Devin Hester talks T.O., Bruce, slot position

Working with hundreds of young football players over the weekend was like a vacation for Devin Hester. Monday, it was back to work.

The Bears receiver hosted football camps at Grant Park and Naperville North High School on Saturday and Sunday, then traveled back home to the Miami area to continue his intense training with now-retired ex-Rams star receiver Isaac Bruce. Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who coached Bruce in St. Louis, hooked Hester up with the four-time Pro Bowl receiver.

The pairing was endorsed by both coach Lovie Smith and receivers coach Darryl Drake, who called Bruce's gesture to mentor Hester a blessing.

 

"He has shown me things about having a plan,'' Hester said of Bruce. "What I mean about having a plan is being up on the line and having a plan of what coverage you're expecting ... what type of releases off of different presses and the way to run certain routes against different coverages. Basically, what he's helping me on is adjusting to the coverages I'm getting."

Hester and Bruce start their workouts around 9 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale -- the same school that produced Bears rookie safety Major Wright. The sessions are three hours and will conclude Wednesday.

Hester's goal is to master the "Z" receiver position in Martz's offense, the same outside receiver spot Bruce perfected. But playing the "Z" doesn't mean Hester will line up outside all the time.

"The way this offense is designed, everybody is going to be put outside and everybody is going to be put inside," he said. "There's really no, 'You're the slot, you're the Y guy.' It depends on the formation.''

Whatever the formation, Jay Cutler is likely to spread the wealth with a group that includes

Hester, Johnny Knox, Devin Aromashodu, Earl Bennett and Juaquin Iglesias, not to mention the tight ends. Five receivers had 45 catches or more in last year's monotonous system, led by tight end Greg Olsen's 60 catches.

There still seems to be doubt about the receiving corps as a whole despite Martz's claim of the receivers being the strength of the team. Drake is sure to have the group well-prepared.

Regardless, rumors persist about the Bears possibly adding veteran help, and Terrell Owens' name always seems to surface.

"If we get him, it's a good thing," Hester said, "but if we don't, I feel comfortable with the guys that we have. We've got a great group of receivers. ... We're really going to step up to the plate."

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(chicagobreakingsports.com)