(Also see: MJD's Point: Devin Hester is in the Conversation)I love Devin Hester. I don't know if I've ever seen a better return man. But look at his numbers. He has 10 kickoff returns and 36 punt returns all season. Add in that spectacular return of a missed field goal, and he's touched the ball a whopping 47 times all year. He's done about as much for the Bears as any player could do touching the ball 47 times, but he's not the league's best rookie.
Compare Hester's contributions to a rookie like Joseph Addai, who already has 182 rushing attempts and 31 catches. Or Vince Young, who has turned the Titans from a bunch of scrubs into a team no one wants to play down the stretch. Or even Marques Colston, who was looking like the best receiver in football before an injury slowed him down last month.
I'll also mention the one negative associated with Hester: He has already fumbled four times, and if he keeps up that pace of fumbling once every 12 touches, he's going to hurt the Bears badly at some point in the playoffs. But I don't want this to be a slam against Hester. He's as valuable as a kick returner can be -- but no kick returner can be as valuable as Addai, Young or Colston.




