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Bradley, Hester part of contingency plan at receiver - Chicago Bears


Bradley, Hester part of contingency plan at receiver

By Larry Mayer





LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears are determined to re-sign speedy wide
receiver Bernard Berrian. But at the same time, they're ready to move
forward without the free agent-to-be.

"It's certainly going to leave some holes in terms of having the
experienced people back there," general manager Jerry Angelo said of
Berrian's possible exit. "We've been in that situation before. We do
have younger players without the experience. If things don't work out,
we have a Plan B that we can go to. So we're prepared to go one way or
the other."



 Mark Bradley was selected by the Bears with the 39th overall pick in
the 2005 NFL Draft. If Berrian follows the recently-released Muhsin
Muhammad out of town, the Bears would have to replace both of their
starting receivers. While they likely would look to bolster the
position in free agency and the draft, Mark Bradley and Devin Hester
would be part of the contingency plan.

Bradley caught just six passes for 71 yards and 1 touchdown in limited
action in 2007. Angelo said Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine that
after the season Bears coaches said they regretted not giving the 2005
second-round draft pick more opportunities.

"They talked a lot about that [in post-season meetings]," Angelo said.
"I know when you second-guess yourself, and I will speak for the
coaches on that because they said it. They were remiss that they
didn't do more. They put the blame more on themselves for that
situation than a lack of confidence in Bradley."

"He practiced well enough and did some things where he deserved more
of an opportunity to get out there and play," said receivers coach
Darryl Drake. "We've got to do a better job of making sure he gets out
there and plays; just give him an opportunity."

 Plagued by injuries in his first two years with the Bears, Bradley
missed the final nine games of his rookie season with a torn ACL and
five contests in 2006 with an ankle problem.

"He started out when he first got here doing really well up until the
time he got hurt, and then he got hurt and got caught in the shuffle
with the emergence of some other guys," Drake said. "But he
demonstrated then that he had the ability to grow and be a good player
in this league."

In 32 career games, the Oklahoma product has 38 catches for 583 yards
and 4 TDs. Bradley produced the Bears' longest play of the 2006 season
with a career-long 75-yard TD reception from Brian Griese against the
Green Bay Packers.

"Mark's got talent," Angelo said. "We've all recognized that. He's 100
percent healthy now, which is a real positive. But he's got to do it
and he's got to do it on a consistent basis.

"If you grade the flashes, you like what you see because when he's on
the field, big plays happen. But he's got to do it on a consistent
basis. Do we feel good about him? Are we going to have other people
competing? Certainly."

Berrian is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at 11 p.m.
Thursday (Chicago time). But even if he returns to the Bears, Bradley
figures to receive expanded playing time in 2008.

"Whenever you go in a different direction from a player like Muhsin
Muhammad, you have to feel pretty good about some other players that
you have, and that's the case with us," said coach Lovie Smith. "Mark
Bradley has been very productive when given an opportunity to play.
>From his rookie year on, he's fought injuries and things like that.
But we feel real good about the direction he's going."

The Bears are confident that Hester also will be able to pick up some
of the slack at the receiver position. After playing cornerback as a
rookie, the dynamic return specialist displayed his game-breaking
abilities on offense in 2007. He caught 20 passes for 299 yards
including TDs of 81 yards against the Vikings and 55 yards versus the
Saints.

"Devin Hester can be a '1' receiver in the league, I truly believe
that," Smith said. "We're excited about the steps he took this past
season and the direction he's going."

"Given his talent level and those snapshots we have seen of him, I
think we have all seen he can be [a No. 1 receiver]," Angelo said. "Is
he ready to be that right away? I can't say that for sure. But the
good news is he did show a lot of flash. He picked things up pretty
good. There is no reason to believe the sky isn't the limit for Devin.
Just how much he needs to do, what he needs to do—the little
nuances—that won't be determined until we really get into camp."

The Bears no doubt would consider bolstering the receiver in free
agency should Berrian opt to sign elsewhere. But there are advantages
in turning to holdovers such as Bradley and Hester.

"I'm sure there are some guys out there that may be able to help, but
at the same time you want to give those guys who have been here an
opportunity to grow and flourish and give them a chance to see what
they can do," Drake said. "So they're definitely going to have a
chance to get out there and show what they can do.

"When you get new guys in there it takes them a while to learn the
system and understand what you're trying to do. But if that happens,
it's something you can't worry about. You just have to adjust and move
on."