PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WR Mike Hass. While newly converted wide receiver Devin Hester and rookie TE Greg Olsen have been the offensive stars of training camp so far, they haven't caught the ball any better or more consistently than Hass.

He spent last season on the practice squad when the Bears snapped him up after the Saints drafted him in the fifth round but then waived him, hoping to sneak him back onto their practice squad.

After eight days of practices, no one can recall Hass dropping a pass. Not in 11-on-11 team segments, seven-on-seven work or individual receiving drills. Still, with starters Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian ahead of him plus Mark Bradley, Devin Hester and Rashied Davis, Hass is competing with Drisan James, David Ball, Brandon Rideau and Timon Marshall for, at the most, one spot. He's the early leader based on his flawless hands and good size (6-foot-1, 206 pounds).

"I'm pleased, but I still have a ways to go learning some hot (reads) and protections and those types of thing," he said. "I just have to keep making plays. If I make enough plays, I'll open enough eyes and good things will happen for me."

Hass was in a similar situation when he enrolled at Oregon State as a walk-on, and that worked out pretty well for him. The Portland, Ore., native won the 2005 Fred Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in the nation after catching 90 passes for 1,532 yards. He set school career records with 220 catches and 3,924 yards and became one of just 10 players NCAA history with more than 1,000 receiving yards in three seasons.

But Hass doesn't have the flat-out speed of a Berrian or the freaky change-of-direction skills of a Hester. He does have a knack for never letting the ball hit the ground when it's thrown in his vicinity.