By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 11/3/2008 4:59 PM
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears on Monday were still waiting to learn more about the ankle injury that knocked Kyle Orton out of Sunday’s 27-23 comeback win over the Detroit Lions.
“He took tests this morning and we have some more to take, and that’s about all I can tell you right now,” said coach Lovie Smith. “He has an ankle injury.”
While some media outlets have reported that Orton will be sidelined for an extended period, Smith discouraged reporters from speculating about a timetable before all of the test results are known.
“I’m not playing doctor; you shouldn’t either,” he said. “You should let us come and tell you once we know for sure exactly what the injury is. We’re hopeful, I’ll just say that.”
Orton was injured while being tackled along the sideline with :26 left in the first half. His ankle bent awkwardly when Lions defensive tackle Dewayne White landed on top of it. Orton limped a few steps before collapsing to the ground in pain. He was then carted to the locker room.
A day later, Smith declined to detail exactly how Orton was being evaluated.
“He took a lot of different tests, all of the above that we normally put our guys through once they have an injury like that,” said the Bears coach. “I’m not going to really talk about his injury any more than that. He has an ankle injury. We’ll let you know more about it a little later on.”
Orton’s injury came after he had revitalized the Bears passing game during the first half of the season. The 2005 fourth-round pick has completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 1,777 yards with 10 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and a 90.8 passer rating that is tied for 10th in the NFL.
“It’s disappointing, but really that’s how it goes, though,” Smith said. “Injuries happen. You don’t want to have injuries any time—we’d like to start the season and finish the season with the same guys—but it doesn’t happen like that. It doesn’t matter what position it is. You hope that you don’t have season-ending injuries, and we’ve been lucky with that for the most part.”
“We won’t know until he gets his [test results] and they come back and say what is wrong,” said tight end Desmond Clark. “But at this point I’m going to hold out hope that he’s not going to miss that much time because he was playing at an elite level. Hopefully we can get him back as soon as possible.”
While they wait to learn more about Orton’s injury, the Bears have no plans to bring in another quarterback to join veteran Rex Grossman and undrafted rookie Caleb Hanie.
“Right now we’re staying exactly the way we are,” Smith said. “To [sign a player] you would say that Kyle will be out for a long period of time. We’re not there. We’re evaluating an ankle injury. That’s about all we’re doing right now.”
The Bears also continue to monitor Mike Brown, who left Sunday’s game with a calf injury moments before Orton exited. The veteran safety has sustained season-ending injuries three of the past four years, but the calf problem is not believed to be serious.
“There’s concern because it’s happened so many times, but right now Mike just has a calf injury,” Smith said. “Mike doesn’t have a season-ending injury, so right now I’m looking at it like other injuries that we have. Hopefully it’s not anything that will keep him out for long.”
On Sunday, Brown registered his first interception of the season. Since Oct. 16, 2005, the Bears are 19-4 (.826) when he starts and 16-13 (.552) when he’s not in uniform due to an injury.
“No one can fill Mike’s shoes,” said defensive lineman Israel Idonije. “He’s a Pro Bowl [player]. He gets guys in the right position, and that’s what he’s done for us.
“Mike’s a playmaker for us, but at the end of the day, if he can’t go, someone has to step up. They don’t have to be that Pro Bowl guy, they don’t have to do what Mike does. But they have to get in the game, know what they’re doing and put themselves in position to make plays.”
Rookie Craig Steltz did exactly that after replacing Brown on Sunday. The fourth-round pick from LSU made a leaping interception one-yard deep in the end zone early in the fourth quarter with the Bears trailing 23-20.
“When you see a young guy get into a game,” Idonije said, “your confidence level goes up in him when he knows what he’s doing, when he’s in the right place at the right time and he’s making plays when his opportunities come, and Craig did that.”
