Bear Digest

Montez Sweat and Bears edge rushers could benefit from Packers injury

The injury report says questionable for Green Bay's best blocker but it's not a positive situation as they head toward gametime.
Gene Chamberlain|
Montez Sweat puts the rush on as Jordan Morgan attempts to block for Packers QB Jordan Love early in the Bears' Week 16 win.
Montez Sweat puts the rush on as Jordan Morgan attempts to block for Packers QB Jordan Love early in the Bears' Week 16 win. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NFL injury designations probably should be altered by next year to clear up confusion.

They need to go back to the good old days before 2016. Back then, there not only was questionable, doubtful, and out, but also probable for players who were hurt but had a better than 50-50 chance to play. Perhaps they were 75% to play.

They should have never changed this because questionable now means questionable and more questionable or less questionable, which is, to say the least, a questionable way of doing it. Questionable currently encompasses everything from 25.1% he plays to 99.9% chance he plays. At 25% it's doubtful. That's all silly and vague. An example is Thursday's injury report for the Bears-Packer playoff game.

Questionable now encompases

Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon is listed questionable and he went went through a full practice on Thursday for the first time. Other players who went through full practices were cleared off the injury report, like Rome Odunze. He'll play.

Gordon is questionable mainly because the team hasn't gone through the formality of removing him from injured reserve yet. In all honesty, in the old system he'd be probable but they don't have a probable designation.

There are reasons they haven't removed him from injured reserve yet. One is they need to look at the list of players healthy and available for various roles on special teams and for depth after they come off the Thursday practice.

Also, you can never be sure with a groin injury like Gordon had, and after a full practice they may want to examine him further to make sure he came out of the one full practice ready to go. They don't want another instance like before the first Packers game when Gordon aggravated his injury in warmups and had to go on IR.

On the other hand, there is questionable like Green Bay tackle Zach Tom.

The Green Bay starting right tackle is listed questionable with back and knee injuries. Yet, he missed the Week 16 Bears win over the Packers. He hasn't played since Denver beat the Packers on Dec. 14. The Packers had him listed as limited participant earlier this week, but on Thursday he didn't practice at all.

Coach Matt LaFleur said it was for rest, but he still has the injuries. So, they’re resting him because he has injuries. OK. If he was fine, he’d be practicing.

According to Bill Huber of Green Bay Packers On SI, LaFleur had said the plan was to have all his injured starters back but has since changed this after Wednesday's practice.

“That was the plan,” LaFleur said. “No, I’d just say it’s too early to tell.”

Now Huber reports LaFleur says of Tom, “He’s looked good in practice. Like I tell you all the time, we’ll give him up till gametime and, if he can go, he’ll be out there.”

That is quite a bit different than the original all starters will be back.

Huber wrote that Tom himself said Wednesday he felt “better” but “not great.”

So this is a real questionable. When you don't practice after two limited listings, that shouldn't be listed as the same as a guy who has had limited practices and then a full practice. Yet, that's the way the NFL operates.

Either way, there is real uncertainty about Tom's status and that's not good for the Packers.

He lines up across from Montez Sweat on most plays. Tom is the best Green Bay offensive lineman per Pro Football Focus, and one of the better ones in the league.

Sweat had a sack in the game Tom played and one when Jordan Morgan started at right tackle in the second game.

When a team is without its best offensive lineman it can be a problem in the running game, as well. Tom is graded eighth best tackle in the NFL out of 89 graded by PFF, and 15th best as a pass blocker.

The right tackle situation for the Packers might be more clear by now instead of waiting until 90 minutes before kickoff if they only used the old probable and questionable designations.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.