Hester intends to be more productive

Devin Hester doesn't think it's asking too much of him to be the team's go-to wide receiver and to recapture his magic touch as a punt returner.

"It's what I'm here for; it's what I get paid for," Hester said. "God blessed me with max ability to go out and do the things that I'm capable of doing, and I want to go out and excel as the receiver and the punt returner this year."

Last year, his second as a receiver, Hester led all Bears wideouts with 51 catches and 665 yards, but his punt-return average dropped from 15.5 yards to 6.2. His 11 combined kick-return touchdowns (7 punts and 4 kickoffs) are just 2 shy of Brian Mitchell's NFL career record.

"This is a big season for me," he said. "Hopefully I can do good at both. I'm 2 shy of the record, so that's a goal in the back of my mind, (and) to just go out and be a complete receiver."

But Hester does believe last year's focus on playing wide receiver hindered his production as a returner.

"I would say it took a toll on me as far as me just really trying to get my foot wet at the receiver spot," he said. "It was a learning process for me last year. But now I have a year up under my belt as a receiver, and this year we're looking for bigger and better things."

Hester bounced back from a mediocre start to camp by consistently hanging on to the football Monday. He had a few drops over the weekend.



(dailyherald.com)