Isaac Bruce is the man for Devin Hester's plan

Devin Hester has plenty of plans for his respite before the Bears open training camp in late July.

He's going to get married, he's going to spend time with his family in Florida and he's even going to host a local football camp in a few weeks.
But as he tries to get a handle on Mike Martz's new offense, Hester is also going to learn his role from the best possible source: Isaac Bruce.

''We'll get on a field, watch some film and everything,'' Hester said after practice Wednesday at Halas Hall. ''I can't learn from anyone better.''

In Martz's offense, Hester will be the ''Z'' receiver, who often lines up behind the line of scrimmage and on the same side as the tight end. Bruce thrived in that role under Martz in St. Louis, helping the Rams win Super Bowl XXXIV and earning four Pro Bowl selections.

Decision was a no-brainer
''It's just a perfect fit,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said. ''I can see why a guy like Devin would reach out to a guy like Isaac.''

Hester said the decision was a no-brainer.

He saw endless clips of Bruce running and executing his potential routes. Bruce thrived, racking up five 1,000-yard seasons and scoring 48 touchdowns in the seven seasons in St. Louis when Martz was either the offensive coordinator or head coach. The numbers would be even more impressive, if not for a foot injury that hampered him in 2005 and limited him to 36 catches for 525 yards and three touchdowns.

Hester also discovered that Bruce wasn't too far away; they both have homes in South Florida.

''I called him a couple of weeks ago, and we talked about it,'' Hester said.

Did someone put him up to it?

''It was my idea,'' Hester said matter-of-factly.

Smith said he was thrilled when an assistant coach told him that Hester reached out to Bruce.

''I know Devin is craving and trying to become the best possible receiver he can be, and I know Isaac Bruce,'' Smith said. ''He's one of the great ambassadors of the game, with a Hall of Fame type of career.

''Guys want to get better, and they want to talk to the best at the position. Of course, Isaac has had success in the position, and he knows it as well as anyone.''

In fact, Smith -- who coached in St. Louis from 2001 to 2003 -- thinks Bruce has the potential to be an NFL coach.

Hester has plenty of questions to fire at Bruce, but he isn't going to rush through them all. The two plan to hook up for ''most of July,'' Hester said.

The new playbook -- which is constantly getting new entries -- has been a challenge to learn, Hester said, but he's starting to get a handle on it.

''Once you understand everything, it's so much easier,'' Hester said. ''I'm starting to get comfortable.''

Open possibilities
What excites him the most, Hester said, is that the playbook always manages to get someone open.

''And the guy who is going to get the ball, the majority of the time, is wide open,'' Hester said.

In space is where Hester thrives, empowering him to use his explosiveness and elusiveness.

After 13 practices, the players are ready for a break. But the praise heaped upon Martz isn't slowing down. Asked about the offense, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said, ''I love it.

''There's a lot to like about it. It's personnel-based, so we're trying to get guys open, trying to find spacing for them and create matchups for them.''

Smith said the Bears' offensive players are ''exactly where we need to be,'' although they're obviously not ready for an actual game.

But he's encouraged by the excitement from his receivers.

''You talk to all the receivers, most of them have a smile on their face,'' Smith said. ''It could be a lot of fun.''

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(suntimes.com)