Cutler pleased with performance of Bears wide receivers

Jay Cutler said that he doesn’t expect to experience a case of “receiver envy” when he sees Arizona Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald line up against the Bears Sunday at Soldier Field.

The 6-3, 217-pounder ranks third in the NFL with 47 receptions for 509 yards with 5 touchdowns. Fitzgerald set a league post-season record last year when he caught 30 passes for 546 yards and 7 TDs.

“You look across the league and sometimes you’ve got one of those guys or you don’t have one of those guys,” Cutler said. “We don’t have Larry Fitzgerald on this team. We’ve got Devin [Hester] and Earl [Bennett] and some other guys. We’re going to make it work with them.”

Bears wide receivers have performed well so far this season. With 35 receptions for 454 yards and 3 TDs, Hester’s stats are slightly better than Arizona’s other star receiver, Anquan Boldin, who also has caught 35 passes for 404 yards and 1 TD this season.

Bennett (25-334-0) has proven to be a clutch, sure-handed receiver, while rookie fifth-round draft pick Johnny Knox (24-310-3) has exceeded everyone’s expectations but his own.

Bears wide receivers are averaging 12.3 receptions and 159.1 yards per game this season compared to 7.9 catches and 105.3 yards last year.

“I think we’re fine in that area,” Cutler said. “We’ve got three or four very reliable if not above average guys that can go out there and play and make things happen. They’re a young group. That’s maybe their only fault. But they’re not playing like they’re young. They’re doing good things out there. They’re making plays for us, and making catches. 

"I’m happy with their progress and where they are right now.”

Hester held out of practice, could return Thursday

Bears wide receiver Devin Hester sat out Wednesday’s practice with a sore ankle, but coach Lovie Smith said that he’s hopeful the fourth-year pro will be back on the field Thursday.

Hester leads the Bears in receiving with 35 receptions for 454 yards and 3 TDs. His 21 catches over the past three weeks are the second most in the NFL to the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald (25), who visits Soldier Field on Sunday.

Linebacker Lance Briggs (shoulder), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee), defensive end Adewale Ogunleye (ankle), tight end Greg Olsen (ankle), safety Craig Steltz (bicep) and defensive tackle Matt Toeaina (calf) were limited Wednesday, while defensive tackle Israel Idonije (knee) practiced without restrictions.

Seven starters are on Arizona's injury list: receiver Anquan Boldin (ankle), linebacker Gerald Hayes (back) and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett (ankle) did not practice; safety Antrel Rolle (foot) was limited; and tight end Stephen Spach (ankle), cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (finger) and guard Reggie Wells (thumb) were not restricted.

Also for the Cardinals, receiver Steve Breaston (knee), defensive end Kenny Iwebema (knee), receiver Sean Morey (illness) and kicker Neil Rackers (hamstring) were limited; and guard/tackle Herman Johnson (back) and running back Jason Wright (thumb) were not restricted.

Graham excelling as valuable special teams contributor

Corey Graham was disappointed when it became clear that he wouldn’t have a chance to play much on defense. But that didn’t stop the third-year pro from becoming a valuable contributor on special teams.

Graham is tied with Tim Shaw for the team lead with nine special-teams tackles this season after registering two stops in last Sunday’s win over the Browns. The 2007 fifth-round draft pick from New Hampshire also helped down a Brad Maynard punt at the 1-yard line in that game.

“Everybody wants to play on defense,” Graham said. “But when it came down to it, I wasn’t going to be out there on defense, so I had to find a way to contribute. Special teams is my role right now, and I try to do the best I can at it.”

Graham is the only Bears player with at least one special teams tackle in each of the first seven games this season. He’s a four-phase contributor on the NFL’s third-ranked special teams unit.

“I take a lot of pride in it,” Graham said. “It’s a big thing here. It’s something we really look forward to doing. We have fun out there and we want to be the best special teams unit in the league. It’s something we all take a lot of pride in. We go out there and try to compete and try to be the best we possibly can.”

Graham finished second on the Bears with 20 special-teams tackles as a rookie in 2007. He recorded 14 last year while also starting nine games at cornerback.

Last Sunday against the Browns, Graham did an excellent job of keeping a Maynard punt from bouncing into the end zone. He batted the ball back to Rashied Davis, who downed it at the 1.

“My rookie year I had a little trouble doing that,” Graham said when asked about locating punts in the air. “There were several times where I had an opportunity and I wasn’t able to do it.

“It takes a lot of practice. The more reps you get, the easier it becomes. You have to look and see where you’re at. If you’re close to the 1-yard line, you’ve got to not only catch it, but you’ve got to keep it out of the end zone and you can’t step on the line. It’s very difficult."

Gould needs two field goals to become NFL's top kicker

If Robbie Gould makes his next two field goal attempts, he will surpass Mike Vanderjagt to become the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

Gould has connected on 120 of 139 attempts in five seasons with the Bears, an 86.3 percent success rate that’s just below the retired Vanderjagt, who made 86.5 percent of his kicks (230 of 266) in nine seasons with the Colts and Cowboys. The Chargers’ Nate Kaeding is third at 85.8 percent (133 of 155). 

“It would be a great honor to get it, but once you get it you’ve got to be able to hold it,” Gould said. “I’m not going to stop working until I do get it, and once I do get it, I’m not going to stop until I retire.”

Continuing to work with long-snapper Patrick Mannelly and holder Brad Maynard as he has done throughout his career, Gould has made 10 of 11 field goal tries this year, including a career-long 52-yarder against the Lions.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of great guys around me blocking for me,” he said. “Pat and Brad have been doing a great job. If it wasn’t for them, I would not be having the success I’ve had.”

Kaeding would seem to have an unfair advantage when it comes to kicking in San Diego compared to Chicago, but Gould isn’t complaining or asking for an asterisk in the record book.

“No matter where you’re at, you’ve got to do your job, and Nate’s done a great job for the Chargers,” Gould said. “Yeah, it’s a warm-weather place to kick. But he’s done a great job. I’m just glad to be here in Chicago and be able to do it for the organization as well as to help my team win games.”