Hester, Wolfe emerge in offense

Although the Bears lost a starting quarterback and any realistic hope of a playoff berth in Thursday night's loss to the Washington Redskins, they did discover two more offensive weapons in Devin Hester and Garrett Wolfe.

The Bears remained mum on the severity of Rex Grossman's left knee injury, but sources have indicated that he suffered a partially torn medial collateral ligament that could be healed in about a month.

That leaves only Brian Griese and Kyle Orton at quarterback, and Orton could get a start as soon as Dec. 17 against the Minnesota Vikings. Both should benefit from an offense that became a lot more diverse in the loss to the Redskins, as Hester and Wolfe made their most consistent contributions all season.

While Hester remains a constant home run threat as a return specialist, he had just 9 receptions this season before catching 5 passes for 67 yards at FedEx Field, all in the game's final 12 minutes.

"We know what Devin can do with the ball, and we've been trying to get him out there and get him involved more," said Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner. "He's one of our playmakers. We have to continue to bring him along, and we definitely have to get him in there."

Hester caught 4 passes for 58 yards on the first possession of the fourth quarter, and the fourth grab got the Bears within a yard of the end zone as he was pushed out of bounds before he could reach the ball over the goal line with a headlong dive.

But instead of finishing the drive and tying the game at 17-17, the Bears wound up settling for a field goal after three unsuccessful shots at the end zone.

"It's first-and-goal on the 1, and we've got a chance to score there," Turner said. "You tie it up, and it's a different ballgame. You have to finish the drive and put it in the end zone, and we didn't do it."

The 24-16 loss didn't leave Hester in much of a mood to celebrate what could be a breakout game as a wide receiver.

"To sit here and talk about me getting the ball on offense, that really doesn't matter because we didn't come out with a 'W,' " he said. "That's the most important thing on our minds. We're just trying to win games."

Whether it's Griese or Orton running the offense in the final three games, Hester should be a frequent target, even if he doesn't always seem to be on the same page as the quarterback as he continues to learn the playbook. When opponents blitz as much as the Redskins did, getting the ball to Hester quickly is an effective counter move.

"I felt really comfortable throwing the ball to him, and I was trying to get him the ball in space," Griese said. "When you're facing pressure like that, you have to be able to manage the pressure, but you also have to be able to beat the pressure. I was trying to get him the ball in space and let him break a few tackles and make a play. I thought he played well."

As for Wolfe, he caught his first 4 passes of the season for 37 yards, all on the final possession, and added 13 yards on 3 runs, occasionally showing the ability to make tacklers miss, a rarity for Bears running backs this season. On his last 6 carries, Wolfe has picked up 42 yards, for a 7.0-yard average.