Bears' fortunes may rest with Hester

Had a nice chat Friday with Ken Mrock, the head groundskeeper for the Bears. He was holding a shovel full of stuff -- sand, seed, growth hormone, whatever -- and he was flinging it over the still-green grass of the main practice field at Halas Hall with great zest.

(Just kidding about the growth hormone, OK?)

At any rate, Mrock told me that global warming might or might not be a factor in this unseasonably warm weather (trust me, it is), but that the grass at Soldier Field is just as green and summerlike as this practice stuff.

''It's all heated underneath,'' he said.

He pointed to the surrounding practice areas, gray, dead-looking borders to this island of emerald.

''Those fields aren't heated,'' he said. ''They're dormant.''

Which means that unless there is an un-shovel-able blizzard at exactly the time the Bears' game against the Seattle Seahawks takes place today, the ground conditions for the game should be just fine.

Which brings us to Devin Hester, the Bears' All-Pro kick returner and a potential difference-maker in the team's biggest game in a long time.

Yes, the Bears have been in playoff games in the last decade, but they haven't won any. They never were fit to be considered as Super Bowl contenders, at any rate.

This season, they are.

So Hester was asked how he played in snow, the white stuff that might arrive today.

But that quickly was amended to: ''Have you played at all in snow?''

''No,'' the speedster replied.

In fact, the Miami native saw his first snow in December.

''It's about giving 110 percent,'' he said. ''That's all.''

The Seahawks supposedly are thin on their coverage teams because of injuries. Hester was asked if that would make it easier for him.

''The way I look at it, the guys that are backing them up are not just pushovers,'' Hester said. ''They made it to the NFL, and there's a reason why they're there. The injuries, the guys backing up, they're just as good as them.''

One can envision a scenario in which the offenses and defenses battle to an approximate standoff and the margin of victory is determined by field position created by successful returns, even scores.

Take the Bears' 42-27 victory Dec. 11 against the St. Louis Rams, when Hester returned six kickoffs and punts for 246 yards, scoring on a 94-yard kickoff return and a 96-yard kickoff return.

That was the difference.

Indeed, you might think a savvy coach such as the Seahawks' Mike Holmgren wouldn't kick to Hester at all.

''No, I fully expect them to kick to me,'' Hester said. ''Most definitely, yes. It's playoff time. There ain't no reason to let one dimension or phase determine the outcome of the game.''

Well, that's exactly the point.

If the footing is good and the winds are OK (which they might not be), why would the Seahawks risk putting the ball in Hester's hands?

Each day, Hester has been taking dozens of balls shot from the JUGS machine to work on his catches and takeoffs.

''Right now, we don't even keep count anymore,'' Hester said. ''We just keep shooting them until we run out of time. Who knows how many it could be?''

There is a feeling as you walk around the Bears' facility, listen to the players doing their interviews, hear the nervous chatter between coaches and athletes and see the body postures and behavior that this game is a monster in the making.

A team can't go 13-3, run away with its division and rest up while its foe plays a white-knuckle, emotion-packed game against the Dallas Cowboys before traveling two time zones to a hostile stadium and not be horrified at the thought of losing.

The last time the Bears made it as far as the NFC Championship Game was January 1989, and they lost to the San Francisco 49ers 28-3.

These 2006 Bears must beat the Seahawks to get to that NFC title game and be considered anything short of easy-time frauds.

They know this.

''The tempo of the game will be much faster,'' Hester said, speculating about his first NFL postseason contest. ''Guys are gonna play hard every play. Seattle will give 110 percent, just like us.''

''He's played in big games before,'' coach Lovie Smith said of his prized return man. ''I think he knows what's at stake. But he's still a rookie. And we can't tell him exactly how it will be until he gets down there.''

Blue skies and green grass would be nice.

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