team reports to Bourbonnais for training camp on July 26.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.