<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Jul 24 2008, 10:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Return of the Raider @ Jul 24 2008, 07:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Vintage @ Jul 24 2008, 09:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Again, how do you pay him? What type of deal does he deserve? Because what is getting him paid is his special teams ability; not his production as a WR. So what do you pay a KR/PR like Hester then?</div> Also, the length of the contract is questionable. What is the average life expectancy of a KR/PR? Not long. They tend to have their best years at the front end of their careers. Losing a step means losing one's edge in their primary position. </div> I think your claim is deceptive. Walter Payton started out returning kicks and punts, but they stopped doing it for fear he might end up like Gayle Sayers did (hurt). A lot of teams don't use their top caliber players on the special teams, as well. Remember Billy "White Shoes" Johnson? He played 7 or 8 years and the only thing that stopped him was injury. I pick him because he had similar success and effect on games as Hester. Deion is a pretty good example of what Hester's value is to the Bears, IMO. Thing is, I don't see anything other than actually aging and losing speed that keeps a pure PR/KR from being able to have as long a career as a RB or WR. </div> I also remember that Randy Moss only returned a few kicks in the NFL, but he was very good at it. Barry Sanders was also capable but the coaching staff wanted to limit his touches. That aside, Hester had a couple of impressive catches last year on offense. It's hard for me to place a figure on his value but I would pay him as a good but not "great" WR (kind of arbitrary of me, I know). Although scary enough, Bernard Berrian signed a six year 42 million dollar contract, so even that may be too much... :[ I can see why he would want to get paid more than most kickers, he's a unique talent. I'd say give him that kind of contract, but make it easy for the Bears to cut him every year(if this is even possible).
<div align="center">Hester ends holdout</div> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>BOURBANNIS, Illinois (Ticker) -- Devin Hester, the dynamic kick and punt returner of the Chicago Bears, ended his two-day holdout Friday by reporting to the team's training camp. Hester's decision not to report to training camp Wednesday came after the Bears settled contracts with perennial Pro Bowl middle linebacker Brian Urlacher and first-round pick Chris Williams in the previous two days. Hester, who has been seeking a new contract the entire offseason, has two years remaining on the four-year, $2.86 million deal he signed after being selected in the 2006 draft. He is scheduled to make $445,000 this season and $530,000 in 2009. Hester had said that he would not report until he received a new contract, but charged his mind. He was fined $15,000 for each day of camp missed. "I think it's great," Bears special teams coach Dave Toub said. "It's great for him. I think it's going to up-lift everybody, kind of like when Brian came in during the (organized team activities) and lifted the whole spirit of practice. I think it'll be the same thing when (Hester) comes. " The Bears were set to conduct their first kick-return drills of training camp during Friday's practice session - with or without Hester. An argument definitely can be made that Hester already has outperformed his contract. The speedster has 11 return touchdowns in two seasons, good for fourth-most in league history. He also brought back a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown during his rookie season. Last season, Hester also had two touchdowns on offense when he made 20 catches for 299 yards. His 14 TDs the last two seasons is tops on the Bears. Hester is expected to see an increased role at wide receiver this season. "It's great for our offense," quarterback Rex Grossman said of Hester's arrival. "He can get his timing down and we can get him ready to go because he's going to be a big part of our offense this year."</div> <div align="center">Link</div>
