Hester's plays scaled back, keeping him fresher for runbacks

It's certainly not a good indicator of precisely what lies ahead for Devin Hester because of the Bears' focus on the running game at Carolina, but the wide receiver says the plan is for him to be scaled back a little on offense.

Hester was on the field for only 19 of the 64 snaps in the Bears' 23-6 victory Sunday as the 42 running plays dictated that more tight ends be used. It was a dramatic change for Hester, who had been on the field for 90.7 percent of the plays through the first four games, the highest percentage among skill players.

"That's just the way we want to keep receivers' legs fresh, knowing I have to return," Hester said in the locker room after the game.

Earl Bennett, meanwhile, got 38 snaps against the Panthers and is deployed in the three-tight end packages the Bears used in piling up 218 yards rushing, the most for the franchise in two decades. Devin Aromashodu also benefitted from a run-first approach because he finally saw the field again, even if he was targeted with just one pass.

Maybe fresh legs helped Hester. He found a small crease along the sideline and returned one Jason Baker punt 50 yards. Had Hester waited to make a fake, he might have scored. Danieal Manning nearly had two kickoff returns go the distance. His first return was 62 yards and a potential touchdown was foiled when he ran into his blockers. On a day the offense totaled only 247 yards, the Bears got 201 yards from their returners.

Don't expect Hester's playing time to be dramatically reduced when quarterback Jay Cutler returns, but he might not be out there at a 90 percent rate moving forward.

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(chicagotribune.com)