Bears need to take full advantage of Hester

Using Devin Hester in the slot is a fine idea.

So is using him as a split end. Or using him as a flanker.

The best idea is using him as all three.

Using Hester only as a slot receiver would be like using your smart phone only to make calls. Both are capable of so much more.

When Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz talked about using Hester similarly to how he used Az Hakim in St. Louis, he was alluding to the fact Hester has some similar qualities to Hakim.

As a slot receiver, Hester can use his quickness to get open. He can take advantage of matchups against bigger defenders. And he is capable of catching the ball in traffic and going the distance. Yes, he has an ideal skill set to play the slot.

But he also has the skill set to be an outside receiver.

I was initially skeptical about Hester's conversion to being a full-time receiver, but he has proved me wrong. He is a complete wide receiver with the potential to improve.

Last season, his first as a full-time receiver, Hester had 757 yards. He probably would have had 900 had he not strained his left calf on Dec. 6, forcing him to miss the next three games. He's fully capable of a 1,200-yard season in 2010 if he is an every-down player.

Even if he ceases to improve, Hester is capable of more production in Martz's offense. He should get more opportunities, given that Martz is more inclined to call for passes to wide receivers than Ron Turner was.

Martz's offense should bring out the best in Hester the way a grass surface brings out the best in an athletic tennis player. Martz's passing game is dependent on receivers who come out of breaks quickly so quarterbacks can deliver the ball on timing, as opposed to delivering on sight. Accelerating out of breaks is what Hester does best.

Hester's ability will translate to Martz's offense — and would translate to any offense. He's not a "scheme guy" who needs a specific kind of offense in order to thrive.

Last year Hester played every wide receiver position and ran every route. He was at his best on posts, slants and crossing routes. He knew how to beat the jam, and his hands were reliable.

Hester is no Larry Fitzgerald when it comes to jump balls, but most speed receivers aren't, especially if they are on the shy side of 6 feet. Steve Smith, Bernard Berrian and DeSean Jackson aren't either.

Asking Hester to win jump balls would be like asking Shaquille O'Neal to dribble. Either way, you are courting turnovers.

Jay Cutler had it right when he said after the Bears' first preseason game last August, "Devin is more of a go-get-it guy; he's not really a jump-up-and-get-it (guy)." So it's up to Cutler and Martz to make sure Hester is trying to run past defenders instead of fighting for floaters.

The perception might be out there that Hester won't be able to learn Martz's offense in short order. That has roots in the perception he didn't always know what he was doing in Turner's offense.

That perception was not accurate, according to multiple people in the Bears organization who should know. Hester struggled more with learning how to be a wide receiver than he ever struggled with learning the playbook. But he's past that now.

Hester is a hard worker who will embrace the challenge of Martz's offense. The Bears should throw every bit of it at him — as well as all the passes they can.

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(chicagotribune.com)