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| Sports ExtraFriday, July 25, 2008 6:33 PM CDT |
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Kindred: I'm rooting for Bears' Hester in holdout
In the real world, a four-year contract is just that: a binding agreement for four years. Terms are finalized and the bottom line is signed. End of discussion until the contract runs out. That’s the problem in regard to holdouts in professional sports. We know how things work in every other business. So when a player wants a new contract midway through a four-year deal, a la the Bears’ Devin Hester, we cringe. We pound our fist on the nearest table and say, “Who does he think he is? He signed the contract.” Yet, the reality is the rules are different in big-time sports, as painful as that is to reconcile. They shouldn’t be, but they are. Too many holdouts have led to too many new contracts in too many sports. There is no going back now. Owners and general managers bent and bent and bent until finally, the dam broke. To keep their heads above water, and records above .500, they must try to keep their top players. Often, that means sending a contract through the shredder and writing a new one with more zeroes. It is difficult to feel good about that, unless you are the player/agent getting the raise. It is tougher to side with a holdout, to give the appearance you approve of the process. This time -- the first time, really -- it is worth the risk. Count me among those in Hester’s camp, which at present is anywhere but Bears’ camp in Bourbonnais. Hester did not report for the opening practice Wednesday, telling the Chicago Tribune he will stay away until a new deal is done. He said he felt the Bears weren’t taking his desire for a new contract seriously, that he had to make a statement. Had he stopped there, this whole “I’ve got your back, Devin” thing would be easier. Instead, Hester also said, “I can’t go out and play this year making $445,000. Come on, man.” Devin, Devin, Devin. Folks don’t want to hear you can’t live on $445,000 a year. Even those in your corner shake our heads at that. Better to let your performance speak for you. It says it all anyway. Hester’s first two seasons have been groundbreaking and game changing. His 11 touchdown returns are only two shy of the NFL record, which Brian Mitchell needed 14 years to set. Hester also has two TD returns that do not count in the official total: a 108-yard return of a missed field goal against the New York Giants and a 92-yard kickoff return to open Super Bowl XLI. The guy is simply the best return man we’ve seen, and the check writers at Halas Hall surely have been watching. While $445,000 sounds terrific to you and me, it is nowhere near market value for a player who is easily the best in the NFL at what he does. Add the fact Hester is expected to play a larger role in the offense this year as a receiver, and it’s difficult to argue when he says, “Everybody in their right mind understands why I’m doing this.” Truth is the Bears need him more than ever. The starting quarterback will be the lesser of two evils, the receiving corps lost two of its top four pass-catchers, and the primary running backs will be a rookie drafted in the second round and a veteran coming off knee surgery. The offense has three-and-out written all over it, putting a premium on anyone who can find the end zone. Hester has proven he can, even when teams try to kick/punt away from him. What’s more, with Bernard Berrian gone, he is the receiver best-equipped to stretch defenses and outrun cornerbacks. The defense may be good enough to keep the Bears in games after signing Lance Briggs to a new contract and giving extensions to Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher and Alex Brown. They’ll need an athlete of Hester’s caliber to win those games. Even Bears’ coach Lovie Smith said Wednesday, “Every team is better with Hester out there.” So while redoing a contract with two years remaining is neither desirable nor acceptable in everyday life, it is the best course for the Bears in regard to Hester. He fell into their laps in round two of the 2006 draft, and for two years gave them Pro Bowl production at rookie, second-round prices. The Bears got a good deal. Like it or not, it’s his turn. Randy Kindred is a Pantagraph columnist. To leave him a voice mail, call 820-3402. By e-mail: rkindred@pantagraph.com. The Randy Kindred Blog is at www.pantagraph.com/blogs E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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thero wrote on Jul 25, 2008 10:45 AM:
smapdi wrote on Jul 25, 2008 10:00 AM:
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