Wolfe playing catch up

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<p align="justify">Running back Garrett Wolfe buckled his chin strap, then joined the Chicago Bears huddle with the second team Tuesday morning.

<p align="justify">The snap went to quarterback Brian Griese. Wolfe stood his ground blocking linebacker Leon Joe.

<p align="justify">The next play, Wolfe ran up the middle on a draw.

<p align="justify">After Kyle Orton replaced Griese, Wolfe then floated out in the left flat as a safety valve, remained in to block on the next play, then lined up at slot receiver and ran a 15-yard down-and-out.

<p align="justify">Wolfe was back doing what he's been wanting to do, needing to do, after missing most of training camp with a hamstring strain.

<p align="justify">"It felt good to get back out here and practicing," he said. "It felt real good. Mentally, it feels the best.

<p align="justify">"It's refreshing to get some plays called. It's different when you have the play called as opposed to going over it."

<p align="justify">All Wolfe could do the previous 10 days or so was attend meetings, observe at practice and do rehab work. He still hadn't practiced in pads until

<p align="justify">Tuesday night, so that was a new experience, a step he had to take.

<p align="justify">He still has three days to show whether he can be counted on to participate in Saturday's preseason opener at Houston.

<p align="justify">"It depends how he is," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "I don't know if he's 100 percent yet. We'll see how he responds to practice. If we get the go-ahead, we'll play him."

<p align="justify">Wolfe can cover a lot of ground fast as a speed-type back. He's got to do just that now in all aspects of the game to catch up on the field training he missed.

<p align="justify">"He needs work," Turner said. "We have high expectations for him. At some point during the season, we plan on having a role for him.

<p align="justify">"Being out has set him back quite a bit. Being a rookie coming in, trying to learn it, yeah, it's definitely going to set him back, no question about it."

<p align="justify">Wolfe shrugs when the subject comes up. He's overcome greater obstacles.

<p align="justify">"I'm patient," he said. "In college (at Northern Illinois), I started out ninth on the depth chart and went two years without even playing football at all. I think I'm ahead of my college curve. Oh, I'm at the bottom (third on depth chart behind Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson), but I'm not ninth."

<p align="justify">Wolfe said he didn't think about his hamstring when he ran those five plays in the morning heat.

<p align="justify">"As long as I do what the athletic trainers suggest, I'll be fine," he said.

<p align="justify">He has been able to spend time cramming on the playbook, which he calls "exactly what I thought it would be."

<p align="justify">"It's more complicated than college. The game is different from college - it's faster."

Reed Schreck is the NFL Writer for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at 815-987-1381 or rschreck@rrstar.com.</font>