Thread: Hester looks lost out there on "O"

Originally Posted by 4th and 26

He needs to stop looking for a pass interference penalty when he looks like a turd flopping on the field half of the time. I could catch or attempt better at trying to catch some of those passes Jay has been throwing to him in coverage.

Bingo. Hester acts like he's not responsible for catching the ball every time there's a defender in close proximity. Every failure and every incomplete is purely because he was fouled and not because he was out of position, out-jumped, out-fought, and out-effort-ed every time in his mind. He's a waste on offense and the stats about "drops" are only a part of that story. The nonsense about him being a "receiver" has gone on way too long. And with his return skills clearly in decline, we need to seriously consider moving on from Devin Hester, as uncomfortable as that may appear right now, in 2013.

I think the time has come for Hester to be cut loose from this team. He is no longer an effective kick returner, and he has never been a very good receiver. This year has been his least productive season of his seven years he's been with the Bears. He's clearly lost a step on kick offs/punt returns, and he can't catch passes to save his life. Right now, our passing game is really a one-trick pony with the Cutler to Marshall connection. If, for some reason, those two should go south, so, too, will our offense. As much as we are capable of having a really potent running attack against most teams, a running game can't be the only solution to an offense's woes. That much was made evident in the Texans game when we weren't getting off passes like we needed to, when receivers like Hester and our main tight end, Davis, were dropping passes, and when the usually-reliable Bush fumbled the ball after he had made that huge gain on 4th and 1 in the 1st Quarter.

This is possibly the worst offense in the entire league. All those changes we made in the offseason have done little to improve it over last year save for the fact that a lot of the problems come from Tice's mystifying playcalling. I will say, however, that Tice called a pretty decent game from what I saw against Houston. We just didn't execute the game plan like we should have.

Originally Posted by bearsinhouston

I honestly believe we have the best running tandem in the NFL. It is something that teams would die for. And we don't use it effectively. If there was ever a game for running and ball control it was Sunday. You HAVE to pass to keep them honest (and you move to the pass if it is working - but the weather was horrible and it wasn't working anyway) but in a game like that you run it. And you thank your lucky stars that we have two excellent runners with a complimentary style. Use them.

And how hard is it to see when womething is successful? Houston is a really good D and they took the lanes away from Forte pretty good. But when we ran Bush, he got yards. How does a coach either not see that or ignore it?

Those are very good questions, houston. I really don't know where to begin to try and answer them. We ran the ball as many or more times than the Texans for I believe more total rushing yards, even though about 35-40 rushing yards came from Cutler's scrambles. Forte struggled to get outside, but you are correct when you talk about how Bush had success when he didn't fumble the ball. On most days, we have the best running tandem in football, but for some reason, Tice sees fit to not utilize the running backs in either the passing game or for running like he should. That baffles me. It's almost like because Forte is getting paid big bucks and Bush is not, he chooses not to have Bush carry the load when it appears that Forte is going to struggle in the game. A big chunk of this falls on Lovie's shoulders. He has the power to demand that Tice run the football more in football games and to put Bush in more times than he does. It's almost like Lovie is intimidated or something by Tice.

Originally Posted by MPBears68

Hate to say it, but I see it similarly all around. The "Hester package" has been a mirage and there's only a select few plays and situations where he can be used effectively on O as anything more than a decoy. We have massively mismanaged and under-utilized Bush & Bennett in particular. With Hester and Davis dropping passes left & right, and with the running attack being improperly called, and the RBs not being used as receivers or even in play action, and AJ being out, the only reliable weapon we have had is Marshall. It's no wonder that Cutler has been so focused on him primarily.

No one wants to face this, but unless DH can get back some mojo on STs, there's going to need to be some serious soul-searching this coming offseason regarding his future on the roster. The O--both player performance and coach playcalling/personnel management--has been a huge disappointment so far this year. Something has to change. We can't continue waiting for the D to score points and win the game every week. Really ridiculous when you think about it....

That.

I agree with you wholeheartedly, MP. The Bears are just lost right now without that second stud receiver (Jeffery). Even when we had Jeffery as an option, he wasn't being used nearly enough to satisfy everyone's wants and desires and, frankly, this team's needs. Still, he was the second most used receiver up until he broke his hand. Right now, we have three good receivers -- Marshall, Jeffery, and Bennett -- with only Marshall managing to stay healthy all season.

I hope that Jeffery gets back soon.

As far as Hester is concerned, he needs to go at the end of the season, but will the Bears be willing to part ways with a fan favorite who is still owed a lot of money guaranteed? That's my biggest concern. I could see the Bears drafting that kid out of the University of Missouri who has returned like five punts/kick offs for touchdowns this season (he returned one against Tennessee last Saturday) sometime in the later rounds and using him specifically for special teams.

I disagree with cutting Hester, completely. On the kick/punt returns, blocking has not been all that great, and his biggest problem is that he doesn't say "ahhh, hell with it" and just run straight ahead. He goes side to side too much, but that's not a reason to cut the guy. Maybe he has lost a step, but IF THEY USE HIM CORRECTLY, there's no need. It is slightly distressing to think that The Bears may have taken the longevity of its most valuable QB and KR because they don't use them properly, however.