Chargers' Gates could be game-time decision TE hopeful he'll play vs. Redskins despite sprained right foot
SAN DIEGO - The Chargers probably won’t know until just before kickoff Sunday whether record-setting tight end Antonio Gates will be able to play against the Washington Redskins.
Gates wasn’t able to test his sprained right foot when the Chargers (6-4) returned to practice on Wednesday, but remained hopeful he’ll be able to play in the road game.
“Oh definitely,” said Gates, who was hurt after making a catch in the third quarter of last Sunday’s 48-10 win over Buffalo.
“It feels good, man. It feels better than it felt yesterday. That’s always a good sign. I really didn’t try to do much with it. I think the key for me is not to try to do anything, put no pressure on it, stay off it and let it rest, let it heal.”
Gates was still limping Wednesday and wearing a protective boot. He said he’ll definitely test the foot either Thursday or Friday.
Gates leads the Chargers and is ninth in the NFL with 56 catches for 784 yards and seven touchdowns. Gates was All-Pro last year and also played in the Pro Bowl after setting an NFL record for tight ends with 13 touchdown catches. He led the Chargers last year with 81 catches for 964 yards.
Even if Gates doesn’t practice this week, there’s still a chance he could play, coach Marty Schottenheimer said. Schottenheimer used to have a rule that if a player didn’t practice during the week, he didn’t play.
“That old rule, that’s part of the things that I’ve changed as I’ve grown older and, in the minds of some, soft,” Schottenheimer joked.
As a precaution, the Chargers signed tight end Landon Trusty from the practice squad to the active roster, taking the spot of tight end Ryan Krause, who went on injured reserve with a foot injury. The Chargers also have veteran Justin Peelle at tight end.
Gates said he’d continue to prepare as if he’ll play.
“I don’t want to put any limitations on anything. Not at this point,” he said. “It’s too early. Right now I’m focusing mentally on the game plan, and I’m just not taking the physical reps. Fortunately, I’ll get to test it out sometime this week to see how I feels.
“For me, it’s just getting rest. It’s probably going to be mind over matter.”
Gates missed the season-opening loss to Dallas as he finished serving a three-game suspension for missing a team-imposed deadline for ending his training camp holdout.
I knew this. He may not be in at all. Even if he is in for a few plays his injury will not allow him to play the same.
I will take the beak, any break at this time.
Daniel Snyder has defined incompetence, failure and greed to true Washington Redskins fans for over a decade and a half. Stay away from football operations !!!
By Jay Posner UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER November 25, 2005
So far, so good for Antonio Gates.
The Chargers' All-Pro tight end replaced the walking boot on his sprained right foot with a tennis shoe yesterday and did some running and cutting while the team practiced.
Whether Gates plays in Sunday's game at Washington probably won't be known until a couple of hours before kickoff, but coach Marty Schottenheimer said, "We're cautiously optimistic."
Added Schottenheimer: "He did some work out here today. It was positive."
Gates said he felt "pretty good" while running and cutting, but a bigger test would come today when he learns whether yesterday's exercise caused his foot to swell.
"We'll see if it's sore and see if I still have any pain," Gates said. "It felt better than it did (Wednesday), so that's a good sign.
"I'm just going to wait till (today) and see how it feels.... Then we'll just go from there and determine whether or not I play."
SAN DIEGO (Nov. 24, 2005) -- Chargers tight end Antonio Gates participated in his first workout with the team since spraining his right foot last weekend.
Gates, injured Nov. 20 in San Diego's victory against Buffalo, was upbeat about his chances of playing Nov. 27 at Washington.
"I'm going to constantly prepare to play this weekend and take care of the foot," said Gates, the team's leading receiver with 56 catches for 784 yards and seven touchdowns.
Coach Marty Schottenheimer also was encouraged about the All-Pro's first practice session of the week.
"He did some work out here today," said Schottenheimer, who reiterated that Gates' availability will probably be decided at game time. "We are cautiously optimistic. He ran and he cut. It was positive."
Whenever I start to get blue, I just breathe!
My favortie line from the Simpsons:
Flanders: "Looks like someone is having a pre-rapture party!"
Homer: "No Flanders, it's a meeting of gay witches for abortion , you wouldn't be interested!"
Fantasy football players fortunate enough to have Antonio Gates on their roster might want to wait before activating the Pro Bowl tight end.
Gates participated in the Chargers' light workout yesterday morning, which seemed like a positive sign, but before the team's flight to Washington he said he still didn't know whether he would play tomorrow against the Redskins.
"It was basically the same as (Thursday)," Gates said after squeezing his sprained right foot into a dress shoe. "It really didn't have a lot of progression. It didn't really decline at all, either.
"It felt pretty good. At the same time it was sore."
In other words: Who knows?
Asked if he could play with his foot feeling the way it did yesterday, Gates said, "It'd be tough. We're going to have to really sit down and we're going to have to talk. It'll definitely be a game-time decision."
Said coach Marty Schottenheimer: "He did OK. We'll see. The thing that does give me cause for some optimism is that he's no more uncomfortable today than he was yesterday. We'll wait and see. We've still got some time. We'll make a decision just before the game."
