Tag: Devin Hester (Page 5 of 6)

      Bears need dramatic upgrade at wide receiver

      March 18, 2009 /

      Earl BennettAccording to the Chicago Sun Times, the Bears are giving former third round pick Earl Bennett every opportunity to start at wide receiver opposite Devin Hester this season. Bennett, mind you, is the same dropped-prone receiver who didn’t catch one pass last year because he was inactive for seven of the 16 games and couldn’t beat out stalwarts Marty Booker, Rashied Davis and Brandon Lloyd on the depth chart.

      The Bears need to do something about their receiving corps and soon. Torry Holt has lost a step, but he would be an instant upgrade at the position and could serve as a tutor for guys like Hester and Bennett. Holt is apparently out of the country right now on vacation and won’t be visiting teams for the next couple days, but the Bears would be wise to get the 32-year old’s agent on the phone, like, now.

      The draft is also littered with receivers and while I certainly don’t advocate the Bears taking one in the first round (everything GM Jerry Angelo touches in the first round turns to rabbit turd anyway), prospects like Hakeem Nicks (North Carolina) and Brian Robiskie (Ohio State) should be there in the second.

      I had a chance to watch the scouting combine on the NFL Network in February and Robiskie was impressive. Out of all the receivers who worked out, Robiskie seemed to run the smoothest routes and was very fluid in his motions. He’s not the fastest prospsect (his 40 is a good but not great 4.51), but Robiskie is the son of an NFL assistant (Falcons’ wide receiver coach Terry Robiskie), so you know he’s received a fair amount of coaching throughout his playing career. The Ohio State product looks like one of the more polished receiver prospects in the draft.

      Whatever route the Bears want to take in acquiring a receiver doesn’t matter. But they dramatically need to upgrade the position this offseason because I highly doubt Hester and Bennett give quarterback Kyle Orton the best chance of succeeding.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Bears interested in Torry Holt?

      March 6, 2009 /

      Torry HoltSeveral sources including the NFL Network and Chicago Sun Times are reporting that the Bears could be interested in wide receiver Torry Holt, who the Rams have been shopping over the past couple weeks.

      First things first, The Bears would be wise to wait for the Rams to release him. He’s due a $1.25 million roster bonus on March 17 and while St. Louis would love to trade him before then, no team in their right mind will want to give up compensation knowing full well that the Rams will want to part ways before he’s due the bonus.

      Secondly – why not? There’s no doubt Holt has lost a step and at 33 years old, he’s certainly not the long-term answer. But the Bears have been trying to get by with Devin Hester, Marty Booker and Brandon Llyod and it just hasn’t worked. Some fans might scoff at the idea of adding another band-aid fix to the position, but Holt would prove to be a solid mentor for guys like Hester over the next one or two seasons and the Bears could still target a receiver in the second or third round of the draft in April.

      If Chicago is committed to quarterback Kyle Orton, then they need to give him more weapons outside of running back Matt Forte. Plus, Holt still runs some of the best routes in the league and if there has been one thing Hester has dramatically struggled with in his transition to receiver, it’s been his route running

      Considering what’s left on the market in terms of wideouts (D.J. Hackett, Bobby Engram, Amani Toomer), Holt is the best of the bunch. T.O. and Marvin Harrison are available as well, but unless the Bears want to deal with a potential headache or overpay for a 36-year old with declining skills, Holt seems like the best fit at this point.

      NFL

      Devin Hester loses kick returning duties

      November 21, 2008 /

      In one of the more surprising falls from grace this season in the NFL is Devin Hester. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Danieal Manning will take over Hester’s old job as Chicago’s No. 1 kick returner Sunday when the Bears travel to St. Louis to take on the Rams.

      Devin HesterHester, who has five career kickoff returns for touchdowns (including Super Bowl XLI), has yet to return a kick or punt for a score this season. The pressure of having to produce after being rewarded with a four-year, $40 million contract extension ($15 million guaranteed) evidently has taken a toll. The burden of trying to develop into a top receiver likely has done the same.

      So in steps Manning, whose 26.5-yard average per kick return is almost 5 yards better than Hester’s (21.8). Manning averaged 44.2 yards during the preseason including a 75-yarder against San Francisco. His career average is 24.9.

      “When you have a guy like [Manning] sitting on the bench, you have to use him,” special-teams coordinator Dave Toub said. “It gives Devin a chance to maybe recover. He’s playing a lot of offense. He’s doing the punt returns. It’s a luxury to have someone else to go to.”

      Quite frankly, I don’t blame Hester for falling off the map. The Bears did nothing in the offseason to boost their sagging receiving corps (unless you really, really like Marty Booker) and they put the onus on Hester becoming their No. 1 deep threat. Not that he can’t excel at everything because he is a fantastic player, but the Bears really asked Hester to do three jobs – No. 1 receiver, kicker returner, punt returner. Some may lump the two return jobs together, but it’s really two different positions.

      People may criticize Hester, but the guy is learning a whole new position – his kick returning abilities were bound to take a hit.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Give Devin Hester a break

      November 5, 2008 /

      Devin HesterDevin Hester hasn’t looked good this year. He hasn’t looked good returning kicks, punts and his transformation from full-time special teams player to wide receiver has been slow to say the least.

      That said – give the guy a break.

      There’s a swelling of local writers in Chicago that are breaking their necks leaping off the Devin Hester bandwagon. One writer from the Chicago Tribune recently wrote that the Bears look awfully smart for not handing Hester a huge contract this offseason and for the most part, he’s right.

      Obviously Hester doesn’t look anywhere close to being a No. 1 receiver. But maybe that’s because he was a freaking cornerback when he was drafted and had no concept on how to run proper routes or how to read coverages.

      Hester is still learning how to become a good wideout and it’s not surprising that his return skills have taken a back seat as he tries to focus on becoming a receiver (something the Bears wanted him to become don’t forget). If the Bears weren’t so cheap and actually went out and got some real receivers in the offseason, maybe Hester could focus more on his return skills and less on becoming the team’s deep threat. But Jerry Angelo and the rest of Chicago’s front office never wants to pony up so in turn they (as well as the media) need to relax while Hester learns the nuances of the position.

      Also, is it so far-fetched to think that the rest of the league has finally wised up to how to defend Hester on kick returns? The NFL is a copycat league and if one team has success defending him, than others catch on and implement similar tactics. It’s not rocket science.

      He was the entire Bears offense for two full seasons. But because he’s struggled for eight games this year people are ready to call him ordinary. Anyone who watched the Falcons game knows that he has the talent to become a decent wideout. Give him a chance.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Maxim’s sports department needs some new blood

      October 23, 2008 /

      Why do I still read Maxim? Ah yes, for photos of girls like Stacy Keibler.

      Whatever the reason, it sure isn’t for the sports analysis. Take this gem from “30 Reasons to Give Thanks” from the November issue:

      #16 Devin Hester
      The Bears have been – what’s the word? – f*ckin’ awful. But save the bathroom breaks for when Kyle Orton has the ball, because freak of nature Hester turns any kickoff into poetry. Sweaty, concussed poetry.

      Um…the Bears are 4-3 and tied for first place in the NFC North. I’m not sure how far in advance Maxim goes to print, but even if it was as early as 10/6, they would have witnessed Chicago’s drubbing of the Lions, which made them 3-2. Mediocre? Yes. Decent? Yes. F*ckin’ awful? No.

      As for Orton, he is 6th in the league in passing yards, 8th in TDs and tied for 5th in number of completions for 20+ yards. One of the reasons he’s playing so well is because the Bears are running Devin Hester at WR.

      But I wouldn’t expect the boys at Maxim to know that.

      Humor, NFL

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