Chicago's Booker passes on spotlight

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist

In another, tight end Jeremy Shockey could be heard.

And, there sat Marty Booker, along the wall, quietly taking it all in.

Not for the first — or presumably the last — time was the Chicago Bears' wide receiver drowned out or overshadowed by the NFL's more flamboyant pass catchers.

In a league where wide receivers and, now even tight ends, are as well known for the sound bites and the exclamation points they put on touchdowns as the plays that got them face time, Booker is effective yet underexposed.

In a profession where, Keyshawn Johnson's "just throw me the damn ball," can be the mantra, Booker is the rare performer who is still happy to leave it to his body of work to speak for him.

Unlike some other wide receivers in the NFL, Chicago's Marty Booker isn't flashy and doesn't draw attention to himself. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser Pro Bowl Hawai'i What: NFL all-star game, AFC vs. NFC When: 12:30 p.m. tomorrow Where: Aloha Stadium Radio/TV: Live on KITV (Channel 4), and KKEA (1420 AM)

"Marty is very good at what he does," Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "He's not a flashy guy and doesn't claim to be, he just goes out and gives you 100 percent for every play, every game."

Indeed, one of the flashiest things Booker has ever done on the field was run through the Aloha Stadium end zone screaming, "Aloha, baby!" after his role in the 35-yard hook-and-lateral overtime play that helped Northwest Louisiana beat Hawai'i, 23-20, in 1997.

Booker was the key middle man on the play, leaping to grab a pass, then pirouetting and lateraling to the circling running back who went on to score.

Otherwise, Booker is usually all about business — blocking, running routes over the middle and making plays.

"He's one of the best in the league at what he does," said Olin Kreutz, a teammate on the Bears. "He was last year, too. He works hard, catches everything, shows up all 16 weeks and keeps his mouth quiet."

That's why even Booker said it was something of a surprise, however well deserved, that he became the first Bear receiver since Dick Gordon in 1970 to make the Pro Bowl.

"I'm going out there to take care of business," Booker explains. "I'm not out there to talk the quarterback into 'giving me the damn ball' and all that stuff. That's OK for some guys because it fits their personality, but that's just not me.

"I'm the way I've always been, the Louisiana way, laid back. It is too late for me to change."