Inside the Bears

Terrence Metcalf has rejoined the Bears and was at Halas Hall Monday, but he will not be eligible to take the playing field until the club makes room for him on the roster.

Metcalf was removed from the suspended list Monday and the Bears have received a one-week exemption for the veteran guard. That means he can practice and do everything else but he is not eligible for the game day roster until a move is made to create a roster space. The Bears currently have 54 players, including Metcalf.

The third-round pick from 2002 was suspended four games by the NFL for violation of the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances. That suspension ended with Sunday's game at Green Bay. No telling what kind of move the club makes to create room for Metcalf, who lost $211,765 through the suspension. Linebacker Darrell McClover has a hamstring injury that could put him in jeopardy with only six games remaining.

NBC will not opt for another game on Nov. 30.

The Bears and Vikings will play on NBC at 7:15 p.m. The NFC North rivals are tied for first place and it's an attractive game for the network because Chicago is the league's second-largest media market and NBC believes Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is an attractive player to showcase.

There is not going to be any pretty way for the Bears to paint this one when they open the doors to the media at Halas Hall a little later on today.

The familiar coaching refrain is that after reviewing game film, it's never as good as you thought it was going to be and it's never as bad as you thought it was going to be.

What didn't stink about the 37-3 loss to Green Bay Sunday at Halas Hall?

We'll let coach Lovie Smith fill us in on that later on.

First, a few tidbits:

*** The awful defensive effort dropped the Bears to 19th overall in the league on defense pending the outcome of the Monday night tilt in Buffalo with Cleveland. The Bears fell to sixth vs. the run after being trampled for 200 yards rushing, and remained 30th vs. the pass.

You say points is the ultimate statistics, and I say you're right. The Bears are now 21st overall. That's not what they're paying for.

Linebacker Darrell McClover, the second-leading special teams tackler, is out of the game with a hamstring injury.

Running back Kevin Jones, who has gotten just two carries the last two games, will not be active today. Jones is not injured although he did miss one practice this past week for personal reasons and was excused.

Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer is active after missing two games following surgery on his right thumb. Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd will play for the first time since Sept. 28 when he injured his left knee.

Hillenmeyer will not have his starting job back though. Nick Roach starts on the strong side.

Kyle Orton is warming up with quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton while he visits with Fox broadcaster Troy Aikman.

We should have official inactives any minute.

NFL Network will air the classic William "Refrigerator" Perry game at Lambeau Field from the 1985 season this evening at 8 p.m.

This is the game in which the Fridge came out of the backfield as a fullback to catch a touchdown pass from Jim McMahon. Walter Payton rushes for 192 yards in the game.

The game will re-air on NFL Network at 2 a.m. and then again Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

The official injury report came out and quarterback Kyle Orton is indeed probable with his right ankle injury. Orton had limited participation in practice as did cornerback Charles Tillman (shoulders). Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer (right thumb) had full participation. Hillenmeyer and Tillman are probable also.

Offensive tackle Fred Miller (shoulder) will not dress. He is doubtful and was held out of practice the last two days.

Kyle Orton announced after practice Friday that he will be probable for Sunday's game at Green Bay, meaning the Bears' quarterback will return to the starting lineup after missing one game with a right ankle injury.

Orton worked with the first team again in the short practice at Halas Hall and will test out the ankle again Saturday in a brief walk-through before the team travels by bus to Green Bay.

"Kyle looked better today than he did [Thursday],'' coach Lovie Smith said. ``So we're keeping our fingers crossed with him. See how it goes for him [Saturday], but he's gotten better each day, there's no reason to think that won't continue [through] Sunday.''

Kyle Orton looked OK on the Halas Hall fields Wednesday afternoon until it came time to drop back on a few warmup passes. Then, he looked a little gimpy on his right ankle, and he was limited in his participation in practice. There are four days until the Bears face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, and the quarterback remains confident he will be able to return in time to start.

"I'm preparing like I am,'' he said. "Just going to go from there."

He said he feels better than he did Sunday when he missed a game because of injury for the first time in his career. He's yet to face the Packers in Green Bay.

"This is what you play for, play Green Bay, play your division rivals in November," Orton said. "We're in first place. These are huge games from here on out. This is what I put the effort in for so I am going to do everything I can to be out there."

From the sounds of things, Brandon Lloyd will be 100 percent by kickoff Sunday at Green Bay.

In fact, the wide receiver might have been 100 percent this past Sunday against Tennessee when he was made inactive before the game by coach Lovie Smith.

Visiting with Dan Hampton and Laurence Holmes on The Score 670-AM Tuesday, Lloyd said he fully expects to suit up against the Packers after missing the last five games with a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. (Listen to the entire interview here). He's had the bye plus those five weeks to heal up an injury that was expected to sideline him two to four weeks. Despite missing all of the time, Lloyd (15 catches, 249 yards, one touchdown) is just 84 yards behind the leading wide receiver on the team--Rashied Davis (28 catches, 333 yards).

"The plan is to play against Green Bay,'' Lloyd told Hampton and Holmes. "That's the plan. It's not a secret. This is not a surprise. That's the plan. I know you guys are going to have fun with everybody's comments but you know, like I just said earlier, there's no point in me being out there and not being able to do the things I was able to do to make this team successful. It's not fair to me. It's not fair to the team."

Perhaps it is with an eye toward jump-starting a lethargic pass rush that the Bears promoted rookie seventh-round pick Ervin Baldwin to the active roster today from the practice squad.

The defensive end joins the mix after veteran safety Terrence Holt was released, ending a three-week stay on the roster for him.

Baldwin joins a veteran group at defensive end that already has starters Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye and reserve Mark Anderson. Holt was expendable with Danieal Manning returning from a hamstring pull.