Bears’ offense may be revving up

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, May 17, 2007  |  Comments( 1 )

Chicago Bears
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Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner has two new toys, with a third one still unwrapped.

This week, it was announced that record-breaking return man Devin Hester would be switched from cornerback to wide receiver. A day earlier, the Bears signed third-round draft pick Garrett Wolfe, the 11th-best career rusher in NCAA Division I-A history.

The other key newcomer to Turner's arsenal, tight end Greg Olsen, is still unsigned. And, awkwardly, he has the same agent (Drew Rosenhaus) as disgruntled linebacker Lance Briggs and the now-departed Thomas Jones.

So Olsen's signing could take awhile, but Wolfe became the first 2007 draft pick to sign with anybody. A strong candidate for the Heisman Trophy halfway through last season, despite his small school (Northern Illinois) and small stature (5-foot-7, 186), Wolfe's stock slid somewhat when he was completely locked down by a couple of MAC opponents.

Still, he runs a 4.38 40, has good upper-body strength and more moves than Christina Aguilera. Given Wolfe's speed and elusiveness, Turner envisions him as a possible third-down back in the beginning. With Jones gone, that leaves only Adrian Peterson (the one from Georgia Southern, not Oklahoma) backing up Cedric Benson, and opens a hole for the newcomer. And with the success of 5-7, 212-pound Maurice Jones-Drew with Jacksonville last season, short backs are no longer looked upon with disdain.

As for Hester, he played four different positions at Miami and saw some action (eight tackles) at cornerback for the Bears. He also set a number of NFL rookie return records, scoring twice on kickoffs (not including a 92-yarder on the first play of the Super Bowl) and three times on punt returns. With a couple of cornerbacks added to the mix through the draft, it no longer makes sense to risk Hester on that side of the ball when he can be inserted in certain situations on offense.

The only downside for the Hurricane product in his rookie campaign was a late-season slump in which he fumbled a couple of punts. With pass catching in his immediate future, that does raise the "hands" question.

That may not be an issue, though, if the Bears use Hester on reverses and short "out" patterns and let him make further yardage with his legs.

"You can make a case for him being a slot receiver," said Bears head coach Lovie Smith, "you can make a case for him being a single receiver when we go to our two tight end, two running back packages. You can make a case for him running back punts."

Meanwhile, the Bears drafted cornerback Corey Graham, a 6-0, 195-pound speedster out of New Hampshire who averaged over 27 yards a kickoff return and scored three times on interception returns during his career. If he proves recovered from a broken tibia that sidelined him part of last season, it will free up Hester even more for other duties.

"I've been recruiting him for 12 months," said Ron Turner of Hester, "and I finally got him."

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