GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers were hoping for some good news to help their beleaguered offensive line.
It didn't come Friday, not entirely.
While the Packers took some comfort in having hobbled left tackle Chad Clifton go through a full practice, durable left guard Daryn Colledge was out with a knee injury he sustained the previous day.
"I'm concerned," coach Mike McCarthy said after practice. He called Colledge's injury a knee sprain.
The team added Colledge to the injury report as the Packers prepare to play the Chicago Bears in a battle of unbeaten NFC North leaders Monday night.
"I think any time Daryn Colledge misses practice, it's a concern," McCarthy said. "Daryn has been a very reliable player for us. He doesn't miss a practice."
Colledge hasn't missed a game in his five NFL seasons and started all but four of those 69 games (including playoffs). He was upbeat Friday.
"I wouldn't be too concerned," he said. "I haven't missed a game yet. So, I'm planning on being out there Monday."
Colledge's playing streak extends to college, when he played in and started all 52 games in four seasons at Boise State.
"I think the concern is more getting me ready for the game," Colledge said. "Did going out there and pushing it today outweigh the opportunity to go play this Monday? I think the game's more important at this point to the coaches."
Colledge said his injury was the result of a freak accident, explaining that nose tackle B.J. Raji rolled into his right knee in a team drill Thursday. It's the same knee Colledge sprained in a game at Minnesota last October, but the subsequent bye on the Packers' schedule allowed him to recover and play in the next game two weeks later.
"I've got a lot of practices in, so I think I'm ready to go," Colledge said. "I'm going to practice tomorrow, and I expect to be out there Monday."
More of an uncertainty for the Packers appears to be what will occur at left tackle by Monday.
McCarthy and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin were encouraged by Clifton's full-time work Friday after he didn't do much in practice a day earlier.
"Obviously, I feel better that he was out there working today," Philbin said. "That's better than standing around."
The Packers pulled Clifton in the second quarter of the 34-7 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday after the coaches felt the 11-year veteran's chronically sore knees were hindering his performance.
McCarthy said he watched a lot of Clifton in practice Friday and thought that Clifton moved well.
Rookie Bryan Bulaga took the starting reps at left guard Friday after working at left tackle Thursday.
There's a chance the Packers will need Bulaga, their first-round draft pick out of Iowa, to play one of those positions Monday depending what happens with Clifton and Colledge. Bulaga replaced an ineffective Clifton last Sunday.
"We're very confident that Bryan will be ready to go wherever he's needed," McCarthy said.
Colledge's injury has Bulaga, a Chicago-area native who expects to have a lot of family and friends at the Bears game, wondering what his role will be Monday.
"Yesterday, I'll admit, I was looking a little more at the left tackle position because the status of Chad was unknown," Bulaga said Friday. "But, I thought he looked pretty good today. So, now, I'll just do both."
Notes: The Packers added DE Ryan Pickett (hamstring) and S Charlie Peprah (quadriceps) to the injury report. Pickett, a starter, was limited in practice Friday. "He just kind of tightened up today, so we were just smart with him," McCarthy said. ... Rookie DE Mike Neal (side/rib) was out Friday. McCarthy said Neal, who missed the first two games, took a step backward in his recovery after he returned to practice Thursday.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
