For Hester, Pro Bowl no match for a ring
Brian Urlacher has been voted to eight Pro Bowls, Lance Briggs and Julius Peppers to seven, and Devin Hester three. Matt Forte, Charles Tillman, Robbie Gould and Johnny Knox one each.
But that’s not the point.
“You’ve just got to look at the big picture, plain and simple” Hester said. “The big picture is winning the Super Bowl, and everybody is buying into that.
“This team is full of stars, full of Pro Bowlers, but there are very few of us that have Super Bowls, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve.
“When we talk about that, we put our egos to the side and say, ‘We’ve got to look at the bigger picture and let’s try to win a Super Bowl ring.’”
The only Bears with Super Bowl rings are cornerback Kelvin Hayden, who won his with Indianapolis after the 2006 season at the expense of the Bears, and tight end Matt Spaeth, who won one with the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers.
Getting some looks:Punter Adam Podlesh isn#146;t expected to risk his hip flexor injury by playing Sunday.Even though he made progress last week and is able to kick the ball at close to full strength, running full speed is another matter.If the Bears play it safe with Podlesh, undrafted rookie Ryan Quigley will handle the punting duties. He has earned the confidence of special- teams coordinator Dave Toub.#147;I#146;m very comfortable,#148; Toub said of Quigley. #147;He#146;s established himself. He had two solid games for us those last two preseason games. We feel good with Ryan.#148;When it was pointed out to Toub that Quigley finds himself in a difficult situation, knowing that he will be cut as soon as Podlesh is healthy, the coach disagreed.#147;He#146;s also very fortunate to be able to make a team as a rookie free-agent punter,#148; Toub said. #147;That#146;s hard to do. It says a lot for what he#146;s accomplished.#147;It#146;s going to help him down the road. He#146;s definitely on the map now with everybody in the league, so it#146;s not going to hurt him at all.#148;No dumb cookie:Just by the nature of the position, the starting quarterback generally assumes a position of leadership.That#146;s not an easy chore when the quarterback is just 22 and the second-youngest player on the 53-man roster, such as Andrew Luck of the Colts.#147;As a quarterback, you naturally assume leadership just by the fact that you#146;re talking in the huddle and you#146;re calling plays,#148; Luck said. #147;The plays run through you, so I guess because of that you#146;re going to assume some type of (leadership) role.#148;But Luck said he hasn#146;t tried to force his role onto older teammates. And he#146;s smart enough to know what he doesn#146;t know.#147;I#146;ve tried not to assert my personality or force anything,#148; he said. #147;I try to defer, lean on (33-year-old wide receiver) Reggie Wayne, (center) Samson Satele, (offensive tackle) Winston Justice, (running back) Donald Brown, guys that have been around and know how to operate.#147;I realize I know relatively nothing compared to these guys about being a professional football player, how to approach things.#147;I also realize, too, that I haven#146;t done anything on the football field in a regular-season game. Until I prove myself out on the football field, I definitely defer to all those guys as leaders.#148;Coming and going:Running back Armando Allen was promoted to the active roster from the practice squad Saturday, and linebacker Patrick Trahan was waived. Running back Lorenzo Booker was placed on injured reserve with a concussion.Allen played in two games for the Bears last season, carrying 15 times for 48 yards. He rushed for 97 yards on 26 carries in the preseason and led the Bears with 10 catches.Trahan appeared in five games in 2011, recording 5 special-teams tackles.Booker led the Bears with 108 rushing yards on 25 carries in the preseason.The Bears#146; active roster stands at 52 players, 1 shy of the maximum.ŸFollow Bob#146;s Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere.