Hester: Ready to Cut Back at Receiver
by John M. Crist of BearReport.com, February 4, 2010 at 4:54pm ET
Devin Hester Profile
Bears coach Lovie Smith is on record with his belief that Devin Hester can be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, but based on some of the comments made Thursday on ESPN1000 in Chicago, it's possible Hester himself doesn't even believe he's a No. 1 receiver.
While Hester has done an admirable job as a full-time wideout these last two seasons, catching a total of 108 passes for 1,422 yards and six touchdowns, the artist formerly known as the greatest return man in league history hasn't scored off a punt or kickoff since the 2007 campaign.
Hinting that he wouldn't object to being pulled from the starting lineup so can focus more on special teams, Hester would like to get back to being the player that ran back the opening kickoff 92 yards for a historic TD in Super Bowl XLI.
"I know what I'm best at," Hester told Marc Silverman and former Bear Tom Waddle on WMVP. "The return game is my bread and butter, so if I had to cut back on my receiving and go back to returning, that's something I would love to do."
Appearing later on the show, Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin says the Bears need to stop fooling themselves into thinking Hester can do it all offensively.
"You wanna play him at receiver, find out only the special things he does and burden him with those," said Irvin. "Stop asking him to be the total package at receiver when you have a receiver full-time that's not the total package.
With new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, maybe Hester can assume the No. 3 role in the slot that Az-Zahir Hakim made so dangerous for the Rams from 1999-2001.
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