Here's the First "Boy Am I Glad To Hear That" Story of the Week............

Raiders have no fear of kicking to Hester

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/...0-23143704.jpg Devin Hester stiff-arms the Chargers' Richard Goodman on a punt return Sunday. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune Photo)

By Brad Biggs, Tribune reporter 4:34 p.m. CST, November 23, 2011


Oakland Raiders safety Mike Mitchell has a lot of respect for Chicago Bears return man Devin Hester, but he might need to acquaint himself with the NFL record books.

Mitchell ranked Hester second in the league in terms of dangerous return men behind the Raiders’ speedy Jacoby Ford, who has four kickoff returns for touchdowns in a little more than 1 1/2 seasons in the league.

Hester has three return scores this season and an NFL-record 17 combined kickoff and punt return touchdowns in his career.

“He’s the best besides Jacoby, you can quote that, too,” Mitchell told Oakland media Wednesday. “Besides Jacoby, I think he’s the best returner in the league, extremely fast, he has great vision and his blockers really do a great job blocking for him, too. It’s not a lot of times you see him making guys miss. He’s getting great blocks and then he might break one tackle. They have a great punt return unit. He believes in his return unit and then obviously he’s a fearless guy and hits the hole and goes really fast.”

Mitchell went on to say the Raiders won’t have any fear kicking to Hester with Shane Lechler one of the best punters in the league.

“Hopefully we’re scoring touchdowns every time and we don’t punt,” Mitchell said. “That’s the best thing. As a punt unit, I feel like we have the best weapon in the league in Shane Lechler. We’re going to punt to anybody. I don’t think we’re afraid to punt to a specific player. Like we said this week getting ready for this game: He has to play us. We don’t have to play him. He has to worry more about 11 guys trying to take his head off then we do about him housing one. I think that’s going to be our mentality for every returner that we play.”

Mitchell doesn’t believe the Raiders will order Lechler to punt the ball out of bounds, a strategy a lot of opponents have been using recently.

“I don’t think Bones would ever do that because we have a guy who can punt a ball 60 yards in the air,” Mitchell said. “We’re going to take every advantage of that. We have the biggest, fastest guys in the league covering our punts. We just have to get down field and outrun their protection team and make tackles. After he gets machine gunned a couple of times he’s not going to be too quick to return punts. I’m not talking any trash either. I think he’s the best punt returner, best returner besides Jacoby. Jacoby’s on my time. I think he’s awesome. But our mentality is he has to play us.”

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs


Copyright © 2011, Chicago Tribune
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I just love it when teams get all up and cocky about not avoiding kicking the ball to Hester and it's even better when somebody says, "but our guys is better than yours".

I sure hope somebody tapes this one up for Hester and the ST coverage guys. "After he gets machine gun downed a couple of time he's not gonna be too quick to return punts". LOL

Oh man all you have to is read that to know it's the big bad Raiders we're playing and they won't let us forget that. These guys must hire coaches from the same place that Geico gets their Neanderthals for those commericals.

I was willing to look at this game as a meh. We win or maybe we don't no big deal week but now I want Hester to hammer them and our guys to make Jacoby Ford quake in his boots. All ofr a sudden this has gotten like Packer week for me. No team in the league is hated more in this town than the Raiders and with Hanie, who went to college at CSU, playing QB this entire town will be pulling for the Bears to trash Oakland on Sunday.

I want to beat their asses and beat them good!

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Originally Posted by soulman

I just love it when teams get all up and cocky about not avoiding kicking the ball to Hester and it's even better when somebody says, "but our guys is better than yours".I sure hope somebody tapes this one up for Hester and the ST coverage guys. "After he gets machine gun downed a couple of time he's not gonna be too quick to return punts". LOLOh man all you have to is read that to know it's the big bad Raiders we're playing and they won't let us forget that. These guys must hire coaches from the same place that Geico gets their Neanderthals for those commericals.I was willing to look at this game as a meh. We win or maybe we don't no big deal week but now I want Hester to hammer them and our guys to make Jacoby Ford quake in his boots. All ofr a sudden this has gotten like Packer week for me. No team in the league is hated more in this town than the Raiders and with Hanie, who went to college at CSU, playing QB this entire town will be pulling for the Bears to trash Oakland on Sunday.I want to beat their asses and beat them good!

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Gotta love it when ego gets in the way of intelligence. Go ahead, kick to him. I dare you!

Hell, now I want 'em to win the game via special teams!!

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Originally Posted by short faced bear

Hell, now I want 'em to win the game via special teams!!

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Yeah really makes you want to shut that corksoaker up doesn't it???

Hmm. Mike Mitchell. Yup, never heard of him. He must be really good. Does he also play special teams? Cuz watching him run around trying to catch Hester would be kinda enjoyable to watch...

I'm glad as hell they're gonna kick to him and I'm glad that everyone else does too but to me it's like playing "Return Game Russian Roulette". You know there's a bullet (TD) in the gun you're just hoping it's not in the chamber when it's your turn to pull the trigger (punt).


That's the great thing about that Raider machismo. "Keek eet outta bounds"? We don't need to stinking keek eet outta bounds". I love it when they give him his shot but it's really stupid to kick sand in his face with all bravisimo and comparison to Jacoby Ford. Maybe when Ford has done it 6 or 7 years instead of one or two he should be mentioned as being better but until then let the king rule the roost.

Love that Oakland has the balls to kick to Hester.

On a side note, Hester totally should have been called for a facemask in that pic

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Originally Posted by The Benjamin

Love that Oakland has the balls to kick to Hester.

On a side note, Hester totally should have been called for a facemask in that pic

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Benji what's with this facemask fixation you have all of a sudden? First it was DJ Moore on Stafford when he wasn't even close to his face and now Hester. If you looks you'll see that it hand is outstetched in a straight arm but he's not grabbing his facemask. In fact he's barely even touching it. A ball carrier is allowed a certain amount of latitude in doing that.

I believe you have the early warning signs of schizoidpsychofacialmaskoidis. Fortunately it seems we may have caught it in time and it is treatable if not wholly curable. For now just stop watching football games and drink 8 oz of warm milk each night before going to bed. I've called a prescription into Walgreens for you. Pick it up in the AM.:4_13_13[1]:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by soulman

Benji what's with this facemask fixation you have all of a sudden? First it was DJ Moore on Stafford when he wasn't even close to his face and now Hester. If you looks you'll see that it hand is outstetched in a straight arm but he's not grabbing his facemask. In fact he's barely even touching it. A ball carrier is allowed a certain amount of latitude in doing that.

I believe you have the early warning signs of schizoidpsychofacialmaskoidis. Fortunately it seems we may have caught it in time and it is treatable if not wholly curable. For now just stop watching football games and drink 8 oz of warm milk each night before going to bed. I've called a prescription into Walgreens for you. Pick it up in the AM.:4_13_13[1]:

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Hester is touching the facemask!!!!!!!!1 its obvious!