Coach Lovie Smith has been one of Hester's biggest boosters since he convinced the Pro Bowl return specialist before the 2007 season to forget about playing cornerback and concentrate on wideout. Smith insists Hester is well on his way to becoming a go-to guy after he led the Bears with 665 receiving yards last season and was third on the team with 51 receptions.

"He made a lot of progress during the course of the year," Smith said. "The last month of the season he was playing very good football. I think he'll make another step."

From Nov. 23 to Dec. 28 last season, Hester caught 25 passes for 347 yards in six games. He caught just two passes for 13 yards in the first three games of the season, which followed a training camp battle for the No. 1 quarterback job between Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman.

"He's excited about having a chance to throw with Kyle throughout the off-season," Smith said of Hester. "Last year we had different things going on with the quarterback position, and Devin was working his way into it, but he's a lot further along now. I think he'll be able to handle being a full-time receiver and being the best punt returner in the league next year also."

--Bears coach Lovie Smith finds the talk of moving cornerback Charles Tillman to safety laughable.

"I'm still trying to figure out where that talk started," Smith said. "He's our No. 1 corner and we're going to move him to free safety? Who came up with that anyway? Who in the Chicago media started that? I don't know where that came from.

"Charles Tillman is a cornerback for us. I can't wait to get him back out on the football field (after off-season shoulder surgery)."

--New Bears defensive line coach/assistant head coach Rod Marinelli was Corey Smith's position coach with the Buccaneers in 2002 and his head coach with the Lions from 2006-08.

"Corey Smith is a very special guy to me," Marinelli said after the search for Smith and two others lost at sea was abandoned. "He is a cornerstone of what this league is about: toughness, effort and team. Corey is as tough as any guy I ever coached. He earned his way into the NFL, along with the respect of his teammates and coaches.

"He is a humble man who works. As a coach, you couldn't ask for more than what Corey brings to a team. And as an individual, he is the type of person you want your kids to emulate. My thoughts and prayers have been with all three missing men and their families."

--Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo wants more out of the quarterback position, but for now he's content to see if he can get that production out of Kyle Orton, as the Bears have ignored the free-agent possibilities. But that could change after the draft, when the Bears might look to bring in a veteran.

"That's a possibility," Angelo said. "We haven't ruled that out. To do it then, that veteran would have had a chance to see what his value is, and it might be a little bit more palatable for him to come in and compete for a backup job versus if you sign him now."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We'll probably do more exploring than buying at this point, and at least some of the people I've talked to have echoed the same." -- GM Jerry Angelo reiterating the Bears' approach in free agency.