"Antonio Gates practiced Thursday, but don't give thanks just yet.

There is no guarantee he will play against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Sure, his working in a practice for just the second time in six weeks progress. He worked against defenders for the first time since prior to the Chargers' Oct. 31 game against the Tennessee Titans and did as much running and cutting as he had in a while.

He called being able to run on the side Wednesday and run routes in part of Thursday's practice "steps in the right direction."

But his right foot, healing from a torn plantar fascia, was still causing him considerable discomfort. After running and cutting hard last Wednesday, he was unable to walk on the treadmill the next day.

"I don't know how I'm going to respond tomorrow," Gates said. "Last week I didn't respond well to this kind of activity.""