Here is the official final injury report of the week. Devin Hester has been listed as questionable, but he is expected to start Sunday. We'll see about Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who has the same designation.
LB Lance Briggs, shoulder--LIM, FULL, FULL
DT Tommie Harris, knee--LIM, FULL, FULL
DE Adewale Ogunleye, ankle--LIM, FULL, FULL
TE Greg Olsen, ankle--LIM, FULL, FULL
S Craig Steltz, biceps--LIM, FULL, FULL
DT Matt Toeaina, calf--LIM, FULL, FULL
DT Israel Idonije, knee--FULL, FULL, FULL
Arizona
Questionable
WR Anquan Boldin, ankle--DNP, DNP, LIM
LB Gerald Hayes, back--DNP, LIM, LIM
DE Kenny Iwebema, knee--LIM, LIM, LIM
WR Sean Morey, ill--LIM, LIM, LIM
CB Michael Adams, hamstring--XXX, XXX, LIM
Probable
DT Darnell Dockett, ankle--DNP, LIM, LIM
S Antrel Rolle, foot--LIM, LIM, LIM
WR Steve Breaston, knee--LIM, LIM, LIM
K Neil Rackers, right hamstring--LIM, FULL, FULL
OL Herman Johnson, back--FULL, FULL, FULL
TE Stephen Spach, ankle--FULL, FULL, FULL
CB D. Rodgers-Cromartie, finger--FULL, FULL, FULL
RB Jason Wright, thumb--FULL, FULL, FULL
G Reggie Wells, thumb--FULL, FULL, FULL
The Bears will list wide receiver Devin Hester as questionable on the injury report, but he is expected to start on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
"I went 100 percent today,'' Hester said. "I'm ready to go.''
Hester was coy about whether or not he will remain as the punt returner if he's not 100 percent. It's a task that could be handled by Earl Bennett.
Devin Hester vowed earlier this week that his sprained right ankle would not keep him out of Sunday's game vs. the Arizona Cardinals, and he took a step toward starting on Sunday at Soldier Field as he just took the practice field this morning at Halas Hall.
Hester was limping on the field as he watched Wednesday. He looked better Thursday although was still held out, and has his helmet and pads with him just now.
We'll wait and see how the official injury report looks later today, and how things go down in the desert for Arizona's Anquan Boldin.
Had some questions pile up in the mailbox the last few days, so let's bat out a couple questions before getting the day started. Here we go.
Q: So much for the great Gaines Adams trade. Can we write him off as a bust, or is it too early? What gives. I thought he was an instant upgrade for the incredibly disappearing pass rush?
Jerome I., Chicago
A: No one promised a bang when Adams arrived three weeks ago for a second-round draft pick. He's been used sparingly vs. Cincinnati and Cleveland, and even was in on punt return against the Browns. He's still working to get acclimated to the system, the team, the coaches. Granted, the pass rush hasn't been nearly what it should be over the last few weeks, but Adams is the last person you can blame for that. The trade for him was made with the long range in mind and I'm going to keep an open mind on it. I think it was good value for a guy that scouts and coaches from other organizations said was a good pass rusher. Like I said at the time of the deal, Adams doesn't have to justify his status as the fourth pick in the 2007 draft to the Bears. He has to provided second-round value for them. I'm pretty sure he can do that. Until he gets into a steady rotation, the Bears need to count on a better pass rush from those players on the field. Adams has been a pro and isn't clamoring for playing time. Let's give this one a little time. Plus, I think he needs to hit the weight room.
Pretty much everyone is getting healthier for the Bears and we didn't have to wait for coach Lovie Smith to say so. Devin Hester was held out of practice again today, and free safety Danieal Manning was added to the list with a back injury, but the players who were all limited on Wednesday had full participation today.
In Arizona, wide receiver Anquan Boldin (ankle) remained sidelined.
Here is the second injury report of the week:
WR Devin Hester, ankle--DNP, DNP,
LB Lance Briggs, shoulder--LIM, FULL,
DT Tommie Harris, knee--LIM, FULL,
DE Adewale Ogunleye, ankle--LIM, FULL,
TE Greg Olsen, ankle--LIM, FULL,
S Craig Steltz, biceps--LIM, FULL,
DT Matt Toeaina, calf--LIM, FULL,
DT Israel Idonije, knee--FULL, FULL,
FS Danieal Manning, back--XXXX, LIM,
Arizona
WR Anquan Boldin, ankle--DNP, DNP,
LB Gerald Hayes, back--DNP, LIM,
DT Darnell Dockett, ankle--DNP, LIM,
S Antrel Rolle, foot--LIM, LIM,
WR Steve Breaston, knee--LIM, LIM,
DE Kenny Iwebema, knee--LIM, LIM,
WR Sean Morey, ill--LIM, LIM,
K Neil Rackers, right hamstring--LIM, FULL,
OL Herman Johnson, back--FULL, FULL,
TE Stephen Spach, ankle--FULL, FULL,
CB D. Rodgers-Cromartie, finger--FULL, FULL,
RB Jason Wright, thumb--FULL, FULL,
G Reggie Wells, thumb--FULL, FULL,
Devin Hester missed today's practice with a sprained right ankle but said he's not seriously injured and vowed to play on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
"I'm alright,'' Hester said. "I'm going to play."
Hester has 21 receptions over the last three games, the second most in the NFL over that span. He set personal highs two weeks ago at Cincinnati with eight receptions for 101 yards.
WR Devin Hester, ankle--DNP,
LB Lance Briggs, shoulder--LIM,
DT Tommie Harris, knee--LIM,
DE Adewale Ogunleye, ankle--LIM,
TE Greg Olsen, ankle--LIM,
S Craig Steltz, biceps--LIM,
DT Matt Toeaina, calf--LIM,
DT Israel Idonije, knee--FULL,
Arizona
WR Anquan Boldin, ankle--DNP,
LB Gerald Hayes, back--DNP,
DT Darnell Dockett, ankle--DNP,
S Antrel Rolle, foot--LIM,
WR Steve Breaston, knee--LIM,
DE Kenny Iwebema, knee--LIM,
WR Sean Morey, ill--LIM,
K Neil Rackers, right hamstring--LIM,
OL Herman Johnson, back--FULL,
TE Stephen Spach, ankle--FULL,
CB D. Rodgers-Cromartie, finger--FULL,
RB Jason Wright, thumb--FULL,
G Reggie Wells, thumb--FULL,
Key: DNP Did Not Participate, LIM Limited Participation, FULL Full participation
It is far from the greatest game of his career, but Devin Hester's performance as a rookie in the 2006 game at Arizona is the one that propelled him into living rooms around the country as the Bears mounted one of the greatest comebacks in the history of "Monday Night Football.'' Hester's 83-yard punt return for a touchdown put the Bears over the top in a 24-23 comeback victory in a game they trailed 20-0 at halftime.
And as the Bears began preparations for their meeting with the Cardinals on Sunday, Hester was not practicing this afternoon at Halas Hall. He suffered an ankle or foot injury in the win over Cleveland and that is believed to be what has him sidelined. We'll see what kind of light coach Lovie Smith wants to shine on the issue after practice.
If the Bears are going to cut back the offensive playbook for Sunday's game vs. the Arizona Cardinals, we'll have to wait until after practice to get that word from offensive coordinator Ron Turner.
It was Turner, visibly upset with a lousy offensive showing following the 30-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns, who suggested that could be coming. The Bears rushed for 170 yards in the game but only because Garrett Wolfe scampered 36 yards down the left sideline in garbage time, and it was still short of the average being allowed by the last-ranked Browns defense.
The Bears were a woeful 2-for-7 in the red zone, although you can eliminate one of the opportunities as it came after Wolfe's long run.
"I don't know if we're going to exactly cut back on anything,'' Cutler said before practice, which will be starting momentarily. "We've just got to execute better. The guys know the plays. They know what they're supposed to do. We've just got to do it.''
The red zone remains a hot topic as the Bears are now tied for 25th, struggle that has prevented them from being one of the top scoring teams in the league because they're ranked seventh in red zone opportunities.
"We could do a lot of things better [in the red zone],'' Cutler said. "The players, we've got to execute, we've got to draw some stuff up and maybe attack them in a different way. But we're doing good stuff. We're having opportunities down there.
Cleveland Browns linebacker Kamerion Wimbley will have to spit up $7,500 after Jay Cutler was spitting up blood following a hit in Sunday's game.
Wimbley was fined that amount by the NFL, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, for his roughing the passer hit in Sunday's game. Cutler bit his tongue on the play midway through the second quarter and said he was swallowing blood into the fourth quarter because of the play.
The hit came on third down on an incomplete pass, and extended what was the Bears' first touchdown drive in the 30-6 victory.
It's Wednesday, the start of a busy week of preparation for Sunday's game with Arizona, but let's jump into the mailbag before we get rolling.
Q: What do you think the chances are Anquan Boldin will play Sunday?
Mark B., Hammond, Ind.
A: The Cardinals said Boldin would be day-to-day on Monday, one day after he aggravated his sprained right ankle in Arizona's loss to Carolina. The injury first occurred back on Oct. 11 and as Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic points out, the Cardinals may have to make the difficult decision of sitting Boldin on Sunday to ensure that he can heal up moving forward here. No one is going to question the toughness of Boldin, who missed only two games last season after surgery to repair fractures in his jaw and sinus, a result of a vicious hit by Eric Smith of the New York Jets.
"If I'm good enough to play, I'm going to play," Boldin told reporters in Arizona on Monday. "If I'm able to run, I'm going to play football."
But Somers makes a case that Boldin is hurting the team right now and the Cardinals would be better off with Steve Breaston as the foil to Larry Fitzgerald with Jerheme Urban and/or Early Doucet getting expanded opportunities.
And that leads me back to Fitzgerald. There's a very worthwhile piece on him by ESPN.com's Mike Sando that I suggest you check out. Would you believe he's averaging just 10.8 yards per reception? That's more than three yards off the pace he was on last season. The wide receiver who obliterated the postseason record books has a long catch of 27 yards this season. Now, the injuries to Boldin have something to do with it, but defenses have long honored Fitzgerald as Arizona's No. 1 target.
"It seems like every time we try to throw it down the field, we're getting Cover 2," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "It's a guessing game."
The Cardinals, once again, don't have much in the way of a running game. As one scout said, you can go with six defenders in the box against them and not worry too often about being pounded. That gives a defense extra tacklers downfield to bring down Fitzgerald and prevent him from breaking the big one. But none of this is new. There's no new scheme to slow him down. Kurt Warner, despite the protests of Fitzgerald's younger brother earlier this season, isn't the problem.
It probably will not last all season, but if it continues for another week it's good for the Bears, who know a little something about Cover 2.
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