Bears hope for many more happy Hester returns

Although Devin Hester is expected to contribute much more as a wide receiver this season, there are no plans yet to curtail his duties in the return game, where he's scored 13 touchdowns in two seasons.

"We would never take him away from the returns," coach Lovie Smith said. "We know what he brings to the table with that. He's caught the ball well (as a receiver). He's as healthy as he's been. He's ready to go. He's excited. I'm excited to see what new things he might be able to do returning the ball. I'm also excited about him as a receiver. He's made a lot of progress. It's time for him to play a game and go from there."

The average length of Hester's return TDs is 84 yards. His 2 TD receptions have covered 81 and 55 yards.

Cutting it thin: The Bears picked up Dan Buenning to add depth and another veteran at guard, but they remain dangerously thin at offensive tackle. The only healthy player on the active roster behind starters John St. Clair and John Tait is Ohio State rookie Kirk Barton, a seventh-round pick.

"He's practiced hard at it, he works hard, and he's a great kid," offensive line coach Harry Hiestand said of the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Barton. "If he gets called on, he's going to go out there and compete his butt off. We don't have any question about that."

First-round pick Chris Williams should eventually become a starter, but he isn't expected back until at least midseason.

Picture of health: The Bears are as close to completely healthy as they're likely to be all season.

All five players listed on this week's injury report and who will play Sunday night were listed as probable. Defensive tackles Tommie Harris (knee) and Dusty Dvoracek (calf), tight end Desmond Clark (knee), defensive end Mark Anderson (thumb) and guard Terrence Metcalf (knee) all practiced on Friday without restrictions. Only rookie offensive tackle Chris Williams (back) is expected to be unavailable.

"We're in good shape health-wise," Lovie Smith said. "We don't have any injuries to report. Besides Chris Williams, everybody else is ready to go."

Preparing for attack: How close will Colts Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning be to 100 percent?

It's a moot point to Bears cornerback Charles Tillman.

"Whether he's 75 percent, 50, 25, 750, whatever, I think he'll come out slingin' the rock," Tillman said. "So we'll be ready for it."

Off and running: When it comes to fast starts, the Colts are the masters.

Tony Dungy's team started the 2007 season 7-0, they won nine straight to open the 2006 Super Bowl season and jumped out to a 13-0 record in 2005.

The Bears under Lovie Smith have often been slow out of the gate, except for the 7-0 start in 2006.

They opened 1-3 last season and even in 2005, although they reeled off eight straight wins after that.

The Bears started 1-5 in 2004, Smith's first season as head coach.