Did Pace suffer a concussion or not? Left tackle suited up today

The Bears gave an injury diagnosis for Orlando Pace that did not sit well with the veteran left tackle, saying that he had the wind knocked out of him.

Pace scoffed at that as a reason for him not returning to the game, and that wasn’t surprising as he didn’t build a Hall of Fame resume getting knocked out of ballgames with such injuries.

Afterward, Pace disclosed that he believed he had suffered a concussion, which made more sense for why Kevin Shaffer replaced him for the fourth quarter.

“I don’t know what the diagnosis is, it’s kind of tough to focus,” Pace said. “I don’t know if it was a slight concussion or what not but it was hard for me to focus. I think the guy kind of caught me with a good shot.”

The guy was 49ers linebacker Parys Haralson, who hit him following an interception.

Pace is on the practice field right now in gear, so we’ll hopefully get a better diagnosis of exactly what was wrong with him. It would be surprising for Pace to practice today if he actually sustained a concussion at San Francisco.

In other news, rookie strong safety Al Afalava has returned after sitting out last week with a right shoulder injury. Cornerback Zack Bowman, who suffered an abdomen injury against the 49ers, was also practicing. Sitting out were safety Kevin Payne (back), tight end Desmond Clark (neck) and running back Garrett Wolfe (kidney). Center Olin Kreutz was also watching, and he might have been dinged up during the loss. Practice will end in about 15 minutes. Check back later on for an update.