Hester Could Use Help

Shapecity · Jun 7, 2009

LAKE FOREST – Devin Hester has come a long way from one of his first games as an NFL wide receiver.

In October 2007 at Philadelphia, Hester caught three passes for 41 yards, but three times lined up in the wrong spot. Muhsin Muhammad, then a 12th-year pro, had to correct him with the play clock running down for everyone in the stadium to see.

Hester is much more refined as a receiver these days, but even he admits he still could use a veteran to lead the way for the Bears’ pass-catching corps.

“I’m hoping that we do still get a veteran receiver,” Hester said. “If not, my veteran receiver is [position coach] Darryl Drake.

“He’s a guy that’s been around longer than any receiver in the league right now. He understands football. That’s the way I look at it.”

As is expected at this time of year, the remaining veteran options are limited.

Plaxico Burress is the marquee choice, but he faces the possibility of jail time and a league suspension stemming from a gun charge. His next court date is scheduled for June 15.

Others still on the market include Matt Jones, Marvin Harrison and D.J. Hackett.

Unless something breaks with Burress, who also would draw interest from at least a few other teams, the Bears seem satisfied with Hester as their leading man.

The addition of quarterback Jay Cutler obviously is expected to help. One of Hester’s specialties is making big plays down the field, a facet in which Cutler is considered superior to 2008 starter Kyle Orton.

As the Bears see it, there is no reason why Hester cannot develop into a reasonable approximation of Carolina’s Steve Smith, another receiver who started his career as a return specialist.

“He should be [a No. 1],” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “He definitely can be. At the end of last year, we were really pleased with how he was playing.

“This is really only [his] second year full-time in the position. I can see the improvement and confidence. He’s playing a lot faster and with a lot more confidence right now.”

While Hester continues to develop, another key player in the offense has hit at least a small bump in his summer program.

Running back Matt Forte sat out Thursday’s practice because of a left leg injury, which he suffered on the field Wednesday. The team called it tightness in his hamstring or calf and is not required to divulge specifics of an injury during the offseason.

Turner said the injury was no cause for concern, but Forte was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday. The results were unavailable Thursday evening.

The Bears could be less reliant on Forte and the running game this season now that Cutler is aboard, but only if the receivers prove reliable.

Hester is expected to improve on his 2008 numbers, 51 catches for 665 yards and three touchdowns. The Bears plan to have him continue returning punts as well.

As both a receiver and a returner, Hester wants to contribute the kind of highlights that became his trademark in 2006-07.

“I was kind of getting upset because when they show commercials on ESPN and NFL Network, I’m not one of the players they show,” Hester said. “I know there’s a reason why, because of the season I had last year. This year, hopefully during the middle of the season, I’ll be on some of those commercials.”
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Source: NWHerald.com

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Hester Could Use Help

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