CHICAGO (AP) — Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears has set an NFL record with his 11th career punt return for a touchdown, running one back 69 yards against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Tied with Eric Metcalf coming in, Hester took over the recor early in the second quarter when he fielded a line drive by Jason Baker.

Hester broke a tackle and turned up the left side, performing three somersaults after crossing the goal line for a 24-10 lead. He was also flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

The big punt return came moments after he returned a kickoff 73 yards, setting up a 17-yard scoring run by Matt Forte.

A three-time Pro Bowl pick, Hester is the league’s all-time leader for combined touchdowns on kick returns with 15.

LISTEN: Bears vs. Panthers highlights

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A nice pass-and-catch by Jay Cutler to Johnny Knox for 13 yards. Then a false start.

A nice defensive stand to force a punt. Then a Cutler interception.

A defensive-holding penalty that helped keep a Bears’ drive alive. And then a Devin Hester illegal procedure that set them back again.

And to top it all off: A perfectly executed trick punt return that resulted in an 89-yard Knox touchdown that would have shrunk the Packers’ lead to three points with just over a minute to play. Then a holding call brought it all back.

Whenever the Bears seemed about to scratch their way back into Sunday’s 27-17 loss to Green Bay, they undid it all with a giant mistake. Both physical ones (like when one of the few nice Cutler passes doinked off Knox’s face mask) and mental ones (like most of the 10 penalties for 70 yards.)

The hold on the punt return was the most glaring, but it wasn’t the only time the Bears shot themselves in the foot.

“It really hurt … I was disappointed in that, and in three offensive penalties that we got when we got momentum,” coach Lovie Smith said Monday. “I was disappointed in an offsides penalty on our defense when we intercepted the ball.

“I thought we were ready, but you have to show up on game day. We didn’t.”

Cutler has to fit into that category as well. For every good pass he threw, he’d uncork a bad one. He had happy feet in the pocket, was always worried about the pressure — even on the rare occasion when it wasn’t there — and he airmailed five balls over receivers.

He shouldn’t take all the blame for the inconsistent offense, but deserves a portion of it.

“There were a lot of miscues out there. There were spurts of good football, but it was just inconsistent,” Cutler said.

“Against a team like that, you’re never going to beat them.”

Playing that inconsistently, the Bears won’t beat anybody.

The Bears had five pass plays of more than 20 yards, wideout Dane Sanzenbacher and tight end Kellen Davis came through with big plays, and Henry Melton added another sack to his early-season resume.

But it was the miscues and the blunders that really stood out.

And though the mistakes didn’t end on the offensive side of the ball — see Craig Steltz’s interesting coverage skills on two Jermichael Finley TD catches — they stood out more.

“When you lose two games like that, believe me, we’re not patting each other on the back,” Smith said. “Again, we’re disappointed in our play. Offense is a part of that, and so is defense, and special teams.”

Blocks were missed, passes were dropped, tackles were botched and stupid mistakes were made all over the field.

The Bears were 3-for-12 on third down, ran for their third-fewest yards in team history (13) and Hester got flagged for throwing a haymaker punch that (luckily for him) didn’t even find its mark (Sam Shields’ helmet).

“We were just off,” center Roberto Garza said solemnly. “We never quite got it together.”

The final mistake of the day — the Corey Graham holding penalty, which occurred on the opposite side of the field from Knox — negated the Bears’ last-gasp effort to make it a game. Initial replays did not show the penalty, and had some fans up in arms over the “phantom call.” But Graham and Smith admitted it was the right call on Monday, and a better angle revealed the final blow.

A sad but fitting end to a day of great plays followed by brutal errors.

Staff reporter Jay Taft can be reached at 815-987-1384 or jtaft@rrstar.com.

CHICAGO — While the Chicago Bears offense “just kind of took care of business,” according to head coach Lovie Smith, the defense shined during Sunday’s victory.

The Bears recorded five sacks in the 30-12 win over Atlanta, and they did not allow an offensive touchdown while forcing three turnovers, including one returned for a touchdown. Now that’s how to kick-start a season, agreed defensive tackle Henry Melton, who locked in two sacks in the first start of his career.

“For us, that’s just how you want to do it. That’s just how you want to start it off,” said Melton, who also had seven quarterback hurries. “If (Julius) Peppers keeps it going, and Amobi (Okoye), Toe (Matt Toeaina), Izzy (Israel Idonije), if they keep it going, it’s going to be open season for everybody.”

Peppers added two sacks and a forced fumble, and linebacker Brian Urlacher had 10 tackles, a diving interception and a fumble recovery that he returned for a TD in the third quarter.

“That’s just Urlacher being Urlacher,” Peppers said.

Cutler still perfect when on

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is now 22-0 when he finishes a game with a quarterback rating over 100. After completing 22-of-32 for 312 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, Cutler finished with a 107.8 QB rating Sunday.

He had five completions for more than 20 yards to four different players, including a 56-yard screen pass to Devin Hester late in the first quarter.

“He’s a gunslinger, man,” wideout Roy Williams said of Cutler. “He’s just good; he’s real good. Watch out, man.”

New guys get chances

Because the Bears were able to pull away to a big lead early in the second half, some of the new guys that may not have had quality playing time got a chance to take the field and get some big reps.

Defensive lineman Amobi Okoye took some snaps in the third quarter, getting his first sack as a Bear. Okoye was brought in after he was cut by the Jets, and he led the team with three sacks in the preseason while playing with the second-teamers.

Second-year defensive end Nick Reed defended a pass and got pressure on Falcons QB Matt Ryan twice, and new cornerback Brandon Meriweather, acquired after being cut by the Patriots last week, came in and made two tackles and covered well as the Falcons aired it out in attempt to rally.

Even running back Kahlil Bell — listed as No. 3 on the depth chart, but moved up to No. 2 for Sunday with Marion Barber out — had 10 carries (for 24 yards) and had a reception in the victory.

New KO rule works for Bears

The Bears special teams were not hurt by the new rule that moves kickoffs up to the 35; in fact, it helped them out on occasion.

Kicker Robbie Gould booted six of his eight kickoffs deep into the end zone for touchbacks, and on the other side of things, return man Devin Hester was able to return all but one of his opportunities, averaging 17.7 per return.

“We still got our opportunities in the return game,” Hester said, “and today, we took advantage.”

Rough day for Webb

Although it was a good day for most of the Chicago Bears players, it wasn’t so good for left tackle J’Marcus Webb. The second-year lineman was whistled for three holding penalties and surrendered two sacks.

“It’s about learning from your mistakes. There’s nothing on the football field that he cannot do,” offensive line captain Roberto Garza said. “It’s about getting better, and I’m sure he’s going to do that.”

Reach staff reporter Jay Taft at 815-987-1384 or jtaft@rrstar.com.

Leave it to the Chicago Bears to cause controversy in the NFL. One of the handful of teams that voted against the new rule to kickoff from the 35-yard line instead of the 30, Chicago has a lot to lose from the new order as dangerous kick returner Devin Hester will have fewer opportunities to make highlight films.

Teams with strong kickoff specialists have the most to gain, they will put their team’s defense on the field at the 20-yard line more often than not. But this is the preseason, and one problem with not having kickoff returns is you don’t know if your kickoff coverage teams are worthwhile or not. So the Chicago Bears took matters into their own hands; they opted to kick off from the 30-yard line so they could get some film on their kickoff coverage teams.

But now the vice president of officiating Carl Johnson put a stop to the practice after finding out the Bears had kicked off twice from the 30. Those were Johnson’s exact words; “Put a stop to it.” But for how long?

Head coach Lovie Smith had insinuated the Bears received permission to kickoff from the 30. His point is valid; how are special teams coordinators going to pick the best 11 guys to cover kicks when every time you kick the ball its downed in the end zone. Bill Belichick came out earlier this week with the same question, explaining the new rule could impact how he shapes the New England roster.

The real insanity of the whole edict is that it’s really not enforceable. The Bears, or any other team for that matter, simply need to commit a penalty and kickoff from five yards back. It’s doubtful any team will refuse.

The rule was put in place to return kickoffs back to their pre-1994 kickoff location. The statistics showed a disproportionate amount of injuries during kickoff returns as opposed to other game play. But this is the preseason, and a team should be allowed to kickoff once or twice from the 30 to get a feel for their level of liability before the regular season starts.

Chicago Bears 10, Buffalo Bills 3

Preseason record: 1-0

Of interest: None of the anticipated drama for this game played out. Tailback Matt Forte played despite the lack of a contract extension, although it’s worth noting he played one series and didn’t get a carry. (He did make one catch.) Marion Barber ended up rushing for 45 yards on seven carries, and Chester Taylor had three yards on three carries. … And by all accounts, the playing surface at Soldier Field held up despite some visible seams between the sod. The only issue: Longtime Chicago-area sportscaster Peggy Kusinski said she was told by security officials that no cell phone photos of the field were allowed. … The first-team offensive line played the entire first half but gave up four sacks, including three to Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman, who gave left tackle J’Marcus Webb fits. I thought two of Merriman’s sacks, against backup quarterback Caleb Hanie, came in part because Hanie held the ball. … Defensive tackle Henry Melton flashed in the first quarter, getting into the backfield on three early plays. That’s an encouraging sign. … The Bears kicked off twice from the 30-yard line before, saying the NFL’s new rule for kickoffs at the 35-yard line was optional. NFL officiating czar Carl Johnson was forced to call Soldier Field to tell them otherwise. Interesting but ultimately a meaningless attempt by the Bears. … Finally, demoted receiver Johnny Knox made an a strong impression on special teams, reminding everyone how fast he is during a 70-yard kickoff return. He also returned two punts, but that job will go to Devin Hester in the regular season.

Local coverage: No one criticized the field, reports Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune. But quarterback Jay Cutler did say: “I don’t know. It is what it is. I don’t think it is going to change, so we just have to play on it.” … Knox, via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times: “I know what I need to do — just handle my business on the field and that’s what I came to do. I’m just trying to make the best of it and make plays when I can.” … The Bears’ offensive line needs more time together, writes Dan Pompei of the Tribune. … New defensive lineman Amobi Okoye had two sacks, notes Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com.

Next: Aug. 22 at New York Giants (ESPN)

By Sean Keeley

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Jul 12, 2011 – Chicago Bears WR Devin Hester is putting himself in the role of General Manager these days and he thinks the Bears need a guy like free agent WR Santana Moss.

“Anybody that can come in and help out the team, I’m down for it, and a guy like (Moss) can come in and really help out a lot,” Hester said of his fellow Miami Hurricane. “I’m hoping we can get him.”

Moss, 32, is coming off a career-high 93 catches for 1,115 yards and six touchdowns with Washington last season and has four 1000-yard seasons in his ten-year career.

Of course, there are two issues for Hester’s grand plan. First, there’s no definite idea as to when free agency will begin due to the current lockout. And Second, Moss is trying to re-sign with the Washington Redskins if he can. The Washington Post recently reported Moss wants a two- or three-year deal at about $5 million per season.

Find out how Bears fans feel about the idea of Santana Moss joining the club at Windy City Gridiron or see if Redskins fans want to keep Moss in-house at Hogs Haven.

Read More: Santana Moss (WR – WAS), Devin Hester (WR – CHI), Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins

In Devin Hester’s mind, there’s a ticking clock on the Chicago Bears’ chances of playing in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 7 against the St. Louis Rams.

The Bears are scheduled report to training camp in Bourbonnais, Ill., on July 23, a week earlier than most to prepare for the preseason showdown, but all of that is up in the air thanks to the NFL lockout.

“If we play Friday and the lockout ends Tuesday, it’s going to take a day and half for us to get to the dorm room and settle in,” Hester said. “That’s an extra day and a half. If we get at least a week and a half to prepare, I think that (would be enough time).”

The Hall of Fame Game is actually scheduled for a Sunday, but either way, his point was clear — the Bears need time to prepare.

Bears safety Chris Harris wondered out loud to the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday what the point would be of playing the game if training camps don’t start on time.

“No one wants to play four exhibition games, but that’s what we do,” Harris said. “I’m cool with playing game if we get training camp started on time. But anything past (July 22), then I’m not cool with it.”

With the lockout wiping out organized team activities, Hester and the offensive skill players have been working out three times a week with quarterback Jay Cutler acting as the de-facto coach. He said that “helped a lot” as the Bears try to build on last year’s run to the NFC title game, but the offense remains a huge question mark entering the second season with Mike Martz as coordinator.

There are issues on the line and at wide receiver, and time with the coaches certainly wouldn’t hurt. Whether they’ll get that soon remains to be seen.

For all the signs that a deal could be close, Hester has his doubts.

“You’re hearing two sides to the story,” he said. “You don’t know the truth. You’ve got your team advisers telling you that the lockout, whatever they’re saying, is negative. And then you hear the TV saying that they just met, it seems like something’s getting done. You’re head’s just spinning. You don’t know what to do. I try not to get involved. I’m going to get ready so when the time comes and I get the phone call, I’m ready.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.