LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Ron Turner isn’t exactly straddling the fence when it comes to the debate about whether to move Devin Hester to the offensive side of the ball.
“He’s obviously a special talent, and to be honest with you, I’ve been trying to recruit him since the day we drafted him,” the Bears offensive coordinator said Sunday at the fan convention. “I’m going to keep working on that and see if we can get him on offense.”
Hester was named All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl after setting an NFL record with six combined kick return touchdowns. His seventh, a 92-yarder on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI, was voted the team’s top play of the season in a poll on ChicagoBears.com.
“He’s shown what he can do when he gets the ball in his hands,” Turner said. “If he’s on offense and we can get his hands on the ball six, seven or eight more times a game, who knows what he might be able to do with it. So we’ll keep working on that.”
The Bears first have to convince Hester, who has said that he prefers to remain at cornerback, the position he played as a rookie. But after starring as a defensive back, wide receivr and running back at the University of Miami, Hester could fill a similar role with the Bears.
“We’ve had discussions about him playing all of those positions,” said coach Lovie Smith. “It makes sense. First off, you could argue that he’s the most exciting player in the NFL with his hands on the ball, so why wouldn’t we move him to the offensive side of the football?
“But you have to also play guys where their heart is. Devin’s heart is on the defensive side of the football, but he likes scoring touchdowns. Right now I’ll say that we’re still in discussions about exactly where he will play. But wherever he plays, he’ll get his hands on the football more.”
Hester lined up on offense for one play in 2006, but was unable to field Rex Grossman's low pass on a quick slant.
Defining moment: Hester played a major role in what general manager Jerry Angelo told fans at the convention was his most memorable game of the 2006 season.
The electrifying rookie returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown with 2:58 remaining to lift the Bears to an improbable 24-23 victory at Arizona on Monday Night Football. Chicago trailed 23-3 late in the third quarter before rallying to improve to 6-0.
“When we came back and won that game, I can’t tell you what an exhilarating feeling that was,” Angelo said. “I really feel that was our defining moment where we really galvanized as a team. Whatever we had to do the rest of the way we wound up doing, and there were just a lot of great memories for everybody."
Part of what Angelo enjoyed most was learning to expect the unexpected.
“For all the games we won, it seemed like we never won the same way twice in a row, particularly the second half of the season,” Angelo said. “That was probably the most fun for me personally. When we showed up on Sunday, you didn’t really know how we were going to win the game, but somehow, some way we were going to find a way.”
Winning ways: Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips was overwhelmed when he, Angelo and Smith received a standing ovation upon entering a seminar Saturday at the fan convention.
“Just hearing the applause that all of you just gave as we walked out here kind of sent chills up my back,” Phillips told the appreciative fans. “It’s been a little bit of time since the Super Bowl ended and it kind of brought back what a special year it was for Chicago.”
Phillips, who joined the Bears in 1983 and was elevated to his present position in 1999, called the team’s Super Bowl run last season “probably the highlight of my career.” He’s also thrilled about the long-term deals that will keep Angelo and Smith working together well into the future.
“I couldn’t be more proud to be part of this organization,” Phillips said. “I think we’re set to continue on our winning ways for a long time to come and I couldn’t be happier that (Angelo and Smith) will be leading us to victorious seasons for the long term, not just the short term.”
