Vikings manage to contain Hester

Devin Hester burned Minnesota in three earlier meetings, and Minnesota coaches were determined to not let that happen again.

By JUDD ZULGAD, Star Tribune

Last update: December 18, 2007 - 12:11 AM

The Vikings coaching staff played it coy last week when asked if they would put the ball in the hands of Chicago's ultra-dangerous return man Devin Hester on Monday night.

Hester had done plenty of damage in three previous games against the Vikings, having returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown last season in a Bears' victory and then taking another back on a remarkable 89-yard run this past October at Soldier Field. Hester also contributed an 81-yard touchdown catch in the Bears' 34-31 loss to the Vikings in Week 6.

The Vikings strategy -- like that of so many teams that have faced Hester -- was to play it safe.

For the most part it ended up working in the Vikings' 20-13 victory. Hester did not reach the end zone, finishing with an average of 7.3 yards on four punt returns and 14.7 yards on three kickoff returns. His longest runbacks of the night were a pair of 17-yarders, one of which came on a punt and another on a kickoff.

The most interesting admission after the game came from punter Chris Kluwe, who said in an ideal world Hester never would have gotten the ball in his hands on a punt return. The problem is that it's a bit hard to make sure a ball goes out of bounds when it's coming off one's foot.

"You have to pick your poison with him," said linebacker and special teams ace Heath Farwell. "You do not want to kick it deep and have him line it up and get going. So we just tried to mess with the rhythm and we did a great job covering. Both the punt team and kickoff team did a great job covering."

Kluwe wasn't the only one asked to make an adjustment. Kicker Ryan Longwell also squibbed several kicks in order to try to slow Hester. It might have cost the Vikings three points in the second quarter. After Longwell made a 42-yard field goal to tie the score at 3, the kicker squibbed a ball to the left that was picked up by Chicago's Rashied Davis and returned 34 yards to the Vikings 43.

Eight plays later the Bears' Robbie Gould kicked a 47-yard field goal to put the Bears ahead 6-3. Longwell had opened the game by squibbing a kickoff that Hester was able to pick up and return 17 yards to his own 41.

The most interesting first-half return involving Hester occurred late in the opening quarter when Kluwe punted from his own 40-yard line. Kluwe got into some hot water with coach Brad Childress in the game at Chicago for putting the ball in Hester's hands on what became his touchdown return. This time Kluwe boomed a 60-yarder to the Bears goal line.

Hester backpedaled, caught the ball and then faked a reverse to Bernard Berrian. Hester reversed field and headed back toward the near sideline. Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, pursuing Hester, punched the ball out at the Chicago 5-yard line and it rolled out of bounds at the 3.