I started thinking today about Devin Hester. As a Packer fan, he’s part of my nemesis to the south, the Chicago Bears. The trouble is, I like the fact that the Bears have made Hester a wide receiver. If I like this (and I’ve already admitted that the Bears are my nemesis) then it probably means I think it’s not a good idea.

Don’t get me wrong: Hester’s talent as a return man is unbeaten. But like so many awesome return men, he wanted to be a wide receiver. As I say this, I’m thinking of the Packers own Desmond Howard, who was a Super Bowl MVP because he could return like nobody’s business. But as soon as he got that MVP award, he wanted to become a wide receiver. And he never had the success in that position like he did as a special teams player.

Good return men can win games. So why are the return guys never happy to stay in that position?

Part of it surely is that the position is tough on guys. He uses them up quickly. But was a guy like Hester used up? He seemed like he was first starting to dominate. When the Bears made him a wide receiver, he never had the showing one would expect with someone that has Hester’s speed in the return game. One source recently said “Devin Hester led the team’s wide receivers with 51 catches, 665 yards and three touchdowns – modest totals, all” for the 2008 season. And therein lies the rub. A great return man becomes a modest wide receiver.

Should Hester continue as a wide receiver? As a Packer fan, I say yes.

Image: Zuma Press

Although training camp hasn’t even started yet, apparently Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels has seen enough. On Saturday, McDaniels named Kyle Orton as the team’s starting quarterback.

Josh McDaniels names Kyle Orton his starter (Image: Zuma Press)

Up until this announcement, Orton had been competing with Chris Simms for the starting quarterback gig. However, McDaniels said he wanted to end the suspense now and provide more of an order heading into traing camp.

That said, McDaniels was also adamant that Simms still has a chance to win the starting role if he outperforms Orton in training camp and the exhibition season.

Orton, who was acquired in the trade that sent Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears, is coming off of a solid sason. In 15 games, he had 18 touchdown passes and 2972 passing yards.

Simms, on the other hand, has played only one game since 2006. He’s had bright spots in his NFL career but most experts agreed that he was the underdog from the beginning. Now, McDaniels made that official.

Rex Grossman will sign a one-year contract with the Houston Texans, according to his agent Drew Rosenhaus. On his Twitter account (@Rosenhaussports), Rosenhaus had this to say:

Rex Grossman will be visiting the Houston Texans tonight. He will be taking a physcial and we anticipate agreeing to terms on a 1 year deal.

link

Grossman is known as the former starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears who the fans and media pundits loved to hate. Although he took the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006, Grossman could never gain a firm grip on that starting job.

Last year, Grossman was beat out by Kyle Orton. As a free agent this offseason, he hasn’t generated much interest. However, landing with the Texans makes a lot of sense. He can backup Matt Schaub and give the team a veteran who could fill in when needed.

In his career, 2006 was by far his best season. That year, he had 3,193 passing yards to go along with 23 passing touchdowns.

Rex Grossman to the Houston Texans (Image: Zuma Press)

The big news on Thursday was that the Chicago Bears traded for Jay Cutler. However, that wasn’t the only move the Bears made. Chicago further fortified their offensive attack by signing free agent offensive lineman Orlando Pace.

The contract Pace signed with the Bears is reportedly for three years. The final two teams that he was considering were the Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. He apparently decided to go with the Bears after word came out that Chicago had landed the coveted quarterback.

Pace was once regarded as one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. In recent years, Pace has been slowed with a number of injuries. The Bears will hope that the 33-year-old former first overall draft pick will be able to overcome the injuries that have hampered him as of late.

Pace had played for the St. Louis Rams since attending the Ohio State. During his time in St. Louis, he won a Super Bowl ring and appeared in a second Super Bowl.

Here’s an Orlando Pace video of him on the Ohio State Buckeyes:

Image details: 2007 ESPY Awards - Arrivals served by picapp.com

The annual 2008 ESPY Awards will air live on ESPN on Sunday, July 20th at 9 pm est / 8 pm cst, and keeping with their tradition of including outdoor sports and motorsports within their equation, NASCAR will be represented with nominees in three separate categories this year.

Every year, the ESPY’s select from a pool of nominees for their racing-specific athlete category for “Best Driver“. A NASCAR driver has won this award in 9 of the 15 years, and 4 of the last 5. The most recent winners of this award were Jeff Gordon in 2007 and Tony Stewart in 2006. Representing NASCAR this year are 2006 and 2007 Sprint Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson (whom has never won the award), current Sprint Cup points leader, Kyle Busch, and Dario Franchitti (though Franchitti was nominated for his win in the 2007 Indianapolis 500 and for winning the IndyCar Series championship last season). They will compete against Lewis Hamilton, Tony Schumacher, and Scott Dixon.

Kyle Busch’s surge to 7 wins this season in the Sprint Cup Series and 14 altogether in NASCAR’s top-three series has also earned him a nomination as the “Breakthrough Athlete of the Year“, but he’s going to be looking at some pretty stout competition in this category, particularly as he goes against Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. Also nominated for this award are Stephen Curry (basketball) and Ana Ivanovic (tennis). Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears won the award last year.

Much to his own surprise, Jamie McMurray is up for an award himself. He’s been nominated for the “Best Finish” award for his 0.05 second victory over Kyle Busch in the 2007 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. He will be up against Western Kentucky’s 3-point buzzer shot to advance over Drake University in the NCAA Tournament; the San Antonio Spurs’ victory over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals in double overtime; and the Pittsburgh Penguins triple overtime win against the Detroit Redwings in Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

Additionally, IRL star, Danica Patrick, is nominated for the awards of “Best Moment” and “Best Female Athlete.”

Go here for a complete list of the 2008 ESPY Nominees and go to ESPN.com for listing information on the event itself.