can we stop this "then we can put hester back at kr/pr" nonsense?

by jimribs on Oct 16, 2009 10:24 AM CDT Comment 46 comments

Ok we all know Devin Hester is a good kick returner. Fortunately for the Bears, Johnny Knox, Daniel Manning, and Earl Bennet can all do some good at kick and punt returns, so why the outcry is so strong boggles my mind. Devin Hester is having a solid season at WR, and if he ends up with 10 td's and +800 yards recieving, that is way more valuable than taking him out and making him full time punt and kick returner. People say "yeah well a kick or punt return to the house can shift momentum" that is true, but so is picking up a key first down as a reciever. If there were no one else capable of returning then, the argument might be valid. I'd rather have an explosive guy for almost every offensive snap, rather than one play.

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so why the outcry is so strong boggles my mind.

Where’s the outcry?

Be nice. Flag comments that you think are offensive. Use the "reply" button. Drink plenty of water. Compliment others. Rec (wreck) comments and posts you like. Don't call people names. If you don't like someone's comment, attack the comment and not the commentor. Learn the difference in your/you're, then/than, to/too. Exercise. Relax. Stretch often. Find good in the world.

Just because it can be done on Madden NFL does not automatically make it a viable option in real life.

by Dane Noble on Oct 16, 2009 11:05 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Lots of fans have been saying it on the numerous WR threads pre-season and currently with the multiple WR posts. I think their theory is if we get a “true #1” (whatever that means) then Hester can be a lifetime special teamer for the Bears. I don’t agree with it, but people have said it.

by brands735 on Oct 16, 2009 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

hester as a hall of fame

return man is more valuable than hester as a solid wide receiver. what has hester done as a wide receiver this year that other wide receivers cannot?

there are more solid wide receivers in the world that “best of all time” return men.

by mike b on Oct 16, 2009 11:07 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Can't disagree with that

but again we get back to the contract we gave Hester. $41 million, and there wasn’t a whole lot we could have done differently.

Just because it can be done on Madden NFL does not automatically make it a viable option in real life.

by Dane Noble on Oct 16, 2009 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

other than

not giving it to him and not talking him up as a#1 before he actually did anything.

they’re screwed now, but they weren’t always.

by mike b on Oct 16, 2009 11:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just wonder though

how long he would have held out for.

Just because it can be done on Madden NFL does not automatically make it a viable option in real life.

by Dane Noble on Oct 16, 2009 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's safe to say

Hester would be on someone elses team right now

"I'm sorry Josh, I'm with Chicago now, you need to stop calling me" -JerBear50 as Jay Cutler

by BearNecessities on Oct 16, 2009 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

but we coulda got

two #1 draft picks for him

by Puppet on Oct 16, 2009 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

if you are saying that we could have franchised tagged him

no one would have signed him.

I was told that I ruined this house with my anger

by tempchad on Oct 16, 2009 2:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

How would we have tagged him though

is the question, as a DB? or WR? both commanded too much money to justify leaving him as a PR/KR, so if we didnt give into his demands and let him be a WR, he’d be someone elses player today, IMO

"I'm sorry Josh, I'm with Chicago now, you need to stop calling me" -JerBear50 as Jay Cutler

by BearNecessities on Oct 16, 2009 3:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

my point stands

if we franchised him no one would have signed him.

and one year at franchise WR dollars is still a lot less than his entire 40 million dollar contact now.

the idea would have been to franchise him then negotiate a better deal.

that said, my real point was that Puppet was wrong. The bears were not going to get 2 first rounders for him. Your way or my way.

I was told that I ruined this house with my anger

by tempchad on Oct 16, 2009 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh i do agree with that

no way, i doubt at the time, we’d have even gotten 1 1st rounder.

i was just curious as to your input on the tagging circumstance

"I'm sorry Josh, I'm with Chicago now, you need to stop calling me" -JerBear50 as Jay Cutler

by BearNecessities on Oct 17, 2009 3:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

agree totally

but GB is right.

I was told that I ruined this house with my anger

by tempchad on Oct 16, 2009 2:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is it crazy to think that eventually he can get back to doing both effectively.

Before he got hurt last week he had a 25 yard return that put us on our side of the field that I felt showed some of the burst that he missed from last year. If he could just brake one we could all end this he cant return kicks anymore discussion, but until then the argument will never end. But I hope every week he can brake through.

Phil: " Whose baby is that?
Alan: "Check his collar or something." - The Hangover

by ANYTIME09 on Oct 16, 2009 3:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

not many receivers can

take a 5 yard slant and take it to the house you cant coach speed and he is becoming more and more complete as a wide reciever

by Bear Lovin 21 on Oct 16, 2009 10:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

you really don't think

a lot of NFL receivers can’t take a slant to the house?

we can break that play down more if you want, but its not like it was a 99 yard play.

by mike b on Oct 17, 2009 1:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jerry Rice was the best at taking the 5 yard slant to the house

but Jerry Rice was never near the top of the list of fastest WRs in the league.

Not that he was slow, he just wasn’t know for his break away speed

I was told that I ruined this house with my anger

by tempchad on Oct 18, 2009 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

problem

I’d rather have an explosive guy for almost every offensive snap, rather than one play.

his “explosiveness” at wide receiver hasn’t shown to be anywhere near as valuable as it was at kr/pr. it has not translated on the offensive side at all.

but like was mentioned above, he has the contract, nothing’s changing.

by mike b on Oct 16, 2009 11:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

See: Week 3 @ Seattle, 3rd down, 4th quarter, slant pattern, touchdown.

by brands735 on Oct 16, 2009 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

hey hole

i saw it in person.

that was an example of his explosiveness on kr/pr showing up on offense? running a slant route? wow.

by mike b on Oct 16, 2009 1:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speed on a slant route is dangerous. k hole?

What do you want him to do? Take a pitch 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage on an end-around and dance back there then explode for a TD? No, he doesn’t have opportunities for 1 on 1 moves, he has opportunities to show his speed which he demonstrated ont hat play. Don’t be such a jerk. respeck.

by brands735 on Oct 16, 2009 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

wow, type angrier.

he’s not that much faster, if at all on a slant route than other receivers. and it was two defenders taking each other out that made that a touchdown.

by mike b on Oct 16, 2009 2:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So you are saying he got lucky on that play? No need to discuss anything with you anymore.

People to have legitimate football conversations with:
….
…..
~~mike b~~
…..

by brands735 on Oct 16, 2009 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yawwn.

you yahoo guys are a blast.

do me favor and highlight where i said luck.

by mike b on Oct 16, 2009 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Our player makes a good play. Instead of giving him credit, you are saying it is only because the defense lacked. Are you even a Bears’ fan? If you are going to be so critical of all the Bears’ players, go root for someone else. I am a Bears fan. I respect the Bears player. I give them credit for the good plays they make and hope they learn when they f up. Get a clue man.

by brands735 on Oct 16, 2009 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh my god

LEAVE THE BEARS PLAYERS ALOOOONE.

i said he hasn’t made a play that other receivers can’t make. all the other shit you said is just that, shit.

that play did not show his explosiveness. so get a better example. and quite crying.

by mike b on Oct 16, 2009 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

*quit

by mike b on Oct 16, 2009 4:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow. What a fan you are. There are few WRs that make plays no one else can make (Andre and Fitz). Go ahead and keep being one of “those” fans. What a dbag

by brands735 on Oct 16, 2009 6:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

sooo

that play didn’t show his explosiveness? or did it? you seem to be wandering a bit here.

by mike b on Oct 16, 2009 7:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Flame Wars

If you want to crown em...

by JohnnyTruant on Oct 16, 2009 10:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Read above -

my opinion = explosive
your opinion = not-explosive

Fine, you can have your opinion. I think the slant route can make Hester dangerous, more so than any crappy screens we run. If Hester beats people on slant routes a few times, teams are going to have to play off of him in which case he will have room to catch the ball and get down for the first (I don’t trust him going over the middle too often)

by brands735 on Oct 17, 2009 9:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would rather they drop him from Punt Return duties, he seems to have lost any knack he had to do it.

I’ve said it before, if you’re going to have him returning anything, it should be kicks where he probably wouldn’t run sideways. He is not an elusive runner, just fast, so making the first guy(s) miss on punt returns if there is only a little room for him, is not his strong point.

While I wasn’t a big fan of his as a WR initially, he has really impressed me so far this season, so if he can’t handle both receiving and returning, he has become more valuable to the team as a good WR who seems to be getting better each week.

by BearFan611 on Oct 16, 2009 11:44 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

He's 4th in the NFC

and 8th in the NFL in yards per PR right now.

Just because it can be done on Madden NFL does not automatically make it a viable option in real life.

by Dane Noble on Oct 16, 2009 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Earl Bennet has 1 more yard on 4 PR's vs. 6 for Hester and about a 50% higher average per return.

Just saying, he’s not the same return guy he was and on top of his propensity for running East/West, he makes some pretty bad decisions back there on whether he should catch it or not and doesn’t notice where he’s at on the field more than he should. I think Kick Returns would be better for him, but since Knox is 2nd in the league, it doesn’t make any sense to put him there now.

by BearFan611 on Oct 16, 2009 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bennett seems like a good return man

but he is still a shadow of what Hester has shown an ability to be. Finally, I would rather see Hester returning punts than kickoffs, where the injury risk is higher, even more so now with the blocking rules changed.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Oct 16, 2009 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Bears have GREAT special teams....

….with or without Devin Hester.

They’ve been first or second (I forget which) in average starting field position over the past 5 NFL seasons, which includes two full seasons without Devin Hester on the team.

The Bears need more help at WR than they do on ST returns.

Furthermore, there was no guarantee that Devin would ever re-sign with the Bears as a ‘return specialist’.

We all talk about the contract that the Bears gave Devin – but what did Devin want?? Less money and less responsibility? I don’t know him personally, obviously, but I think not.

by Sweetness Lives On on Oct 16, 2009 12:15 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I have not seen any one calling for

Hester to go back to being a full time special teamer.
That said, have you forgotten what Devin Hester was in his first two years in the league? One of the five scariest players in the entire league. He was a true game changer, much more than he has been at WR. I would like him to do a little more on special teams.

Metal sharpens metal.

And this guy right here understands and knows what leadership is all about: The coach, the hall of famer......... Dick Butka! George Ryan

by dakoose on Oct 16, 2009 1:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

This is what it comes down to

there is no question that he should be only returning kicks and punts and coming in as the 3rd receiver. but that is not going to happen due to his contact.

I was told that I ruined this house with my anger

by tempchad on Oct 16, 2009 2:40 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

weird…

"I'm sorry Josh, I'm with Chicago now, you need to stop calling me" -JerBear50 as Jay Cutler

by BearNecessities on Oct 16, 2009 3:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly

the point is moot.

i don’t think there are any realistic people out there clamoring for his return to that kind of spot. you can’t put the genie back in the bottle.

huge mistake by the bears.

I was told that I ruined this house with my anger

by tempchad on Oct 16, 2009 5:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you,

but for the life of me I can’t see how turning Hester into a receiver took away his ability as a return man. Yeah, he may be tired on return here and there, but for him to regress as much as he has? Kick returning, for a guy like Devin, is all instinct, so it’s not as if he doesn’t have the time to learn the special teams game. What has happened is pretty strange, and in my opinion, kinda random, so I would like to see him back there returning some punts/kicks.

Metal sharpens metal.

And this guy right here understands and knows what leadership is all about: The coach, the hall of famer......... Dick Butka! George Ryan

by dakoose on Oct 16, 2009 5:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

focus

his focus was off and couldn’t maintain that same fire in all aspects of the field.

i would love to see him only return kicks and punts but that is not going to happen

I was told that I ruined this house with my anger

by tempchad on Oct 16, 2009 6:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Have To Agree With You JimRibs.

I have called out the battlecry for Hester to go back to returning in the past but admit I was wrong. It looks like he has finally evolved into an NFL caliber receiver although there is still room to grow. We have plenty od speedsters on the roster to pick up where Hester left off. Another solid move by the Bears front office. It’s nice to see there is intelligent lifeforms in Chicago Sports Franchise’s. Sorry Jerry Krause.

by Gesiakob on Oct 17, 2009 2:21 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs