"Questionable" Chargers

[josephreese 0]

I'm a Gates owner, and I see him listed as Questionable. I found this article this morning, and while it doesn't specifically mention Gates, I think Schottenheimer's use of the term "questionable" is applicable to him.

 

 

Unsure about hurt player? List him 'questionable'

By Kevin Acee

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

October 28, 2005

 

The Chargers' official injury report yesterday listed 10 players as "questionable."

 

Of course it did.

 

Other than the players who have been "out" and Eric Parker being listed as "probable" one week, every player the Chargers have listed on their injury report the past five weeks has been "questionable" – every day, without a single one changing status throughout the week.

 

Toniu Fonoti was questionable three days after hand surgery last month. Drew Brees was questionable two weeks ago because of a calf bruise that never threatened to sideline him.

 

Questionable, in NFL parlance, officially means a player has a "50 percent chance of playing."

 

That means, according to this week's injury report, the Chargers have a 50 percent chance of not having Nate Kaeding this week. Yet, amazingly, the team has no plans to bring in an emergency kicker or have punter Mike Scifres work on field goals in practice just in case.

 

"I would say Nate is on the high side of questionable," head coach Marty Schottenheimer said yesterday.

 

The NFL has a word for that, should the Chargers choose to use it. Officially, it is "probable." That means a player has a "75 percent chance of playing."

 

Schottenheimer said he has the final word on how a player is classified.

 

"If you're unsure," he said, "you generally want to make them questionable."

 

The Kansas City Chiefs must be unsure this week, as all five players (except the one listed as "out") on their injury report are also questionable.

 

In the previous four weeks, opponents have listed players as "doubtful" and "probable," as well as "questionable," and their players' statuses have sometimes changed during the week.

 

An NFL spokesman said the league monitors injury reports closely and that teams have been fined for violating injury report procedures. The league also sometimes reviews practice film to verify the information clubs provide. The spokesman also said teams "are to accurately classify a player's status" at the risk of a "detailed review" should there be questions about reliability.

 

As for the Chargers on the injury list, there would appear to be concern about cornerback Drayton Florence (ankle), linebackers Steve Foley (abdominal muscle) and Randall Godfrey (neck) and center Nick Hardwick (ankle). They all missed at least a portion of practice.

 

Full article here:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/charg...s28chnotes.html