Enough already, the Hester experiment should be finished. Put him on returns and nowhere else.

He's probably not a #1 but I still think he has value as a WR. I'd give him most of this year to really see how he does.

Bad idea.

If he went to #3 do you think he'd be better at returning kicks again?

The Devin Hester experiment is a classic case of "Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it." I remember many, many times when Hester was running back kickoffs & punt returns for touchdowns in his first couple of seasons, fans called up both of Chicago's sports talk radio stations after games suggesting #23 playing offense. Despite his speed, Devin has been very tentative at best trying to make the transition to wide receiver, and he's earning #1 receiver money to boot. I remember a "Thursday Night Football" game in Washington that was the beginning of the end for the Bears where Hester didn't know where he should line up, and that was a December game when NFL Network analyst Cris Collinsworth coined the term "unprofessional football" when the offense kept going backward with dumb penalties if memory serves...

I don't think the two are related. I think he has the return yips.

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The landowner effectively owns part shares in millions of part-time slaves called, "taxpayers." -Roy L
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665 yards in 51 receptions with Orton as your QB.... and your already ready to give up on Hester?

I agree. Everyone says that Hester has great work habits. I don't think he got lazy, but it's possible he got scared, especially given the rib injury he suffered last year.

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He said it a month or so ago and I believe him.

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribu ... ately.html

^Meh, there's a group-narrative excuse out there, so he's leaning on it. He's not going to say "yeah, I've pretty much lost the ability to do it." Take his claim that he's worn out: why did he suck on opening kickoffs? He just looked completely lost out there.

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You can't see me because of internet.

The landowner effectively owns part shares in millions of part-time slaves called, "taxpayers." -Roy L
A Personal Relationship with Jesus?

He is a very legitimate deep threat, plus defenders dont want to see him catch the ball in open field. That may not be a #1 receiver role, but watch the defense when he is out there, they may not respect him as a #1, but he scares them enough to open up the middle of the field for other recievers and keeps defenses from staying in the box to stop Forte.
That broken play on saturday that missed will be watched by future defenses, Cutler can overthrow him, but if he catches one or two of those in stride, that changes everything.

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Thug, there were other receivers within the Bears' own division, who had over 1,000 yards. One of them played for a winless team, Calvin Johnson in Detroit... That's embarrassing!

Well comparing Devin Hester to Calvin Johnson is pointless...very similar to the talent levels between Orton and Cutler. I don't think anyone is saying Hester will even be your prototypical number 1 receiver, but I certainly think it's okay to expect him to catch around 65-75 balls this year and be pressing 1000 yards. I think an offense can be successful featuring Devin Hester at wideout especially with someone like Jay who will make every receiver that much more dangerous with the throws he can make.


Maybe I'm overly optimistic

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Team Cutler.

I believe you will be meeting Boilermaker Rick shortly... and you may not end up friends.

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I wasn't necessarily comparing Devin Hester to Calvin Johnson, Northside Dan. There were players within the Bears' division that had over 1,000 yards receiving, and Calvin was one of them for a Lions' team that was winless in 2008 and whose head coach, the Kurtwood Smith ("Red" from "That '70s Show")-looking Rod Marinelli was fired, and is now the defensive line coach/assistant head coach of the Bears.

My brain has a hard time comparing the measurable difference between two players and then comparing that to a different position.

However, Jay Cutler is better than Kyle Orton.
Calvin Johnson is better than Devin Hester.

Therefore, I won't argue with the comparison.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

OK who hijacked your account? The same person who got Elmhurst Steve's?

Just busting chops Rick

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Oh for sure I was making no attempt to qualify talent evaluations/levels between the two positions. Trying to make the basic point that I bolded

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Team Cutler.

Would the Bears have been better off keeping Hester as a returner, and putting him out there for a half dozen or so plays as a wideout, instead of making him a full-time wideout?

Does anyone have average starting field position with Hester returning as compared to Manning, and also points scored off of that field position?

The value of having a 50 reception, league average WR is much, much higher than the expected gain in field position over the course of a season between Hester and Manning. And that was with Orton at QB, in Hester's first year at WR, a position where first year players rarely contribute.

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Fire Phil Emery

Average starting field position during Hesters best year was the 33. While the worst team during that time (Miami) was the 26. IMO it's a slightly over used argument to keep #23 on returns. I've seen where people want to multiply the different. Saying if Hester touches the ball 6 times a game as a returner then the 7 yard different = 42 yards and that's significant. I'd much rather have the deep threat on offense. Even when he's not making receptions he's still making an impact. Hester also drew 3 maybe 4 long PI calls that aren't factored in much when talking about his stats.

Sorry I don't have the link on sfp.

The guy is running nice routes, is almost impossible to cover deep without safety help over the top, has shown pretty good hands, has improved his ability to get down after the catch, and his primary limitation is underneath stuff that isn't a quick slant or short hitch.

Hester's primary role is going to be taking coverage away from our main receiving weapons, which are our TE's and our RB out of the backfield. By running off coverage when he stretches the field, teams cannot afford to man up on Hester. He's simply too quick and fast, as demonstrated when the deep throw just missed him when he was running free against the Giants. While the play wasn't completed, the threat has been put in the minds of anyone who picks up that tape. You cannot man up on that guy deep. Period.

That means LB's matching up with Olsen and Forte and that is our bread and butter mismatch that has to be exploited.

You guys are overrating just how scared opposing defenses are of Hester.

He has the potential to beat his man deep but he has never shown the ability to consistently do it. You may give up a long touchdown but if I was a coordinator in the NFL I wouldn't concentrate on him until he scores two touchdowns in a game. Forte, Olsen, and the other starting WR are likely to have a bigger impact on the game than Hester. Even if he beats you deep, he's likely to not catch the ball anyways.

I'm not saying defenses will ignore him but the key to stopping the Bears will be stopping Matt Forte. Devin Hester is a sideshow.

I'd force Hester to beat me. From what I've seen in his career, he won't with any consistency.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Rick, I am not saying you are wrong, but we will have to see how much defenses actully plan for him. I got tired last year of seeing Hester have single coverage beat deep because they knew Orton wasnt going to launch it to him. If Cutler shows he is willing and able, that should get the attention of the safety. He will not be the key to winning, but if he catches an early deep TD or two or gets the interference call, then he will be taken more seriously.
I believe that will be more valuable than a hopeful 3-4 TD returns if he were solely a return guy. Plus Manning showed some potential with that.

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For the kind of $$$$ the Bears are paying Devin these days, they want him to be a #1 wide receiver, not the NFL's most dangerous return man everytime he touches the damn football! It's my understanding Devin was technically a cornerback when the Bears first drafted him, and needless to say, he couldn't cover anybody back then. Guess what? It was Joe Fan who kept calling into both sports talk radio stations who thought at the time that Hester could make the transition from defense to offense with his speed after he ran back 6 returns for touchdowns early in his career. Hester's been a flop as a receiver, and I'm not so sure he'll ever learn the correct routes and get on the same page with Jay Cutler over the long term.

Hester is in his 3rd year as a WR. He has shown plenty of ability to get deep, but the Bears have never had a QB that could exploit that until now. Already in the preseason, in just 2.5 quarters of play, Hester has had a shot at a 91 yard TD that was overthrown/misjudged, etc....

Setting the bar at 2 TD's in a game before calling Hester a quality target is pretty ridiculous actually. There are plenty of WR's in this NFL that are quality without having multiple TD games. A quality season for Hester would be 1,100+ yards and 7+ TD's. That is less than a TD every other game. Also, I'm not sure Hester has a history of dropping balls, but maybe I'm wrong.

As for Forte and Olsen, and I would throw in Clark, this is exactly what I've been saying. Hester's job will be running off defenses, as well as making some quick slants and quick hitches, etc., but the focus will be Forte and Olsen, who create mismatches, which is what the NFL is all about. The mismatches should be easily exploitable (at least in NFL terms) if Hester is drawing Safety help over the top.

Again, your team isn't going to lose a game because Devin Hester caught three passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. I'd be more concerned about Forte and Olsen catching 12 passes for 100 yards rather than the fluke deep pass. Once it is shown to be consistent that it will happen then defenses will be "afraid" of him.

Defenses will treat Hester like a normal WR until he shows he isn't.

Devin Hester will not have over 1100 yards and 7 or more touchdowns. There were 6 players in the NFL last year that did that.

It seems to me that Jay Cutler has figured out that Hester is fools gold. A fast player who isn't a receiver and can't be trusted to come down with the pass unless it is absolutely perfect. I bet he isn't even the #1 pass catcher on the Bears this year.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Expect? No. I expect 1,200 yards and 5 TD's, but my point was that you are dogging the guy unless he double dips in TD's in one game, which is not realistic. I'm assuming the TD's were the sticking point on people finishing 1,100 and 7, so how can you set the minimum standard at 2 TD's in a game?

Arguing these points are meaningless. This is the NFL, not 10 year old little league where people assume the Left Fielder can't catch. Teams are going to man up on Hester now that the Bears have a QB with a cannon for an arm

Only 10 WR's had over 1,100 yards and one other fell two yards short.

I'm not setting a minimum standard on anything. I'm saying that defenses aren't going to spend it's time worrying about someone who isn't really a game changer outside of a fluke play. Matt Forte and Greg Olsen are the ones I would worry about as a defense. I figure that if I can stop one or both of them that I have a good shot at winning. If Hester scores a touchdown but Forte averages 3 yards a carry I predict I'll win. If Hester doesn't catch a ball but Forte goes for 120 yards and a touchdown I don't think I'll win.


Who do you feel will have a bigger impact on a game this year? Olsen or Hester? Forte or Hester? I wouldn't even be surprised if Bennett has a bigger impact. I really don't think you've been paying attention this training camp if you think Hester is a central part of our offense. Just like last year, he'll best be used as a decoy. Defenses are smart enough to know that.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

My head starts spinning every time I hear about all this talk of needing a #1 WR. I agree Hester is no #1, and probably never will be. But do the Bears really need a clear cut #1 guy to win a superbowl? Remind me who was the clear cut #1 WR on the Patriot superbowl teams.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."