PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : Packers Face Bears Tonight

For Green Bay Packer Coach Lindy Infante, it already has been a bear of a season.

The Packers have lost five of their first six games, the offense Infante designed is sputtering, the fans are griping and now he must find a way in Green Bay tonight (4:30 PDT) to beat his team’s oldest rival, the Chicago Bears (4-2), who have lost two in a row.

“Any time you play the Bears it’s special, whether you play at 8 in the morning or 6:30 at night or any time in between,” said Infante.

The Packers are hoping for something special from quarterback Don Majkowski, who missed the previous game because of a bruised left shoulder suffered Sept. 29 against the Rams.

Both teams are expecting their injured fullbacks to return tonight: the Bears’ Brad Muster, who has been out because of a hamstring injury, and the Packers’ Darrell Thompson, out because of a strained knee.

Indianapolis Colt backup quarterback Jack Trudeau, who tore ligaments in his right thumb Sunday in Buffalo, was put on injured reserve. Trudeau, the 11th Colt to go on injured reserve this season, underwent surgery Tuesday.

To fill Trudeau’s spot on the roster, the Colts re-signed former Raider quarterback Rusty Hilger, waived at the end of training camp in August.

Running back Eric Dickerson, who has a sore hamstring, doesn’t expect to play in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

The Green Bay Packers were aware of a drug investigation that involved linebacker Tim Harris before he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 30, Brown County Sheriff Leon Pieschek told television station WBAY in Green Bay.

Pieschek and other local law enforcement officials said the probe had resulted in no charges. A top official from the Packers said he knew nothing of a drug investigation of Harris.

The Philadelphia Eagles, limited to two quarterbacks because of injuries, claimed 11-year veteran Jeff Kemp and waived backup Pat Ryan.

Kemp, waived by the Seattle Seahawks, has the NFL’s lowest quarterback rating, 52.9, and a league-high 12 interceptions.

Jet running back Freeman McNeil, who sprained his left knee in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Oilers, will undergo what he called “real minor” arthroscopic surgery today.