Thread: Is Hester the answer to fill Jeffery void?

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

How can he fill the go up and get it role that Jeffery was. In that aspect no; that has to be Earl.
But what he CAN do that Earl cannot is be the game changer, the guy that makes DB's miss, the guy that gets huge chuncks of yards at a time.
Both have to fill in the void that Jeffery is; Earl the big reliable guy; Hester the game changer. Both these guys are #3/4 wr's, neither is #1 or 2 worthy. Jeffery is a #2, and when Marshal is gone, very possibly a #1.

Both were targeted 6 times, both caught 3 passes, Hesters long was 23, Earl's 15, Hester averaged 12+ yards, Earl 9+. Earl has better hands in traffic and more reliable but Hester can get you and extra 3-4 yards b/c of how he can move in space.

To many people think Hester cannot be a WR b/c he cannot be a 1 or 2; but he's every bit as effective as a 3 or 4 as Bennett is. Difference is Bennett can also be a #2, although not effective as when he's a 3.

I'd like to see both getting 5-10 looks a game. I'm done w/the idea of Hester as a PR guy, as it constitutes right now he's average at best, and he's right now showing to be a better 3 wr.

Right here I think is the best way to look at it. Bennett is capable of stepping up in that #2 role whereas Hester is not and never really has been. Every year we hear how great he's doing in preseason camp yet it never shows up in the regular season when the pressure mounts and he has to think more about making adjustments in his routes and to the ball. That's what he lacks.

Get him deep with no one around him where he can make even the most acrobatic of catches or hit him with a quick throw is space where he can makes guys miss like he did Monday night and he can makes plays but when you start depending on him for the mundane he disappoints nearly every time.

But I don't agree with you about his status as a return man Ric. Every time we've ever overused him at WR his game as a returner suffers......always. So the simple solution is that if you want him sharper on returns then stop playing him so many snaps at WR. He's just a guy who needs to get himself loose and mentally prepared to return. I've been watching him prior to receiving punts and you can see just a little doubt there. He's not his usual self. He's pressing too hard and thinking too much and in his case that's not good.

He's an instinctive player not an intellectual player. When you get him thinking too much is when he has trouble and asking him to do too much in every game causes him to think about his assignments too much. So take that burden away and you have your HOF return guy back.

Come one, the guy has had six TD returns in the past two seasons and that followed a drought period where we were trying to make him a #1 WR. All they need to do it to stop overusing him on offense and let him get his head back in his return game and he'll be fine. From what I've seen he hasn't lost any of his speed and on Monday he proved again that when he has just a little space around him that you can't nail him one on one so they just need to let it happen.

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

Soul I have no doubt he's better w/less plays on O. But he's only getting 3-6 targets a game, I think 30% of the snaps is what I heard(but don't hold me to it) you use him any less and he's no longer use on O at all.

Right now he's to busy running side to side, and the blocks aren't there for him. But even when he does get some space, he doesn't have the speed you see on his retruns in the past. he's getting caught by the punters now Soul, last 2 years even when he gets open the P gets him. He's not hte ame guy that is guaranteed to eventually get the TD off the returns. But in this aspect we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Here's what I'm talking about Ric.

Interestingly, Hester has done his best work this season when his playing time has been limited. He arguably had best game of the year on offense in Week 4 versus the Dallas Cowboys (3-38-1) when he lined up at wideout for just eight of the teams 55 offensive snaps (15 percent). Hester also made an impact play the next week in Jacksonville when he hauled in a 39-yard pass even though he was on the field for 25 of the offense's 75 snaps (33 percent).

In a typical game we're gonna run between 60 and 70 plays. Limit his snaps to less than 20 per game (33% or less) and make them count. Stop using him to run routes he doesn't run well or ask him to leap or make back shoulder catches. He can't! Where is this "Hester Package" we were sold on? Tice is still using him in a very traditional way 90% of the time and it doesn't work.

Here ya' go.

"He did well," Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice said. "We just have to continue to work on our timing. If he runs a route and the read takes it to it, we got to connect. We got to hit those things. He did well."

Once again here's Tice talking about his timing and his reads neither of which Hester does well yet Tice keeps claiming he is doing well. He's not! If he was he's be pulling in 5 or 6 catches a game and gaining 80 or 90 yards on them. This is just more wishful thinking on the part of just one more OC.

The only way Hester is gonna get that kind of yardage per game is on one or two big plays where you set the other guy up for it. Work it until you get them playing him the way you want. A mismatch in the slot, single coverage outside against a one deep shell where the deep Safety has been shading Marshall like they did in Jacksonville. Hester can make the spectacular look easy but he screws up the easy and makes it look hard. He always has.

Yes he's not getting that last key block yet but in a game like Monday when he had a shot at a return from mid-field he blew it with a fair catch. He's thinking too much and he's hesitant. That's not him. He's daring and instinctive and right now he's just not playing that way. There's too much on his mind that relates to them using him too much and expecting too much at WR. Tice's comments prove that.

The punters aren't dragging him down from behind either. That's total nonsense. They're in his lane and not being blocked or he isn't getting the block ahead of that which gives him room to put a move on the punter. Go back and watch him leave that CB in the dust on that TD in Jax and tell me he's lost any of his speed.

He's running east/west too much on his returns. That I agree with you on. But so far the space and the lanes he usually gets aren't there. He's missing a couple of his key blockers (Graham for one) and he's not in sync with the new guys yet. I trust Dave Toub to get that fixed and to stay on him about taking more chances with his instincts. He's not playing as aggressively as he usually does.

If I see him being caught from behind by any punter the I'll be the first to agree with you but that's not what I see. I see his initial running lanes being closed. Guys coming through unblocked and he can't get started like he'd like to. Once he gets up to speed, and that only takes a few strides, he's off but right now he's not able to accelerate like he's used to. That may be what you're seeing.

Originally Posted by jackiejokeman

Uhhh ... what team has FOUR TE's on the roster ?

NO !!! It's not the Cubs, Soul you fuckin smartass !

Thats the Blackhawks.

The Cubs never spend money on TEs. They don't have any left after they overpay most of their outfield every year. Wrigley Field must have the smallest outfield in MLB. Couldn't they get by with just two overpaid outfielders instead of three? Two should be able to handle it right?

I'm not one of the guys who was voting for four TEs. I wanted them to keep Clutts and cut Adams or at least put him on the PS. He still had eligibility. In his own unique way Tice is as big a fool as Martz was but he isn't an arrogant asshole like Martz was so I like him more.