Hester wants bigger role as return man..

[zack54attack]

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/news/story?id=4886544

For two seasons, the Chicago Bears' Devin Hester was the most electrifying return man in the NFL. Now Hester, the receiver, wouldn't mind getting back to his roots.

"I know what I'm best at," Hester said Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "The return game is my bread and butter, so if I had to cut back on my receiving and go back to returning, that's something I would love to do."


Hester scored 11 regular-season touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns from 2006 to 2007, and brought a kick back for a score in the Super Bowl in 2007.

In an effort to get his play-making ability on the field more, Bears coaches turned Hester into a receiver before the 2008 season, and the experiment has had mixed results.

Hester has averaged 54 catches for 711 yards in his two full seasons as a receiver, but his return game has suffered. He hasn't scored a touchdown on a return since Dec. 30, 2007 against the New Orleans Saints. After returning 31 kicks without a score in 2008, Hester returned just seven in 2009 as Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox got the bulk of the work.

Hester said the coaching staff makes the decisions, and he is willing to do whatever they ask.

"I would love to get back in that situation with the return game," Hester said. "But at the same time, I'm a team player so wherever y'all want me to go, I'm ready to do it."

ESPN 1000, Chicago

Bears wide receiver Devin Hester joined "The Waddle & Silvy Show" to discuss the possibility of becoming a full-time returner again, and the impact that Mike Martz will have on the team.

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Hester is excited to play in new offensive coordinator Mike Martz's pass-happy offense with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, with whom he said he developed a good relationship by the end of the season.

"Jay is kind of a quiet type of guy," Hester said. "You've really got to kind of pick at him to open up to you. Toward the end of the season we bonded, got on the same page, and I'm hoping that continues throughout the rest of my career and his."

Hester is optimistic about the Bears' chances with Martz calling plays.

"We have a lot of quiet weapons on offense, and we're going to shock a lot of people," Hester said. "When you spread the type of guys we have, when you spread them out across the field it's going to be real hard to stop us."

 

[Fox1994]

Tough shit.

 

[RainboUnicorn]

He should be a return man first, receiver second.

 

[Rush]

Hester showed some flashes at WR, I think he got discouraged with Ron Turner calling all of the plays.

 

[dave]

I think he's right.
Make him a #3 WR and a return specialist.
People tend to underrate special teams.

 

[Nukleopatra]

Hester showed some flashes at WR, I think he got discouraged with Ron Turner calling all of the plays.

That's what I'm saying - too much concern about the lack of weapons in Chicago.. If you must show concern, be concerned about the line. I'm calling it right now - a Chicago WR will have more yards than Calvin Johnson in 2010. And that's a fairly strong prediction, since Megatron is a top 5 WR......

 

LMAO

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

I see no reason why he cant do both. Not as if hes such a huge part of the pass game that we cant afford to risk injury to him as a returner. He was dangerous as a return man, might aswell let him do what hes really good at. I agree that he showed some signs of being a decent receiver this year.. hes still dangerous in the open field, and as love as you dont ask him to run a route thats even remotely complicated he can be a decent contributor to the offense (when hes not slipping and causing interceptions.)

 

[Tengo Juego]

People underrate special teams.

*fixed

 

[Prodigal Son]

You have a guy who's the best in the league at one position. You then decide to not let him do that, so he's not tired to do something he's not even considered 2nd best at on your team?

Smith should have been fired on that alone.

 

[FirstTimer]

Hester showed some flashes at WR, I think he got discouraged with Ron Turner calling all of the plays.

Like he evern understood the plays being called....

I see no reason why he cant do both. Not as if hes such a huge part of the pass game that we cant afford to risk injury to him as a returner. He was dangerous as a return man, might aswell let him do what hes really good at. I agree that he showed some signs of being a decent receiver this year.. hes still dangerous in the open field, and as love as you dont ask him to run a route thats even remotely complicated he can be a decent contributor to the offense (when hes not slipping and causing interceptions.)

And you said he showed progress? LOL.

Hester sucks as a WR.

 

[FirstTimer]

Why would they take him off return duties in the first place? I must admit to not seeing a Chicago game since they went to the SB and from Madden know that he's listed at WR now, but why wouldn't they let him return kicks?

Because they viewed him as their #1 WR.


And yes...

I'm serious.

 

[FirstTimer]

You have a guy who's the best in the league at one position. You then decide to not let him do that, so he's not tired to do something he's not even considered 2nd best at on your team?

Smith should have been fired on that alone.

Bingo.

Thank you.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

Like he evern understood the plays being called....




And you said he showed progress? LOL.

Hester sucks as a WR.

Well, going from not being able to catch a ball to actually being a part of the offense is what I would consider progress. I didnt say he leap frogged into stardome or anything.. he just showed progress. Theres no denying he can still be dangerous in the open field and as a deep threat.. dude is just too bone dead to learn how to run even the simplest route.

 

[FirstTimer]

Well, going from not being able to catch a ball to actually being a part of the offense is what I would consider progress.

So in 3 years Hester's "progress" has been the ability to catch?

Wow.

I'm impressed.

he just showed progress.

No he hasn't. He still makes the same mistakes he was making in 2007. He is just starting now so his stats are just inflated. He doesn't know the plays/reads/etc. His hands are still "meh". He has no feel for the position, he is still undersized, he looks slower than he use to. He's done nothing to show progression of any sort.

Theres no denying he can still be dangerous in the open field and as a deep threat

Devin Hester's long reception last season: 48 yards. His long reception has gone down each of the last 3 seasons.

Hester is not a good WR. Has not shown progress. And should return kicks and maybe be sprinkled in as a 3rd Down RB/Slot WR role....That's it. The Bears insistance of trying to force a square peg into a round hole is baffling, idiotic, and embarassing.

 

[FedEx227]

Bingo.

Thank you.

That was never Smith's call.

That was Angelo's call from the get-go. When Angelo drafted Hester, his dream was to make him his no.1 receiver.

 

[Senser81]

That was never Smith's call.

That was Angelo's call from the get-go. When Angelo drafted Hester, his dream was to make him his no.1 receiver.

If thats true, then its weird how Hester was originally a defensive back on the Bears. Why not just make him a WR from the get-go?

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

So in 3 years Hester's "progress" has been the ability to catch?

Wow.

I'm impressed.



No he hasn't. He still makes the same mistakes he was making in 2007. He is just starting now so his stats are just inflated. He doesn't know the plays/reads/etc. His hands are still "meh". He has no feel for the position, he is still undersized, he looks slower than he use to. He's done nothing to show progression of any sort.


Devin Hester's long reception last season: 48 yards. His long reception has gone down each of the last 3 seasons.

Hester is not a good WR. Has not shown progress. And should return kicks and maybe be sprinkled in as a 3rd Down RB/Slot WR role....That's it. The Bears insistance of trying to force a square peg into a round hole is baffling, idiotic, and embarassing.

Players Devin Hester had more yards then last year:

Austin Collie
Braylon Edwards
Bernard Berrian
Lee Evans
Roy Willliams
Laverneus Coles
Tedd Ginn

These are all guys that have blatantly been labelled as better then Devin Hester. They're all seeing the field as much as Devin, to boot, and majority of which are playing in a better offense then ours.

Try not to be ignorant for a second and consider what the word progress means. If you go from barely being able to catch a football, to actually being able to contribute, you're progressing. If you catch more balls from one year to the next, in less games played to boot, you're progressing. Hester has 3 catches of over 40+ yards this year. The 2 deep threats in NO (Meachem and Henderson) also have 3 catches of 40+ yards, and thats the most explosive pass offense in the NFL. Greg Jennings went over 40 yards 5 times. Andre Johnson went over 7 times.. Miles Austin 6.. Pierre Garcon 3.. Randy Moss 5. AJ, Austin, Moss are all elite players.. but in comparison to the deep threats of high powered offenses (Indy, GB, NO), Hester is right there with their best deep threats in terms of catchs over 40 yards (while playing less, I might add). Dude has the break-away speed to be a deep threat.. and if his hands were a little better he probably would've had on or two more catches of 50+.

Noone is calling the guy a world burner.. I just said hes progressed. And I think he'll continue to do so. The guy wasnt even top 20 in the league in drops, which would probably shock people. Point is.. hes getting a ton of unwarranted hate like hes a terrible receiver, and reality is he isnt. He does things to help, he mixes it with some things to hurt.. hes just highly mediocre at this point. Use him for what hes good at and he can be a valuable piece in both the offense and the return game.

 

[FirstTimer]

That was never Smith's call.

Bull.

Smith and Angelo were both on board with that choice.

Eve if Angelo wanted it, the bottom line is Smith is the coach and it's his team to run.

The final choice of who you put on the field and where at is Smith's call.

Both him and Angelo are fucking idiots for the Hester move.

 

[RainboUnicorn]

he had more td's returning kicks/punts each of his first two years than he did being a receiver the last 3 years.

Being a full time receiver I believe no doubt hurts his return game (not to mention lack of kick returns because of it). He even said so himself he was so effective his first two years because when he came in his legs were fresh.

And I do believe with him returning kicks full time we have better field position and his yardage output helps more in that area than being a receiver.

Some people think it's pathetic that we are talking about a return man but he was 2 return td's away from the career record after his 2nd season.

His talent as a WR can be equalled. His talent as a return man cannot.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

he had more td's returning kicks/punts each of his first two years than he did being a receiver the last 3 years.

Being a full time receiver I believe no doubt hurts his return game (not to mention lack of kick returns because of it). He even said so himself he was so effective his first two years because when he came in his legs were fresh.

And I do believe with him returning kicks full time we have better field position and his yardage output helps more in that area than being a receiver.

Some people think it's pathetic that we are talking about a return man but he was 2 return td's away from the career record after his 2nd season.

His talent as a WR can be equalled. His talent as a return man cannot.

Im not arguing that hes not better @ being a return guy, thats obvious to everyone. Im just saying he gets a ton more hate as a WR then he deserves to get. If they decided today they were going to abandon him as a WR and just focus on him returning kicks, I would be in support of the move. I dont know how much work is done in practice as far as Kick returns go, but if its really effecting his time in practice in either area, then maybe thats contributing to the lack of return yards/TDs.. but the fact that the Bears completely abandoned him as the KR and only use him on PRs now isnt helping his return numbers, either.