Catch-23: Hester on right path

Many have tried, yet only a few NFL players achieved modest success switching to wide receiver.

Then there's Bobby Mitchell.

The former Illinois running back converted to receiver after he was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Washington Redskins in 1962, then produced a Hall of Fame career.

Mitchell outlined to the Sun-Times the numerous obstacles of making the transition, but he's encouraged by what he has seen from Bears cornerback-turned-receiver Devin Hester.

''It's difficult,'' Mitchell said of learning to play receiver. ''But it's a lot easier when you have the skill set like Devin Hester has.
''He could probably play point guard for the Miami Heat.''

Mitchell gushed about Hester's speed, his ability to stop and start and his work ethic. But he's unsure of Hester's grasp on the most crucial -- and difficult -- function.

''Precise route-running,'' Mitchell said. ''All the speed guys, you can shut them out during a game. They give you a certain amount of yards, but all they want to do is make sure you don't get touchdowns.

''But it's hard to defense against guys who can run and cut. If Hester can control himself, and his coaches are training him to make precise cuts and not just sprinting him to death, he can become a tremendous force. If not, he'll never be as good as he probably could be at that position.''

Mitchell offered up a player with whom he is far more familiar as an example: Redskins receiver Santana Moss. Since 2007, in 49 games, two-time Pro Bowl selection Moss has averaged nearly five catches a game for 60 yards, but he has scored just 13 touchdowns.

''[Moss will] scare you to death, running to a spot,'' Mitchell said. ''But we can't get a lot of touchdowns out of him.''

Hester only has six catches for 110 yards this season, but he keyed the Bears' upset of the Dallas Cowboys with a remarkable nine-yard touchdown catch and a catch-and-run 38-yarder that set up the game-winning touchdown. Yet arguably the most encouraging play never officially happened. In the first quarter Monday night, on a third-and-seven, Hester deceived six-time Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson by pretending to run toward the sideline then cutting hard toward the middle of the field.

With his body heading toward the sideline, Woodson reached back and grabbed Hester with his right hand to prevent a potentially long catch and instead giving up just eight yards on a pass-interference penalty.

''When we initially moved [Hester to wide receiver], everyone wanted him to be Isaac Bruce the first day he was there,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said. ''But Isaac Bruce wasn't Isaac Bruce right away. It takes some time. We like everything he's been doing.''

The long road
There's no shortage of ''athletes'' who have attempted to play receiver in the NFL.

Many of them are speedy quarterbacks, like Antwaan Randle El, Matt Jones, Brad Smith and Ronald Curry, yet none has completely panned out.

That's why former Redskins Super Bowl champion quarterback Joe Theismann didn't expect much from Hester.

''I didn't think he could do it,'' said Theismann, an analyst for the NFL Network. ''I didn't think it would work because there are simply so many aspects of the game. If all you can do is run down the field, the guys on the side of the ball can also run.

''But I take my hat off to him. He's worked himself into a position where he's understanding how to play receiver.''

Theismann said Hester is solid as a blocker, pass-catcher and route-runner.

Former Redskins and Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly said players struggle because ''they don't have anything to fall back on.''

''You're learning on the run,'' said Casserly, an analyst for the NFL Network and CBS Sports. ''It's a challenge.

''Can a guy change directions? Not waste steps? Does he have good hands? Speed? Can he learn routes and coverages?''

A multifaceted running back in Cleveland, Mitchell was traded to the Redskins as part of the infamous Ernie Davis deal. Immediately, Redskins coach Bill McPeak told Mitchell he was going to move from running back to receiver because ''he didn't want me to get killed.''

The Redskins, coming off a 1-12-1 season, had a horrendous offensive line.

Still, Mitchell wasn't sure if he could play receiver.

Everything was different, from running, to catching to moving.

Remarkably, though, Mitchell earned Pro Bowl honors in his first season, catching 72 passes for 1,384 yards and scoring a league-high 11 receiving touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown in his debut against the Dallas Cowboys.

For his career, he scored 91 touchdowns.

Hester has shown a knack for getting into the end zone -- he has 21 career touchdowns -- but his transition was far more complex.

''I had to start from zero,'' Hester said. ''Just the basic stuff: where to line up, how wide my splits were. That's the stuff kids learn in Pop Warner, but I didn't know because I didn't play it.''

Where exactly is he?

Bears receiver coach Darryl Drake told Hester to be patient.

''He knew it was going to take time from the jump, but I wanted it to happen overnight,'' Hester said. ''I'm not a patient person when it comes to playing football.''

Drake believes Hester would have reached 1,000 receiving yards last season if not for a calf injury that sidelined him for three full games.
''I'm proud of where he's at, but I'll be even more proud when he reaches the status that I know that he can reach,'' Drake said.

Hester reached out to Bruce, the former St. Louis Rams Pro Bowl receiver, who helped him in private workouts in the Miami area then also at training camp in Bourbonnais.

Bruce focused on fundamentals.

''What I was stressing to Devin, 'Do the little things well. Come off the line of scrimmage. Use your head. Use your eyes. Being crisp at the top of your breaks,''' Bruce said. ''Those things there, a lot of guys don't do.''

Another Hall of Fame receiver has noticed.

''He's starting to look like a receiver,'' said James Lofton, a Westwood One analyst who racked up 14,004 receiving yards and 75 touchdowns. ''When I watch Devin on tape, from where he was when he first was playing -- a guy who could just run down the field --he is real precise in running his routes.

''But the thing that's always going to be to his benefit is what he can do after the catch.''

Click here to order Devin Hester’s proCane Rookie Card.



(suntimes.com)