Player Profile…Devin Hester
The second of our Devins, Hester is probably one of the most discussed players on the Chicago Bears. He got instantly famous with his awesome kick returns and amazing play maker abilities, but the Chicago Bears felt it would be worth their while to move him into a wide receiver position. This appeared to throw Devin Hester off of his game and he has been struggling as a returner.
Will the real Devin Hester Please Stand Up!!!
There is no question that Hester has some great talent. He has blazing speed, great moves and is an amazing athlete. However, the move from defensive back to wide receiver has not gone as smoothly as many fans would have liked. Hester at times has made some nice catches, but he also drops passes and does not always seem to know his assignment. While getting the ball in Devin Hester’s hands seems to be important to the Chicago Bears, his play has dipped due to this move from returner to full-time wide receiver.
The Verdict
This whole Devin Hester situation is like ordering a steak, feeling that it is great, but sending it back for something else. I am still pondering why the Chicago Bears would take a weapon like Hester and turn him into a mediocre wide receiver. This will be a huge season for Hester and he will have a lot to prove. The talent is still there, but is all of this transition too far in his head? I think that we may be surprised by his production but still long for the human highlight film.
Five Reasons to Be Pessimistic about the Bears
The Chicago Bears had an extremely disappointing season in 2009 with a 7-9 record and a franchise-type quarterback that threw the ball to the other team as often as he threw touchdown passes. While the Bears defense performed as to be expected in the front seven minus Brian Urlacher, the secondary (except Peanut Tillman) were horrible. Here are five reasons why the Bears may be horrible next season.
1. The Return of Lovie Smith
As the famous saying goes, “coaches are hired to be fired”. Well Lovie certainly tried his best to make this statement a reality last season. If I was not at the famous timeout/challenge/timeout game against the Packers, I would not have believed it. Based on that brilliant move alone, he should have voluntarily resigned. So instead, we are stuck with him for another season. While I do not suggest that Lovie owes us anything, his smug attitude and condescending tone seems really out of line for a coach that turned a Super Bowl team into a mid-level draft pick contender.
2. The Front Office (more…)
Reason #4 to be Optimistic about the Bears
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends. Finally after around 14 games the Bears identified Devin Aromashodu as a productive NFL receiver. Devin Hester has a lot of talent at the position as well (I am sure some would disagree with me on this, but for a guy that has played it for only a few years he keeps making strides…this is the optimistic part, I will have something to say about this in the pessimistic part as well). Earl Bennett showed some flashes as well. Greg Olsen by most people’s counts is a great tight end (again, wait until my pessimistic rants). Desmond Clark is not too shabby either. So Cutler may have something to work with and with a year under his belt with these guys, this may actually work out.
Week 4 Ratings: Second Half Defense Leads Bears over Eagles
In week 4, the Chicago Bears looked like a playoff team, at times. At other times, the Bears looked like a last place team. The Bears come out of the gates quick, putting up 7 points in three plays. Taking a 21-14 point lead into half time, the third game the Bears lead going into the half. The third quarter was a mess though, and the Bears offense turned the ball over three times, while gaining just four yards and zero first downs. The defense came through though on a huge goal line stand, forcing a turn over on downs by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears almost blew another fourth quarter lead, but came out on top, 24-20.
Lets take a look at how the Bears did, position by position.
Quarterback- 18/34, 199 yrds, 3 td, 2 int- Rating: 3/5
Kyle Orton started off great. Taking the Bears down the field in three plays, all passing, on their opening drive resulting in a 19-yard pass to Greg Olsen. Orton would finish with three touchdowns, a career high. All three touchdowns came in the first half though. The second half was a different story though. In the third quarter Orton turned the ball over three times, one interception and two fumbles. All three turnovers came on three consecutive possessions. In the end, Orton turned out a pretty good performance, but needs to play like he did the first half more consistently if the Bears are going to make a run at the division.
Running Backs- 26 carries, 78 yrds, 3.0 avg- 6 catches, 43 yards- Rating: 3.5/5
This was not the best rushing performance by the Bears run game, but it did the job. They picked up yards in key situations. Matt Forte carried the ball 19 times for just 43 yards. Kevin Jones spelled him three times for 16 yards. Devin Hester gained 15 yards on an end around, and Marty Booker picked up three yards on what looked to be a wide receiver option. Forte continued to be a reliable receiving option for Orton out of the backfield though, as Orton found him five times when he was getting into trouble. In the end, you would like to see the ground game pick up more yards, but in a game where Orton shined in the first half, the ground game was able to eat away the clock in the fourth quarter. Forte turned in a total 24 touches for 88 yards.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends- 12 catches, 157 yrds, 3 TDs- Rating: 3.5/5
The Chicago Bears reveiving core looked great as a group, but no one stood out alone. Hester, Booker and Olsen all caught touch down passes. Hester also dropped a pass over the middle of the field that would proably have ended in a touchdown. He redemed himself with a 20 yard grab down the sideline for a second quarter touchdown that put Chicago up 21-14. Olsen had three catches, and zero turnovers! Booker also got his first touchdown back with the Bears. Brandon Lloyd, last weeks leading wide out, had two catches for 33 yards before leaving with an injury, which he did not return from. Besides the dropped catch by Hester, the wide outs performed well.
Defensive Line- 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks – Rating: 4/5
The Chicago Bears were without pro-bowl defensive lineman Tommie Harris and did not have to face pro-bowl running back Brian Westbrook or pro-bowl guard Shaun Andrews. They held running back Correll Buckhalter to just 66 yards rushing but he averaged 4.1 yards per carry. The were able to keep Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb on the run though, sacking him 1.5 times. The line made a huge stop in the fourth quarter though. As the eagles drove 75 yards down the field with hopes of tying the, the Chicago Bears stopped them at the one yard line on 3 consecutive plays, yielding a turn over on downs.
Linebackers- 11 tackles, 1 sack- Rating: 3.5/5
The Bears linebackers played a great game Sunday, although not putting up huge numbers. Lance Briggs was continuosly chasing guys around the field, and had two crowed ‘awwing’ hits. Hunter Hillenmeyer sacked McNabb once, and Brain Urlacher was all over the field as usual, picking up 8 tackles.
Defensive Secondary- 22 tackles, .5 sack, 1 int- Rating 4/5
The Chicago Bears secondary played very well Sunday, allowing the least amount of passing yards and touchdowns by McNabb for the season. Danieal Manning got into the back field to assist Ogunleye in a sack. Kevin Payne tied Urlacher for the team lead in sacks with 8 tackles, he also returned an interception for 49 yards, almost scoring a touchdown. The secondary had a touch time trying to cover speedy rookie DeShawn Jackson who scored the only receiving touchdown for the Eagles. Charles Tillman left in the fourth quarter after being in obvious pain after missing a tackle. The Bears secondary was able to prevent any really big plays, something usually tough for the opposing teams to do against the Eagles offense.
Overall Team Rating: 4/5
The Chicago Bears were the clear underdogs against the Eagles, as nobody was really giving them a chance. The Bears showed early that they were a team that should not be looked over. The second half play by the Bears offense, mainly Orton, was clear to why they blew second half leads the last two weeks and are only 2-2. The defense showed its true character with their goal line stand, which was definitely the focal point of the second half.
While it was first half offense that got the Bears going in week 4, it was traditional Chicago Bears defense that finished of the game in the second half.
Recap Week 4 – Eagles Vs. Bears
The Bears started off the game sharp with a 19 yard touchdown pass from Kyle Orton to Greg Olsen. Orton ended up with 199 passing yards and a career high three touchdowns. Orton also managed to make all four of the Bears turnovers with two interceptions and two fumbles. Matt Forte ran for 43 yards on 19 carries and five receptions for 42 yards. Marty Booker and Devin Hester also got in the mix with Booker’s one catch for a 23 yard touchdown and Hester’s three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles on the other hand weren’t the same without Westbrook and I’m sure they would contribute his absence to their loss. The starting running back, Correll Buckhalter, had 16 carries for 66 yards and two catches for 24 yards. McNabb threw for 262 yards with one touchdown and one interception. McNabb’s only touchdown went to rookie DeShawn Jackson in the first quarter.
The Bears went into the fourth quarter with the lead and finally managed to hold it. After two huge defensive stops at the goal line, the Bears walked away with a 24 to 20 win. It was a lot closer than many fans would like to have seen, but a win is a win.
The Bears will travel next week to Detroit to face the Millenless Lions.
