Hester's WR transition a game of give and take

Devin Hester lets out a short laugh when asked if he plans to reveal some secret propellant or unknown turbo-charged technique during a mid-July football camp he's offering for 7- to 14-year-olds. How do you teach the kids football skills that go from the sublime to the ridiculous?

''I will just go through the fundamentals, and the more they work at it, the better they'll get,'' Hester said. ''Not everybody is going to be the same type of return man I am, but if they have the fundamentals and work at it -- then throw in their little bit of salt and pepper ...

'Not everybody is going to be Michael Jordan. All Michael Jordan can do is teach you fundamentals and hope you learn from it and put your own mix in it.''

Right there is about as close as Hester will ever get to comparing himself to another sports legend who wore No. 23. But the simple fact is that Hester is to NFL return men as Jordan was to basketball players. And if the Bears' weekend minicamp can be viewed as any indicator of the future, well, Hester someday may be seen similarly among wide receivers. His transition to the position -- at least at this point, before the real artillery starts flying -- has exceeded anybody's highest hopes.

Except, of course, Hester's.

''I have been around a lot of guys, a lot of really good receivers, and he has a chance to be better than all of them,'' said Bears wide receivers coach Darryl Drake, who has worked with Hines Ward and Roy Williams. ''That is a strong statement, but I really believe that.

''He has as good a pair of hands as anybody. And then his natural ability to run after the catch is just unbelievable. He has not dropped a ball. Not one ball in any of these practices. Not just minicamp -- all of the OTAs. I don't have to tell him anything anymore. He's telling me stuff when I am screwed up. He has taken the time to study it. He has been in my office every day since the beginning ... he's just so far ahead right now it's unbelievable.''

Can't risk his magic on returns
Ever since the Bears first floated the idea of expanding Hester's role to include offense, alarms have sounded about making sure they don't lose what he provides right now: incredible field position and the possibility of a home run in every at-bat. Hester is in the process of rewriting the NFL record book with 13 return touchdowns in his career, including a 108-yard return of a missed field goal and a 92-yard return of the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl his rookie year.

The Bears don't want to put that at risk, but they certainly want to get the ball in his hands more. That's why he's at receiver, and that's why it appeared he was being force-fed the ball over the three days of minicamp. It's a careful process, because Drake is correct when he says Hester ''was our best offensive player last year because he gave us great field position.'' He's also correct when he says, ''You have to be selfish, too, as a team, when you have a guy that talented. You have to get the ball in his hands.''

Will Hester be the next Steve Smith, a return man who developed into a great receiver? Don't forget injuries came with that transition.

It's a work in progress, but the only advice at this point is to give Hester a rich, long contract. Pay him now as a return guy, or you will pay through the nose to keep him as a receiver. The Bears ought to cut a blank check and let Hester fill in as many zeros as he deems fair. If he doesn't reach an agreement this offseason with two years left on his deal, he'd be a fool to sign something next year when he can smell the free-agent market.

A cynic would suggest the Bears believe their confounding offense will prevent any receiver from breaking out. Maybe they believe he'll remain their property for six years because owners recently opted out of the collective-bargaining agreement.

Earned his raise
But Hester, more than anyone else around Halas Hall, deserves a big pay increase from the less than half a million he'll pick up this year as part of his four-year, $2.61million rookie deal. If Bernard Berrian earned a six-year, $42million deal from Minnesota in free agency, what might Hester be worth in a couple of years?

''I do want to get paid,'' Hester said. ''But I am not going to sit here and complain about not getting paid enough to come out here and play ball. I will just put it all in God's hands.''

That's one powerful agent.

(suntimes.com)