Could This Be Hester's Last Year as a Return Man?
by Adam T on Jul 14, 2009 2:00 PM CDT
48 comments
After torching almost every return record in the NFL in his first two years, Devin Hester has seen his effectiveness drop substantially since taking on wide receiver duties.
In this article, Hester says he is willing to give up return duties after he takes care of some unfinished business.
"But with me right now, I feel like at punt returns there are going to be opportunities where we’re going to need big returns,’’ he continued. ``With all the success we’ve had at the return game, it would be real crazy to just give it up now. Plus I’m looking to break this record. In the back of my mind, I’ve got to get this record before I give (punt returns) up.’’
Obviously the Bears need a #1 receiver, and Danieal Manning has shown the ability to take over on returns, which might make this less of an issue if Hester does give up the punts.
What's your take on this?
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If he can't be great at both
he’s more valuable when he’s on the field most.
Thats WR. And they’re paying him to be the #1 WR.
Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it. -George Halas
what an absolute waste of talent
the guy was the best ever at something, and because you can’t build a team you turn him into a mediocre something else.
next time pay a guy for the position he plays, not the one you hope he can.
Exactly.
The only thing is, what happens when a guy says
“I can’t go out and play this year making $445,000. Come on, man.”
and he is willing to hold out?
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
he held for a day correct?
that doesn’t happen if your staff doesn’t talk him up to the media all spring saying he can be a number 1 in an effort to play down your terrible receiving corps.
Very true.
I just wonder what the other options would have been though. Only keep the focus as a return man? Would he have still wanted WR pay?
We were handcuffed, and I do agree with you that we probably handcuffed ourselves. But we were handcuffed no doubt.
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
We had to do it.
If we kept him at KR, when his contract came up he’d leave to the first team that told him would get a chance to play DB and offer him some money. The only way we keep him is to move him to a position and pay him.
I agree we shouldn’t have touted him as our #1, but we had to make the move.
Being Who You Thought We Were Since 2005!
there were years
before he would be able to walk, if he showed the improvement they wanted this last year, they could have paid him now.
Absolutely!
I was all for getting him on offense. To me it was a no brainer. A sprinkle here, A sprinkle there.
Then it just evolved into, “Hester’s gonna be our #1 WR”
Huh?
FTA:
“I think a return man simply has to be a return man,’’ Hester said. ``There’s really no other position he should go out and play. A return man is a totally different ball game from trying to be a return man and starting receiver, or the starting cornerback, or a starting safety. I don’t think it’s going to work. That’s why you never really see it last that long in the NFL. You can’t do it.”
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
I loved him as a return man
I understand the argument “he’s a playmaker, he’s most valuable where ever you can get him the most touches, we’re paying him to be a no.1 receiver.” I get it. But nothing got my heart pounding and adrenaline pumping more than watching him prepare to return a punt or kick. I think that his days as the most feared returner in this league are over and I think it’s a crime. The Bears should have paid him a bunch of money to be the return man. It’s what he did best. Making a receiver and even if he becomes a good receiver it’s still sort of a waste to me. I am sad to see the greatest return man ever step back from returns. They put too much in the receiver basket too soon.
by GallopingGhost on Jul 14, 2009 2:40 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agree!!!
When I envision the Bears top scorers in a couple of years, you know, the Super Bowl Winning year, it’s like this:
QB: Cutler
RB: Forte
TE: Olsen
WR: ?
KR: Hester
I think in order to give up his return duties totally, he would need to be an elite receiver. Fitz, Moss, Megatron, Smith, you name em. He has to have 1500yd seasons in order to compensate for his 6-7 return TD seasons + the extra scoring as a result of good field position.
Its sad to me.
The Bears seem to think they paid him too much to “just return kicks and punts”. They feel they need to justify his contract by forcing him to attempt to be a #1 wide receiver at the expense of being arguably the greatest return man ever. Step back and recognize his real value is being wasted.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
Just wondering
Why everyone believes him playing WR full-time prevented him from running north/south vs. east west on punt returns? I don’t think the two are related at all. Maybe I’m wrong, but maybe I’m not.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill
I sort of agree
I think he got timid on returns b/c of all his time on offense.
And if theres ever a time you can be hesitant or timid on a football field, is sure ISN’T on special teams.
What made him the best ever was great blocking and Hester’s explosive decisiveness. When he took that away from himself by going sideways… he lost a lot of value on returns.
Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it. -George Halas
Yep
I’m not sure how much it affected him, but he was definitely timid on his returns.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill
Try sprinting 30-40 meters all out (like he would on a fly pattern)
5 or 6 times in 15 minutes and see how your legs feel. Then he’s being asked to return punts? And be as effective? Fresh legs can make a huge difference. Even in a well conditioned athlete all that running takes a toll. If all he had to do was return the ball, he’d stop looking so “hesitant or timid” and start looking like the Devin of 2005-2006.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
It takes more energy to go east/west than north/south
I understand it’s more of a physical strain on him, but just like you said they’re “well conditioned athletes.” Even if it did affect him tremendously, the Bears will reap the benefits this season.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill
I'm in total agreement.
It’s not as if he just didn’t score on returns, he was absolutely awful by any standard. Tim Brown was a #1 receiver and a great return man, Gale Sayers was a #1 RB and, in my opinion, the best return man of all time. I just don’t buy Hester being totally affected by the WR status. It might have had something to do with his performance, but not to the degree it seemed to. Again, though we’d all like to see him score a bunch of TD’s on returns, I think everyone would be happy if he just affected field position again.
If he didn’t remember that running sideways isn’t a good idea, at any level of football, because of his WR study and preparation. then his intelligence should definitely be in question. Anyone who would be that dumb is going to cause problems in other areas as well.
I think it’s just an excuse for being too timid and protecting himself from injury.
If all of this "timid running" is the reason for the drop off
then why didn’t we see it before last season? Just because he became a wide receiver he suddenly gained some sense of self preservation? The only difference between seasons past (god I’m terrible with dates) and last year, is that last year he was treated like a #1 and asked to play nearly every down. Hopefully he can adjust. But don’t ignore the physical demand that must have been for him last season. And Devin Hester would be the best return man of all time if they let him be the weapon he was made to be. Everyone underrates special teams. I hate this “We need more from a guy getting paid like a true wide receiver” BS. He’s worth every penny as a return man alone if he reproduces his first two years.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
The other huge difference
as someone else mentioned, was the turnover on special teams, including the loss a some key guys like Ayanbadejo.
Hester had a whole brand new batch of guys learning Toub’s blocking schemes, etc. That wasn’t the WHOLE issue, but a big part of it, I’m sure.
(Along w/ Hester now being a full-time receiver, and the rib injury, and teams game-planning for him, and so on).
He's a WR now
he’ll never go back to just returns… I can see the Bears putting him back there at times when the Beasr need a big play
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Jul 14, 2009 3:04 PM CDT reply actions
I hope you are correct
about him being a situational KR.
Remember when “Prime-Time” would do that for his various teams a little later in his career?
His team would be needing a spark, that he provided more often than not.
the key is
for Hester to get a few big returns to show he still has the magic, then when he does go back there teams will have that fear…
anyone remember a Redskin playoff game I think in the late 80’s when Darrell Green went back for a rare punt return and returned it for a score?
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Jul 15, 2009 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Payton's last game.
Yes, I remember :-(
I tried to get out of school the next day, unsuccessfully.
That game broke my 9 year old heart. I can still see Payton on the bench. His head down, with his hands on his head, still wearing his helmet. I’ll never forget it.
I was at that game
It sucked big-time, cause they let all that talent go to waste again. Green pulled an abdominal muscle on that return when he hurdled over a defender.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill
Pay him a wide receiver salary to be "just a return man"
He was worth it, both for actual scores and to prevent opposing teams from trying to kick deep.
I just don’t think he has it in his makeup to run routes as a WR. He might even make an OK RB at times, but he doesn’t seem to “get it” with routes.
May the wind be always at your back, and may your placekicker have icewater in his veins.
His Route Running has improved
the Bears don’t need him to be Steve Largent, only for him to make the correct reads as the QB so they are on the same page, and he is much better and improving all the time
I’m expecting a nice productive season from him
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Jul 14, 2009 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions
I hope you're right!
H e has just always seemed hopeless on routes and making the small adjustments that must be made during the game, but I would love to be wrong and to find out he has gotten a little more used to it. Once he has the ball secured and an open field to deal with, it’s just plain fun.
May the wind be always at your back, and may your placekicker have icewater in his veins.
The league couldn't figure out how to stop Hester on returns, so the Bears did it for them.
by BigGeorgeTX on Jul 14, 2009 5:14 PM CDT reply actions 7 recs
Sadly, I have to rec this.
May the wind be always at your back, and may your placekicker have icewater in his veins.
I’ve always wondered how long he would have kept his high level of play on returns if he wasn’t converted. My guess is not very long. Not a lot of people have been decent return men for more than a few years, and while I think he would have had a hell of a year if he was a full time returner, I doubt it would have lasted. I believe he’ll make a great receiver starting this year, and he has the ability to be a good receiver for much longer than I think he would have made a great return man. The team took a gamble converting him, but I think it’ll work out in the end.
by dkguy55 on Jul 14, 2009 5:34 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Sorry, but I can't help it
when you used the term “converted” i pictured a bunch of hari krishnas folllowing hester around with flowers trying to get him distracted while he’s tackled by the opposing team.
May the wind be always at your back, and may your placekicker have icewater in his veins.
...Must come to an end.
Get him the returns needed to break the record. A lot of folks seem to have their minds made up that he can’t produce at a high level playing receiver. Angelo was right you know, Great quarterbacks make alright receivers good and good ones great. We have the Q.B so now all we can do is wait and see. Now as far as returns , Once he has the record then put all the effort in at receiving. You’ve got to leave ’em wanting more.
huge waste of talent
The guy isn’t known for his hard work, which is what it takes to be a true #1 (or #2) receiver in the NFL. We all know that his return ability has fallen off as he takes snaps as a WR. It’s a terrible waste. He was a true game changer as a PR/KR and it’s being squandered. It’s just dum to pretend that this guy will suddenly become a Marvin Harrison/ Jerry Rice workaholic. Won’t happen. Let (Make) him play in his element of the chaos of kick returns where he is deadly.
The truly gruesome part is that the decisions
both by Hester and the team aren’t purely motivated by his ability to do the best for the team, but also by his contract structure by which he is more heavily rewarded monetarily for being an OK- WR than for being Devin Hester, Kick Returner of Destiny.
May the wind be always at your back, and may your placekicker have icewater in his veins.
also
I hate it when I type “dumb” as “dum”
I think the Hester...
situation was an interesting prediciment. Here’s a guy that was so great a a postition that he challenged the common thought on how to compensate him. It’s like the Janikowski argument at kicker when he was drafted in the first round. How much do you pay for something you want. Unfortunately for the Bears the question became “How much do you justify what you pay?”
This was a hall of Fame KR/PR…period. So Hester puts them in a position where they have to pay him for his production on the field, not the position he pays. What do they do? Instead of overpaying the position, they rationalize their decision by paying him what he’s worth and then justify it by forcing him to play a position worthy of the money they gave him.
This is how you ruin one of the greatest forces and factors in NFL history. If Steve Smith couldn’t do both, they knew darn well Hester wouldn’t be able to do it either. They knew what they were doing with Hester the whole time. Sad.
by Dils on Jul 15, 2009 10:18 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Well said Dils.
Also, see: Dante Hall (2002-2004) and Tim Dwight (199-2000) (although, Dwight had decent receiving stats).
LSU Tigers Baseball... NCAA National Champions- 2009.
I didn't like this move,
once it became full-blown. As someone else said, I was in favor of it when it was “a sprinkle here and there”…
But then the criticism was, “Well, defenses always key in on Hester when he’s on the field, because they know he’s probably getting the ball…”
So THEN it became, “Well, he needs more snaps on offense so defenses don’t ALWAYS key in on him…”
Soon after came the #1 talk and the financial issues and so on…
But now, having said all that—what’s done is done. The past is an immutable and ever-present fact, like the suckitude of the Lions or the hyping of the Vikings; it’s a constant.
So we’ve COMMITTED TO HESTER as a #1, so we should bu supportive and patient in that regard, I think.
And, objectively, he HAS steadily improved in each year at the position, culminating a solid end-stretch last season.
Now, in his 3rd and typical proverbial “breakout” year, with a more-than-capable-QB slinging him the ball (and presumably no rib injuries to nag him), he’s PRIMED to excel at the position.
All the ingredients are there:
Does he have the KNOWLEDGE/experience now? Check
Does he have the physical TALENT? Check
Are the Bears providing the OPPORTUNITY? Check
So, since we’re in this position with no other choice, I am prepared to give Hester the benefit of the doubt.
I honestly think he can go for over 1000 yds receiving this year, with double-digit TDS (both receiving/returning combined).
He has steadily improved at the position, and until he does OTHERWISE, I’ll give him/he’s EARNED the benefit of the doubt.
And until ANOTHER legit WR develops/emerges on the Bears (Bennett? Knox?), what choice do we really have?
(Maybe THEN, just maybe, Hester can resume full-time return duties—ONLY…the way it probably should have stayed…)
+1
Well said, sir.
"A lot of fans were drawn to me because they knew that whatever the score was, I was going to run as hard as I could on every play. You don't have that now, you have guys waiting for next week or even next year." - Walter Payton
+2
- Smudgers
"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Jul 16, 2009 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions
WHY?
Why not just leave the returning to Daniel Manning? This allows Devin Hester to stay focused on his developement as a Receiver. To say the Bears currently have all their eggs in one basket is an understatement. With a Quarterback like Jay Cutler, he has to have a main guy to throw to. Hester is a little more polished but still needs to evolve at the position. From what I’ve seen last year, Daniel manning is fully capable of breaking them. He has raw speed and he can make them miss with some nifty moves of his own.
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