Most discussion of the wide receiver position in Chicago has focused on Bernard Berrian. The Bears must decide if they will franchise him or let him hit the open market before February 29th. Even if they do decide to keep Berrian around, though, the team needs to bring in more talent at receiver. Mushin Muhammed's salary isn't comensurate with his performance, Mark Bradley's done nothing and Devin Hester is still learning the position. That leads us to Marty Booker. In 2002, Booker became the first Bear receiver to make the Pro Bowl since 1972 and he caught a franchise-record 100 balls the year before. The Sun-Times reports there's still a great deal of affection for Booker, cut by Miami in a cap purge, inside Halas Hall, with Jerry Angelo sometimes referring to him as "our Marty Booker." He could fill a role with the Bears if they cut their ties to Muhammed
If they think he can replace Berrian as the number one wideout, however, they'd be mistaken. He's slowed down a lot since those halcyon days of his first run with the Bears, averaging just 11 yards a catch this season, and his NFL future is as a second or third option. In that role you can utilize his hands and experience to exploit teams geared toward stopping another, better receiver.
