Hester responding to Turner's challenge

CHICAGO – Getting a taste of the Bears offense last season made Devin Hester hungry for more.

After catching 20 passes for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns in limited action, the electrifying playmaker spoke to coordinator Ron Turner about becoming a starting receiver in 2008.

“Devin and I had a real good talk at the end of the season,” Turner told fans during a seminar Sunday at the Bears Expo. “He talked about wanting to be more of a full-time receiver.

“I told him if you’re going to make that commitment to try to be the No. 1 receiver, then you’ve got to make that commitment right now and you’ve got to work at it like you do as a return guy. It’s got to be a full-time commitment, which means you’re going to have to practice full speed all the time so the quarterbacks can get the timing.”

Five months after their initial discussion, Turner couldn’t be more pleased with how Hester has responded to the challenge.

“He’s accepted all that, and so far through the minicamp and the OTAs, he’s done a great job of learning the position and going out every day and learning all the little intricacies of playing the position,” Turner said. “It’s one thing to know your assignment. It’s another thing to be able to line up and play and adjust to cover-two, cover-three, to press coverage, to the blitz; all the different things you have to do, and so far Devin has stepped up and is doing a great job of that.”

After Hester played an average of 10-12 snaps on offense last season, Turner said Sunday that the Bears plan on tripling his workload—even as he remains the team’s primary return specialist.

“He’s the premier return guy in the NFL and probably in the history of the game, so he’s got to obviously have an opportunity to do that,” Turner said.

“We’ve talked in the area of 30-35 plays a game. If we can get him that many plays and we can get the ball in his hands 5-7 times a game—whether it’s some quick passes or down the field or whatever—he’s going to make our offense much more productive.”

Hester has high expectations for himself—and Turner would never bet against him.

“He’s a guy that has a burning desire to be the best,” Turner said. “He is driven to be the best at whatever he does, and right now he is driven to be the best receiver in the NFL, and I wouldn’t sell Devin short of accomplishing anything.”

(chicagobears.com)