[CBFF] Bears Kool Aid from Don Pierson

[Victor Waldron (CBFF)]

(one key element he doesn't mention here is improvement by young Bears 
players. My list of key guys who should be better in '07 include 
Grossman, DManning, MAnderson, Berrian, Bradley, Benson)


Hester's flip tightens grip on weak NFC
His move to receiver gives Bears leg up in lagging conference
Don Pierson
On Pro Football

May 20, 2007

Super Bowl losers usually have a difficult time recovering. The Bears 
have three advantages: They play in the wide-open NFC, are in the weak 
NFC North and have the new and improved *Devin Hester*.

Like the Seattle Seahawks last year, the Bears might have a hard time 
avoiding success.

Despite problems and potential problems, the Bears can find plenty of 
miserable company around them in the NFC. As the Bears contemplate what 
to do without *Lance Briggs*,for example, the Atlanta Falcons are 
contemplating what to do with *Michael Vick*.

Last year, injuries to nine offensive starters cost the defending NFC 
champion Seahawks a total of 48 starts. The Seahawks lost two games to 
rival San Francisco, and won four games with last- minute field goals, 
yet still won the NFC West with a 9-7 record.

The Seahawks became the first Super Bowl loser since the 1999 Titans to 
return to the playoffs the next year.

The Bears will find out it's never easy. For one thing, they have to 
play the second-easiest schedule in the league instead of last year's 
easiest.

The Bears are going to find out about life with *Cedric Benson *and 
without *Thomas Jones*.They only can hope to play with Briggs, *Tank 
Johnson *and *Mike Brown *and have to prepare to play without them.

But the Bears still have Hester, their favorite memory of the Super 
Bowl, who they convinced to play receiver.

After his spectacular mini-camp debut at his new position Friday, when 
he sped through all kinds of routes, didn't drop a pass, drew oohs and 
aahs from teammates and at least one low-five from coach *Lovie 
Smith*,Hester has upgraded the Bears at a position that is a concern on 
many teams.

Consider some of the Bears' NFC competition:

•Green Bay: As the Packers open Year 3 of the transition from *Brett 
Favre *to *Aaron Rodgers*—or maybe it's *Ingle Martin*—Favre has 
expressed disappointment the Packers were unable to sign receiver *Randy 
Moss*. Favre is frustrated the Packers' rebuilding program may be moving 
slower than his body clock. The question is how much the Packers really 
care about what Favre thinks.

Favre had to decide between attending mini-camp while recovering from 
ankle surgery or staying in Mississippi where a daughter is graduating 
from high school. He picked mini-camp.

•Minnesota: The Vikings just hired their 23rd assistant for *Brad 
Childress' *staff. That means they might have more coaches than players. 
They have no established veteran quarterbacks or receivers.

Their quarterback is *Tarvaris Jackson *of Alabama State backed by 
*Brooks Bollinger * and *Drew Henson*.Their top receiver is *Bobby Wade*.

The team that has been trying to get along without Moss and *Daunte 
Culpepper *now appears to be trying to get along without their positions.

To underscore their shift in philosophy, they drafted the best running 
back, *Adrian Peterson*.

•Detroit: Lions coach *Rod Marinelli *said he doesn't care that he's the 
eighth Detroit coach in 20 years to express optimism. Sooner or later, 
the law of averages is going to justify one of them.

Likewise, the Lions keep collecting wide receivers in the hope they will 
prove useful someday. Their latest, *Calvin Johnson, *joins *Roy 
Williams*,who led the NFC in receiving yardage, and *Mike Furrey*,who 
led the NFC in catches.

What do they do with Johnson? Well, Williams had to leave a recent 
practice with a slight muscle pull.

•New Orleans: The team the Bears beat for the NFC title also made a wide 
receiver their top pick. *Robert Meachem *reported to mini-camp out of 
shape and went to the training room with an ankle injury.

The Saints also made a high-profile free-agent signing when they took a 
chance on wide-profile defensive tackle *Walter Thomas*,a 6-5, 375-pound 
project from Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Thomas lasted 12 minutes into mini-camp before needing an intravenous 
solution. The Saints took him into the training room and said goodbye.

"He had a brief career," coach *Sean Payton *said.

•Seattle: The team the Bears succeeded and also defeated in the playoffs 
in overtime made the unusual move of trading leading receiver *Darrell 
Jackson* to the 49ers.

It's not so much the Seahawks needed a receiver. They have *Deion Branch 
*and had grown weary of all the practices and games Jackson was missing. 
It's just that the 49ers were in dire need of a receiver and Seattle 
coach *Mike Holmgren *really didn't want to get rid of Jackson because 
he likes to collect receivers almost as much as the Lions do.

•Carolina: The 2003 NFC champs gave the Bears their best receiver, 
*Muhsin Muhammad*,and still are trying to get back to the Super Bowl 
without him. They signed *Keyshawn Johnson *last year and just cut him 
after drafting his USC clone, *Dwayne Jarrett*.

The Panthers also signed ex-Texans QB *D**avid Carr*, revealing second 
thoughts about *Jake Delhomme*.

•Philadelphia: Quarterback *Donovan McNabb *led the 2004 Eagles to the 
Super Bowl and started only 19 games in the next two seasons. So it was 
a surprise when he expressed "shock" coach *Andy Reid *made quarterback 
*Kevin Kolb *his first draft pick.

Last year, the Eagles discovered they didn't really need receiver 
*Terrell Owens *after they signed ex-Saint *Donte' Stallworth*.Now 
they're going to find out if they need Stallworth, who signed with New 
England. The Eagles added ex-Rams backup *Kevin Curtis*.

•St. Louis: Another NFC Super Bowl loser that hasn't returned, the Rams 
added Tennessee's top receiver, *Drew Bennett*,and now will boast a 
formidable trio of Bennett, *Torry Holt *and *Isaac Bruce*.

•New York Giants: To help replace their best player, retired running 
back *Tiki Barber*,the Giants traded their underachieving third 
receiver, *Tim Carter*,to Cleveland for journeyman running back *Reuben 
Droughns*.

Also Super Bowl losers who haven't returned, the Giants hope 32-year-old 
receiver * Amani Toomer *comes back from a knee injury and that their 
second draft choice, USC wide receiver *Steve Smith*,gives them something.

•Atlanta: In 2001, Vick was drafted to get the Falcons back to the Super 
Bowl they lost after the 1998 season. Now Vick is embroiled in a 
dog-fighting probe. Part of Vick's inability to get his team beyond a 
conference title game is blamed on a lack of wide receivers, so the 
Falcons added 35-year-old ex-Saint *Joe Horn*.

•Dallas: New Cowboys coach *Wade Phillips *called Terrell Owens by name 
in his first news conference, which means Owens should pose no problems 
at all for his fifth head coach in the last six seasons.