Is Devin Hester a #1 WR?

Dating back to the 2nd half of last season, Hester had had games with:

Week 12 vs St. Louis: 5 rec, 57 yards, 0 TD
Week 13 vs Minnesota: 3 rec, 67 yards, 1 TD
Week 14 vs Jacksonville: 5 rec, 80 yards, 0 TD
Week 15 vs New Orleans: 4 rec, 46 yards, 0 TD
Week 16 vs Green Bay: 2 rec, 12 yards, 0 TD
Week 17 vs Houston: 6 rec, 85 yards, 0 TD

How many long TD passes was Orton unable to hit an open Hester on last season in the 2nd half as well ? About 3 ?

This season:

Week 1 vs Green Bay: 4 rec, 90 yards, 1 TD
Week 2 vs Pittsburgh: 4 rec, 21 yards, 0 TD
Week 3 vs Seattle: 5 rec, 76 yards, 1 TD

This year, he certainly seems to be capable of putting up 1100 yards and at least 8 TD....

Is Devin Hester a #1 WR?

Why or why not?

Hester seems perfectly capable of catching passes from Cutler. Too many people are holding on to opinions they held 2-3 years ago about him. He has gotten much better, and I think we'll seeing a guy with good hands, very good speed, obviously with the aid of a Pro Bowl QB, turn into a guy who will have a very productive season that be in the top 10-15 WR's in the NFL.

I do not think Hester is a #1, but I also do not think he is a #3. I think he can be a capable #2 WR in this league for several years.

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

A #1 WR should average more than 4 catches a game. They all probably don't but my guess is that all of the decent ones do.

Realistically, he gets 15 yards on 3 catches and then if it works out he breaks one for big yardage.

Here is how you answer the question of if he is a #1 WR.

If the Bears have 4th and 8 with time running out in the game is he the #1 target? In my opinion, he may not even be option #2.

_________________
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!

bennett is the best pure wr on the team. Hester is a good player who is very overpaid but is a decent wr

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

He had two HUGE catches, the one where he stretched for the 1st was pretty indicitive of improved field awareness, and he's not short arming passes anymore.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Hester has taken much bigger strides that I certainly expected. I dunno what defines a true #1, but if he keeps making big catches and scoring TDs like he has been pretty much all year so far, I'll take it.

_________________

i agree with frank, i'll take it..
that being said he'll never be a top 8-10 WR in the league...randy moss, larry fitz, or calvin johnson (i'd love to see him in a Bears uni), etc..

_________________
@audioidkid

I'll take that too. Let him continue to put up solid #'s and make big catches, all while flying under the radar.

Also, I like Knox returning kicks.

_________________

Hester seems to have waaaay better hands than I ever would have thought he would. He made some tough catches.

I think once he works on his routes and gets more reps with Cutler, Cutler will start hitting him in stride more and, if he continues to show the hands he's shown so far, he's going to put up some big numbers. Call him a #5 if he can keep doing that.

_________________
You know me like that.

To add to FF's point, Bennett just has a smooth easy approach to catching the ball and getting YAC. He seems to be a natural. I don't know if he will ever develop into a number 1, but he certainly has all the tangibles. Big frame, soft hands, not afraid of contact. I like him.

_________________
Does your cat make too much noise? Try KITTEN MITTENS!


Charlie: Oh shit. Look at that door dude. See that door right there? That door marked 'Pirate'? You think a pirate lives in there?
Dennis: I see a door marked 'Private.'

Jay Cutler's take after yesterday's game:

"Any time you can get Devin Hester one-on-one, it works."

"When I first got here, they said he didn't know the playbook, he couldn't get out of cuts, he had trouble catching the ball," Cutler said of Hester. "And all that's been false since Day One."

Lovie Smith on Devin Hester:

“He’s a threat,” said coach Lovie Smith. “When he gets the football he can score at any time, and that’s what happened. He’s caught the ball well. He’s running great routes, and he should get better and better each week. Devin is a No. 1 receiver and hopefully we can put him in positions to make plays like that.”

I don't think Hester is average - he's good good hands and very good speed.

Again, this sounds like you're holding to an opinion that you formed 3 years ago.

Yeah....but, according to Hub Arkush, he doesn't have any football instincts, and Knox is the best WR on the team.

Hester could beat the Bears #1 corner. Tillman would just fall down or go for the strip...

_________________
@audioidkid

How many true #1 shut down CB's are there in the league? I think we can count them on one hand.

how many true #1 WR's are there? If the Bears say Devin Hester is the #1, he's the #1....

_________________
@audioidkid

On a per catch basis Knox has outperformed Hester.

_________________
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!

I realize it's early in the season, but right now he's T21 in catches and T19 in yards for WR's. If he stays in that area, I think that's an average #1.

hes impressed me so far. hes shown good hands and the ability to make a tough catch. i think he will only get better. in fact i think all the bears receivers are getting better with each week. im not as worried about them with cutler at the helm.

This shit was born in the media. It is on par with the Wolfe crap. Labeling a guy too small, or too dense, is stupidity at its finest when talking about sports. Plenty of 'too small', and 'not that bright' guys are in the HOF.

This kid found his way out of a crippling depression, through football. I think he is more intelligent than the way he chooses to talk. I think he has a strong fire burning inside. I don't think it makes a whole lot of sense to label guys like that.

_________________
"Mattress technology has come a long way"

- Dan Bernstein, 2016

So, you don't think Garrett Wolfe is too small and Devin Hester isn't country dumb?

Right...

_________________

He has played better and better since making the switch. Pointing out mistake he made last season, his first full year at the position, are going to happen.

Exactly what they said - giving credit to a player who deserves it. He's making plays, and you don't want to give him credit because you didn't think he could play the position 2 years ago.

i seriously doubt he has the vocabulary to win that award

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul