Hester impressive
Maybe it’s too early, but I think a lot of people owe Devin Hester an apology.
All the haters who ripped on the fourth-year wide receiver as being nothing more than a return specialist should not that Hester had 4 passes thrown to him Sunday night and caught all 4 for 90 yards, including a 36-yard TD, the Bears’ first of the new season.
For comparison, Earl Bennett caught 7 passes for 66 yards, but he had 13 passes directed his way. Tight end Greg Olsen had 6 passes thrown to him and caught just 1 for 8 yards.
And keep in mind that Hester was playing against Packers cornerbacks Al Harris and Charles Woodson, possibly the most talented tandem he will see all season. Hester actually made Woodson, a five-time Pro Bowler, look bad after he caught a pass just over the line of scrimmage and then ran through the 12-year veteran’s tackle attempt for a 24-yard gain.
Hester’s still learning, and he isn’t as polished as a lot of No. 1 receivers, but on Sunday he looked a lot better than a lot of critics expected.
classic slot guy. Thats It
lining up, eh?
I agee he has made strides at really being an all around WR, and that in itself is a great cahnge from the Hester who had trouble learning the nuances of CB, NB, and WR in college.
He HAS focused to be a game breaker more than a couple plays a game, but he is still not there.
As far as his try the other side 360 on kick offs: Many NFL kick returners try this in hopes of breaking loose on the other side. But, when they do, it seems like the pure speed of the downfield pursuit, and the kickoff return team's (in front of the returner) commitment to the returners original return path make a returners 360 turn into a slow motion shift that the pursuit team easily tracks and stops.
Not as a Special Teams player. He mirrors last year -- running sideways. When he returns to running toward the end zone again I may agree. As far as catches? Not what he hyped himself to be. He is the one that set our expectations. And now, he can not meet them, although I surely hope he does.