Before the season started everyone thought with the new Bears pass happy offense orchestrated by Mike Martz that Jay Cutler would throw for a ridiculous amount of yards on the season spread out to a few receivers. This was because the Bears had no number one receiver so it seemed feasible that the Bears could have a few receivers hitting the 1,000 yards plateau on the season. With the regular season in the books let’s take a look at how the Bears receivers did stack up this season. Coming into this season we didn’t know who would emerge as the Bears number one wide receiver. Some thought it could be Devin Hester, Jonny Knox, and even Devin Aromashodu.
Well Knox emerged as the Bears number one receiver with 960 yards. He had 100 targets and averaged 18.8 yards per catch. He ranked 21st overall among wide receivers at the position. Not very good in the Martz pass happy offense. Knox showed this season he is never going to be a DeSean Jackson who ranked 12th among wide receivers with 1056 yards or Mike Wallace who ranked 5th among WR with 1257 yards. He is not a complete wide out like either of the mentioned elite players. Knox showed he is a one dimensional player who can run the deep route. This makes him a good second receiver, but not a number one.
Earl Bennett surprised most people by his strong play this season. Before the season started Sexy Rexy and I both agreed that Bennett was a good third receiver because he is solely a possession receiver, but he performs that job well. He emerged as a favorite target of Jay Cutler building off of the Vanderbilt connection and had 46 catches on 70 targets for 561 yards. Bennett came on in the 2nd half of the season, so his numbers next year should be better over the entire season.
When Mike Martz came he said he envisioned Devin Hester in a 3rd down role Lovie Smith quickly rejected that. However, in the long run Martz got what he wanted because it was best for the team. Hester is not a receiver and will never be a good one. He is fine on 3rd downs, and as a backup, but not as a Bears top three receiver. Hester caught 40 passes on way too many targets of 73 for 475 yards.
Two other Bears that were big in the receiving game were not wide receivers- tight end Greg Olsen and running back Matt Forte. Olsen caught 41 passes on 70 targets for 404 yards. Forte had slightly better numbers of 51 receptions on 70 targets for 547 yards with an average of 10.7 per yard.
My love for Devin Aromashodu is well documented. I thought he would emerge as the number one receiver if the Bears gave him the chance. The Bears wanted DA to play the slot and there is some controversy if he just wasn’t good in the slot or if he didn’t want to play it, but either way he lost the little respect the coaching staff had for him and got buried deeper on the bench. His chance of ever being good as a Bear is over so they may as well cut him so he has a chance to sign on with another team before his career is over before it ever got started. That makes me sad because he has tremendous talent.
Thus, the Bears have very good number two and three wide receivers in Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett. All they are missing is that number one receiver which hopefully they will find in free agency. That is a recap of the Bears wide receivers from the 2010-2011 season.
Showing posts with label Devin Hester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Devin Hester. Show all posts
Scouting From Bears Training Camp
As promised, a report from my experiences down in Bumblefuck, er, Bourbonnais Illinois- home of the Chicago Bears training camp. Two years ago, I went with friend-of-the-site-Keith (he's been on a few podcasts with us). I ended up severely spraining my ankle before walking through the entrance. And to add insult to injury (almost literally) we ended up leaving early because of severe thunderstorm warnings. After the two hour drive home, I turned on the news to realize that right after I had left, training camp had resumed again.
Last year, I went with a few more friends, including fellow Game Of Inches blog authors Cubsfan4evr and The 'Bright' One. A much better experience. We got out first look and discovered diamond-in-the-rough Devin Aromashodu and got video of back up quarterback Caleb Hanie stating that Jay Cutler sucks and that he should start. A much better experience to say the least.
So now it's becoming a GOI tradition- go down to Bourbannais to scout the team. This year, we had to take two cars and Cubsfan, myself, and six of our friends (TBO is currently in the Dominican Republic scouting for Cubs middle relievers) went down to see the team. Here are a few notes, anecdotes, interviews, pictures, and experiences from the trip:
- We saw a lot of the offense practicing (as they were right in front us). One of the big things that jumped out to us was how many plays were directed towards Johnny Knox. The first team wide outs consisted of Knox, Devin Aromashodu (D.A.), and Rashied Davis. No Hester on either first or second string teams (more on Hester later). It seemed obvious that the vast majority of the plays were designed and many of the targets went towards Knox, not D.A.
- Both D.A. and Knox looked really bad all day and missed a lot of easy passes. Very disappointing considering we at Game Of Inches are huge Aromashodu fans.
- Cubsfan and myself have a Board Bet for fantasy football: Johnny Knox v. Devin Aromashodu. I took Knox just because I think the Bears like him more and I believe he'll get the most opportunities and targets for the team. Friend of the blog Fantasy Football Spin and others have talked extensively about the wide receiver options for fantasy in Chicago. Current ADP had D.A. leading all Bears receivers with 96.74, followed by Knox with 133.63, and Hester with 134.39- and all within four WR slots of each other (with crappy Braylon Edwards being the fourth).
- Training camp has just reinforced my belief that Knox will get more targets than D.A. and thus holds more fantasy value in 2010. Listen, I love D.A. I think he's a legitimate #1 receiver much like Steve Smith was for the Giants last year. He's the biggest wide receiver Chicago has at 6-2, he's fast, and has the best hands on the team. But unfortunately the Bears are a bad organization and have fallen in love with the "#1" fifth round draft pick of 2009. I believe D.A. is the better talent but Knox is the better fantasy play and neither will be on any one of my fantasy teams.
Let's take a break and look at some actual players:
55: Lance Briggs; 54: Brian Urlacher; 95: Anthony Adams; 52: Kevin Malast
91: Tommie Harris; 94: Matt Mayberry; 27: Major Wright; 54: Brian Urlacher
6: Jay Culer
20: Craig Steltz; 26: Tim Jennings; 96: Barry Turner; 80: Earl Bennett
Now on to some Devin Hester talk:
- His absence from both special teams (where the only name of note returning kicks was Knox) and both the first and second string teams was very odd. When Hester was singing autographs for fans, one fan asked him if he was injured- which is the most logical reason for why Hester was not on the field. However, Hester said he was perfectly healthy. So I'm curious why 23 was not on the field practicing (but was suited up).
- My next guess is that Hester is really really really stupid and new offensive coordinator Mike Martz's system is really complicated and Hester still doesn't understand it. I remember Hester lining up next to Muhsin Muhammad and Moose having to yell at Devin to move over because he was standing at the wrong place on the line of scrimmage. But this is just a guess.
- I asked Hester: Over/Under 1200 yards for him in 2010? He didn't answer but the fans all said "over" and he agreed with them. I then asked him how many TD's he would get in the upcoming season and Hester said 10-11.
- I have an autograph football that many Bears have signed over the past couple of years that I literally held to Hester's face, twice, when he was signing autographs for fans. Not once did Hester sign it. He did however sign an autograph for my friend Keith. That dumb mo fo (Hester, not Keith). But hey, I'm not bitter.
- Some rookie wide out was carrying Hester's pads into the locker room. He probably won't make the team. Take a lesson Dez Bryant!
Anecdote and fun story time!
- One great thing I love about Bears training camp is that everyone is extremely nice and friendly (I'm sure this is the same at all training camps, but I only have experience with the Chicago team). We're all essentially in the same fraternity- the love of the Chicago Bears- so it makes sense. When I fell and hurt my ankle, the fans in line could not have been more nicer to me to help me up. When a firefighter at the camp looked at my ankle but said they couldn't give me an Advil because of "legal" reasons, one fan sitting next to me give me some of his spare Tylenol.
- When sitting in the stands this year, my friends and I were surrounded by many fans who we had the pleasure of talking to. Directly to the right of us (and directly behind Cubsfan) was an elderly gentleman by himself happily eating the Wendy's he had brought into the stadium. He mentioned at least four times how a back up tight end, who probably won't make the team, was wearing Mike Ditka's former number: 89. He also mentioned at least ten times that that used to be Willie Gault's former number. Willie Gault played for the great Bears team in the mid to late eighties and played for the Greatest Team Ever: the '85 Bears. I know this, not because I actually saw Willie Gault play (my parents weren't even married yet by January of 1986) but because this guy had to mentioned it 10 times and acted like my friends and I watched him play. I just turned 23 years old. Now admittedly I look older for my age (especially with the three day old 5 o'clock shadow I was rocking) and some of my friends do too. So say this guy thought we were 26-28 years old. That means we were about 5 when Willie Gault played. NO WE DON'T KNOW WHO WILLIE GAULT IS OR EVEN REMEMBER WHAT NUMBER HE WORE.
- There was a young couple sitting directly in front of us with young girls (their daughters). The husband was a probably a bigger Bears fan than all of us. He recalled the day after his second daughter was born watching a game in the hospital and told his wife that he would take care of his child and be there for her, but would not miss a Bears game. He was smart and brought his daughters along so he could get many of the "elite" players like Urlacher, Cutler, and Pepper's autograph (because players will gladly sign autographs for little kid. But screw the 16-49 year old males who actually buy tickets, follow the sport and team, and purchase merchandise. Again, I'm not bitter.)
- We all agreed that it was extremely stupid of the Bears to drop DE Alex Brown and to not pay him. He would have looked great opposite Julius Peppers, not that expensive, and this is an uncapped year anyway.
Some more TMZ-style interviews I conducted:
- I asked K Robbie Gould if he would ever become the all time NFL leader in field goal percentage. (He's currently 4th all time). Robbie laughed and said he'd have to wait about eight, nine more years to see how everything shakes out and hopes to last that long. He was cool and signed an autograph for me.
- On a fantasy football related note, even though Gould is an extremely accurate and good kicker, he was only the 13th best fantasy kicker in 2009 and the 16th best in 2008. Further proof that there is no amount of research you can do (nor should do) to draft kickers.
- I asked CB Charles "Peanut" Tillman which would he prefer: getting an INT in the game or making sure the receiver he covered didn't get a touch? (The reason I asked him this is because I am personally under the belief that INT are overrated and a cornerback like Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha or New York's Darrell Revis are awesome because they cover their receiver like white on rice, despite the lack of interceptions) However, Peanut was taken aback by my question and just responded "whatever the defense calls for". I then asked him: Over/Under 7 interceptions for the year? He said "over". He was also cool and signed an autograph for me.
- I asked rookie and soon-to-be-cut safety Quentin Scott which was the better 'Quentin' him or Carlos [White Sox OF Carlos Quentin]. The fans and him laughed and he responded "Oh, Carlos for sure. I played baseball, I know how good he is" I could have gotten an autograph but I already have LB Nick Roach and like nine other guys' autographs that I don't care about so I didn't want to make in 10.
Some final notes about the players I "scouted":
- Although it was an extremely limited amount of times and small sample size, former first round pick offensive lineman Chris Williams looked really good blocking Julius Peppers.
- However, the rest of the offensive line looked awful during drills of offensive vs. defensive lines.
- Northern Illinois alum and 3rd rounder Garrett Wolfe took all the second string snaps in practice. In case anyone was thinking about handcuffing Forte or Taylor with Khalil Bell, don't.
- Rashied Davis, who took Hester's place in practice, looked like the best receiver of the day. Didn't look at good as D.A. did last year, but still really good.
- No one this year stood out like Devin Aromashodu did to us last year
- In case anyone was wondering, Jay Cutler's back up is Caleb Hanie and not rookie Dan LeFevour. Hanie looked good with no defense on him but took a slight step backwards during the 7 on 7's. The Bears are screwed if Cutler goes down anyway but it's good to see Hanie look decently good in practice.
- The first string red zone offensive led by Cutler (and mainly targeting Knox) looked just as bad as the product on the actual field the past couple of years.
Finally, some more photos on the day:
90: Julius Peppers; Head Coach Lovie Smith
Robbie Gould signing an autograph for Keith
Charles "Peanut" Tillman
Sexy Rexy on the left and Cubsfan on the right
Last year, I went with a few more friends, including fellow Game Of Inches blog authors Cubsfan4evr and The 'Bright' One. A much better experience. We got out first look and discovered diamond-in-the-rough Devin Aromashodu and got video of back up quarterback Caleb Hanie stating that Jay Cutler sucks and that he should start. A much better experience to say the least.
So now it's becoming a GOI tradition- go down to Bourbannais to scout the team. This year, we had to take two cars and Cubsfan, myself, and six of our friends (TBO is currently in the Dominican Republic scouting for Cubs middle relievers) went down to see the team. Here are a few notes, anecdotes, interviews, pictures, and experiences from the trip:
- We saw a lot of the offense practicing (as they were right in front us). One of the big things that jumped out to us was how many plays were directed towards Johnny Knox. The first team wide outs consisted of Knox, Devin Aromashodu (D.A.), and Rashied Davis. No Hester on either first or second string teams (more on Hester later). It seemed obvious that the vast majority of the plays were designed and many of the targets went towards Knox, not D.A.
- Both D.A. and Knox looked really bad all day and missed a lot of easy passes. Very disappointing considering we at Game Of Inches are huge Aromashodu fans.
- Cubsfan and myself have a Board Bet for fantasy football: Johnny Knox v. Devin Aromashodu. I took Knox just because I think the Bears like him more and I believe he'll get the most opportunities and targets for the team. Friend of the blog Fantasy Football Spin and others have talked extensively about the wide receiver options for fantasy in Chicago. Current ADP had D.A. leading all Bears receivers with 96.74, followed by Knox with 133.63, and Hester with 134.39- and all within four WR slots of each other (with crappy Braylon Edwards being the fourth).
- Training camp has just reinforced my belief that Knox will get more targets than D.A. and thus holds more fantasy value in 2010. Listen, I love D.A. I think he's a legitimate #1 receiver much like Steve Smith was for the Giants last year. He's the biggest wide receiver Chicago has at 6-2, he's fast, and has the best hands on the team. But unfortunately the Bears are a bad organization and have fallen in love with the "#1" fifth round draft pick of 2009. I believe D.A. is the better talent but Knox is the better fantasy play and neither will be on any one of my fantasy teams.
Let's take a break and look at some actual players:
55: Lance Briggs; 54: Brian Urlacher; 95: Anthony Adams; 52: Kevin Malast 91: Tommie Harris; 94: Matt Mayberry; 27: Major Wright; 54: Brian Urlacher 6: Jay Culer 20: Craig Steltz; 26: Tim Jennings; 96: Barry Turner; 80: Earl BennettNow on to some Devin Hester talk:
- His absence from both special teams (where the only name of note returning kicks was Knox) and both the first and second string teams was very odd. When Hester was singing autographs for fans, one fan asked him if he was injured- which is the most logical reason for why Hester was not on the field. However, Hester said he was perfectly healthy. So I'm curious why 23 was not on the field practicing (but was suited up).
- My next guess is that Hester is really really really stupid and new offensive coordinator Mike Martz's system is really complicated and Hester still doesn't understand it. I remember Hester lining up next to Muhsin Muhammad and Moose having to yell at Devin to move over because he was standing at the wrong place on the line of scrimmage. But this is just a guess.
- I asked Hester: Over/Under 1200 yards for him in 2010? He didn't answer but the fans all said "over" and he agreed with them. I then asked him how many TD's he would get in the upcoming season and Hester said 10-11.
- I have an autograph football that many Bears have signed over the past couple of years that I literally held to Hester's face, twice, when he was signing autographs for fans. Not once did Hester sign it. He did however sign an autograph for my friend Keith. That dumb mo fo (Hester, not Keith). But hey, I'm not bitter.
- Some rookie wide out was carrying Hester's pads into the locker room. He probably won't make the team. Take a lesson Dez Bryant!
Anecdote and fun story time!
- One great thing I love about Bears training camp is that everyone is extremely nice and friendly (I'm sure this is the same at all training camps, but I only have experience with the Chicago team). We're all essentially in the same fraternity- the love of the Chicago Bears- so it makes sense. When I fell and hurt my ankle, the fans in line could not have been more nicer to me to help me up. When a firefighter at the camp looked at my ankle but said they couldn't give me an Advil because of "legal" reasons, one fan sitting next to me give me some of his spare Tylenol.
- When sitting in the stands this year, my friends and I were surrounded by many fans who we had the pleasure of talking to. Directly to the right of us (and directly behind Cubsfan) was an elderly gentleman by himself happily eating the Wendy's he had brought into the stadium. He mentioned at least four times how a back up tight end, who probably won't make the team, was wearing Mike Ditka's former number: 89. He also mentioned at least ten times that that used to be Willie Gault's former number. Willie Gault played for the great Bears team in the mid to late eighties and played for the Greatest Team Ever: the '85 Bears. I know this, not because I actually saw Willie Gault play (my parents weren't even married yet by January of 1986) but because this guy had to mentioned it 10 times and acted like my friends and I watched him play. I just turned 23 years old. Now admittedly I look older for my age (especially with the three day old 5 o'clock shadow I was rocking) and some of my friends do too. So say this guy thought we were 26-28 years old. That means we were about 5 when Willie Gault played. NO WE DON'T KNOW WHO WILLIE GAULT IS OR EVEN REMEMBER WHAT NUMBER HE WORE.
- There was a young couple sitting directly in front of us with young girls (their daughters). The husband was a probably a bigger Bears fan than all of us. He recalled the day after his second daughter was born watching a game in the hospital and told his wife that he would take care of his child and be there for her, but would not miss a Bears game. He was smart and brought his daughters along so he could get many of the "elite" players like Urlacher, Cutler, and Pepper's autograph (because players will gladly sign autographs for little kid. But screw the 16-49 year old males who actually buy tickets, follow the sport and team, and purchase merchandise. Again, I'm not bitter.)
- We all agreed that it was extremely stupid of the Bears to drop DE Alex Brown and to not pay him. He would have looked great opposite Julius Peppers, not that expensive, and this is an uncapped year anyway.
Some more TMZ-style interviews I conducted:
- I asked K Robbie Gould if he would ever become the all time NFL leader in field goal percentage. (He's currently 4th all time). Robbie laughed and said he'd have to wait about eight, nine more years to see how everything shakes out and hopes to last that long. He was cool and signed an autograph for me.
- On a fantasy football related note, even though Gould is an extremely accurate and good kicker, he was only the 13th best fantasy kicker in 2009 and the 16th best in 2008. Further proof that there is no amount of research you can do (nor should do) to draft kickers.
- I asked CB Charles "Peanut" Tillman which would he prefer: getting an INT in the game or making sure the receiver he covered didn't get a touch? (The reason I asked him this is because I am personally under the belief that INT are overrated and a cornerback like Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha or New York's Darrell Revis are awesome because they cover their receiver like white on rice, despite the lack of interceptions) However, Peanut was taken aback by my question and just responded "whatever the defense calls for". I then asked him: Over/Under 7 interceptions for the year? He said "over". He was also cool and signed an autograph for me.
- I asked rookie and soon-to-be-cut safety Quentin Scott which was the better 'Quentin' him or Carlos [White Sox OF Carlos Quentin]. The fans and him laughed and he responded "Oh, Carlos for sure. I played baseball, I know how good he is" I could have gotten an autograph but I already have LB Nick Roach and like nine other guys' autographs that I don't care about so I didn't want to make in 10.
Some final notes about the players I "scouted":
- Although it was an extremely limited amount of times and small sample size, former first round pick offensive lineman Chris Williams looked really good blocking Julius Peppers.
- However, the rest of the offensive line looked awful during drills of offensive vs. defensive lines.
- Northern Illinois alum and 3rd rounder Garrett Wolfe took all the second string snaps in practice. In case anyone was thinking about handcuffing Forte or Taylor with Khalil Bell, don't.
- Rashied Davis, who took Hester's place in practice, looked like the best receiver of the day. Didn't look at good as D.A. did last year, but still really good.
- No one this year stood out like Devin Aromashodu did to us last year
- In case anyone was wondering, Jay Cutler's back up is Caleb Hanie and not rookie Dan LeFevour. Hanie looked good with no defense on him but took a slight step backwards during the 7 on 7's. The Bears are screwed if Cutler goes down anyway but it's good to see Hanie look decently good in practice.
- The first string red zone offensive led by Cutler (and mainly targeting Knox) looked just as bad as the product on the actual field the past couple of years.
Finally, some more photos on the day:
90: Julius Peppers; Head Coach Lovie Smith Robbie Gould signing an autograph for KeithCharles "Peanut" TillmanSexy Rexy on the left and Cubsfan on the right
Devin Hester: DeSean Jackson or Joshua Cribbs?
TBO once said to me about Hester being a wide out and a kick returner (possibly on a podcast, but I don't think so): how many guys do you see that's both the teams #1 wide receiver and also their punt returner? You don't see Randy Moss or TO out there on special teams do you? Why do the Bears think Hester can do the same? (I might be paraphrasing a little, and by a little I mean a lot). This was before Cribbs and Jackson became prominent on their respected teams, and he brought up a good point.
But with the advent of the stellar season that DeSean Jackson had both in the special teams game and being the teams number one and best receiver (in fact Jackson was named to the Pro Bowl twice in 2010- for being a wide receiver and a kick returner), it is clear that there is nothing inherent preventing a player from being both a great kick returner and receiver.
But then we have an example of what mostly happens- Josh Cribbs. After a few years, when Hester's talent seemingly inevitably declined, Josh Cribbs took his place as the best return man in the game (fun fact: both Hester and Cribbs were named to the NFL's all decade team, Hester as a punt returner and Cribbs and a kick returner). And what the Bears did with Hester, the Browns did with Cribbs- made the man the teams number one receiver. And the same happened happened to both guys- they sucked in their respected offenses.
After years of the Bears promising us fans that Devin Hester would be the teams' number one receiver, and even after the team finally got a QB able of actually making completions to his receiver (and of course to the other teams as well...), I am declaring the Devin Hester experiment over. I think Devin has come to this conclusion as well. Last Thursday, ESPNChicago reported that Devin wants a bigger role in the return game and if it comes as a sacrifice to him being a wide out, so be it.
I said (Click on the "PODCAST" link on the top and listen to the one with me and Keith on 7.7.09, see 7:50 into it) before the 2009/10 season that after 8 games, if Hester is sucking as both a receiver and a returner- make him a full time returner. Of course, the Bears didn't listen to me and Hester was the teams #1 wide out and had limited work returning. As it turns out, Johnny Knox was the teams best kick returner (Danieal Manning was the teams best last year) and Devin Aromashodu was the teams best receiver (don't deny it, plus DA had one more TD in 7 less games).
Last year, Hester had 57 receptions for 757 yards and 3 TDs, 31 returns for 434 yards (both on punts and kick returns), and 6 rushing attempts for -1 yards.
DeSean Jackson had 63 receptions for 1167 yards (about 1055 if he had 57 receptions) and 9 TDs, 30 returns for 441 yards and 2 TDs, and 11 rushes for 137 yards and a TD.
Joshua Cribbs had 20 receptions for 135 yards and a TD (504 yards if he had 57 receptions) and a TD, 94 returns for 1994 yards and 4 TDs, and 55 rushes for 381 yards and a TD.
Plato talks about in The Republic, that in a perfect society, each person should do the job they were meant to do. You could be a great carpenter but if you were meant to be an ever better warrior, then you are doing a disservice to society by being a carpenter over a warrior. The same logic applies to Devin Hester. The man was on his way (maybe even there) to being the best return man of all time. Then the Bears made him a wide receiver and both his skills as a returner and a wide out diminished.
When the Bears made Hester a wide out, they really didn't have any other options. However, with a corps of DA, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett (all being a different type of receiver) and having Joaquin Iglesias and, uh, I don't know, Rashied Davis be the teams 4th and 5th receiver- there's not even a need to make Hester a receiver anymore.
Devin Hester is clearly MUCH more like Joshua Cribbs than DeSean Jackson and the Bears (and the Browns) should treat him as such. Let the man do what he do best- make him a full time punt returner, and stop putting him in the offense.
But with the advent of the stellar season that DeSean Jackson had both in the special teams game and being the teams number one and best receiver (in fact Jackson was named to the Pro Bowl twice in 2010- for being a wide receiver and a kick returner), it is clear that there is nothing inherent preventing a player from being both a great kick returner and receiver.
But then we have an example of what mostly happens- Josh Cribbs. After a few years, when Hester's talent seemingly inevitably declined, Josh Cribbs took his place as the best return man in the game (fun fact: both Hester and Cribbs were named to the NFL's all decade team, Hester as a punt returner and Cribbs and a kick returner). And what the Bears did with Hester, the Browns did with Cribbs- made the man the teams number one receiver. And the same happened happened to both guys- they sucked in their respected offenses.
After years of the Bears promising us fans that Devin Hester would be the teams' number one receiver, and even after the team finally got a QB able of actually making completions to his receiver (and of course to the other teams as well...), I am declaring the Devin Hester experiment over. I think Devin has come to this conclusion as well. Last Thursday, ESPNChicago reported that Devin wants a bigger role in the return game and if it comes as a sacrifice to him being a wide out, so be it.
I said (Click on the "PODCAST" link on the top and listen to the one with me and Keith on 7.7.09, see 7:50 into it) before the 2009/10 season that after 8 games, if Hester is sucking as both a receiver and a returner- make him a full time returner. Of course, the Bears didn't listen to me and Hester was the teams #1 wide out and had limited work returning. As it turns out, Johnny Knox was the teams best kick returner (Danieal Manning was the teams best last year) and Devin Aromashodu was the teams best receiver (don't deny it, plus DA had one more TD in 7 less games).
Last year, Hester had 57 receptions for 757 yards and 3 TDs, 31 returns for 434 yards (both on punts and kick returns), and 6 rushing attempts for -1 yards.
DeSean Jackson had 63 receptions for 1167 yards (about 1055 if he had 57 receptions) and 9 TDs, 30 returns for 441 yards and 2 TDs, and 11 rushes for 137 yards and a TD.
Joshua Cribbs had 20 receptions for 135 yards and a TD (504 yards if he had 57 receptions) and a TD, 94 returns for 1994 yards and 4 TDs, and 55 rushes for 381 yards and a TD.
Plato talks about in The Republic, that in a perfect society, each person should do the job they were meant to do. You could be a great carpenter but if you were meant to be an ever better warrior, then you are doing a disservice to society by being a carpenter over a warrior. The same logic applies to Devin Hester. The man was on his way (maybe even there) to being the best return man of all time. Then the Bears made him a wide receiver and both his skills as a returner and a wide out diminished.
When the Bears made Hester a wide out, they really didn't have any other options. However, with a corps of DA, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett (all being a different type of receiver) and having Joaquin Iglesias and, uh, I don't know, Rashied Davis be the teams 4th and 5th receiver- there's not even a need to make Hester a receiver anymore.
Devin Hester is clearly MUCH more like Joshua Cribbs than DeSean Jackson and the Bears (and the Browns) should treat him as such. Let the man do what he do best- make him a full time punt returner, and stop putting him in the offense.
The Break Out Game For Devin Aromashodu
All GOI readers should know by now that since I went to Bears training camp I have been a fan of journeyman wide receiver Devin Aromashodu. A few weeks ago when the Bears receivers weren't doing much I lobbied for him to get more playing time. I said
After Devin Aromashodu saw some action I thought he would get more playing time. Cutler has always said good things about him and likes him because he is a big, fast target, who has good hands. Then DA had a good game which I thought would get him more playing time but I wasn't sure because Lovie Smith wasn't big on him. With Hester out and Knox getting injured DA had more playing time in the game on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
DA did get a lot of playing time on Sunday and showed why he should be out there even when Hester and Knox are healthy. He caught seven passes for 150 yards and had one touchdown catch to win the game! He looked liked a number one receiver. I don’t know if he will be that good, but he has a chance to be that on the Bears, and sure looks better than any other Bear receiver. I like Knox and his speed, but DA can go up and get the ball or stretch out using his length.
The Three big catches by DA:
I am excited to see the Bears play Detroit next week and see what DA can do against them. I am finally excited about the Bears for the first time since the season started thanks to him and Cutler!
I wish we would see more of Devin Aromashodu though. He was injured to start the season so he wasn’t given a chance. Devin Aromashodu was supposed to be ahead of Jonny Knox of the depth chart before his injury. He missed a few weeks, but has been back for a while. Now there is no playing time for him. I saw Devin Aromashodu at training camp and he looked good. He is tall at 6-2, fast, and seemed to have very good hands making some hard catches on the day I went. He has been on a few teams now for a reason, but I think if he was given a few throws his ways, he would wow Chicago fans. For now it is up to Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett to carry the load though.
After Devin Aromashodu saw some action I thought he would get more playing time. Cutler has always said good things about him and likes him because he is a big, fast target, who has good hands. Then DA had a good game which I thought would get him more playing time but I wasn't sure because Lovie Smith wasn't big on him. With Hester out and Knox getting injured DA had more playing time in the game on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
DA did get a lot of playing time on Sunday and showed why he should be out there even when Hester and Knox are healthy. He caught seven passes for 150 yards and had one touchdown catch to win the game! He looked liked a number one receiver. I don’t know if he will be that good, but he has a chance to be that on the Bears, and sure looks better than any other Bear receiver. I like Knox and his speed, but DA can go up and get the ball or stretch out using his length.
The Three big catches by DA:
I am excited to see the Bears play Detroit next week and see what DA can do against them. I am finally excited about the Bears for the first time since the season started thanks to him and Cutler!
About Time For Devin Aromashodu
GOI readers should know that I am a fan of Devin Aromashodu. I saw him at training camp and liked him ever since. He was supposed to start the season as the third receiver, but started the season injured and needed to miss a few games. This opened the door for rookie Johnny Knox who took the opportunity and locked his spot as a starting wide receiver. I am glad we were able to see what Knox could do, but now we need to get more playing time for Aromashodu with Knox and Devin Hester. Devin Aromashodu was injured for the first few games, but then the Bears kept him inactive for several more weeks when he could have played.
Since training camp Cutler has said that he like Devin Aromashodu as a receiver. I saw him live at training camp and Aromashodu has very good hands, good height (he is the Bears tallest receiver), and he has good speed. He seems to catch anything in sight. A few weeks ago I said we need to play him now but the Bears have finally heard me. The Bears season is over. They are not going anywhere, so why not use the rest of the season to see what we have and evaluate our talent for next season.
Devin Hester is injured and had to miss the last game. That opened up an opportunity for Devin Aromashodu and he took advantage of it! Devin Aromashodu reffered to as
D.A. was thrown to 12 times, making 8 grabs for 76 yards and a TD. His touchdown catch was a really good hard catch. I don't think any other Bears receiver could have made that catch. Jay Cutler likes Devin Aromashodu and it shows. They are on the same page and if his playing time contiunes the future could be bright for the Bears receiving core if our offensive line gives them some time.
Lovie Smith said after the game that Hesther could have made those catches and more. I like Hester and he has great speed, but he couldn't make those catches. DA has great hands that Hester doesn't have. I hope DA continues to play when Hester returns. DA should split time with Earl Bennett or take it all together. I think a receiving core of Hester, Knox, and Devin Aromashodu would be really good next year if the offensive line can give Cutler time and change the game by having some type of running game because the Bears rank last in rushing in the NFL. Smith may not play DA that much, and may put Bennett ahead of him because the Bears and Lovie Smith look at Pedigree and where they were drafted for deciding playing time. Part of the reason why Smith is a bad coach and needs to go with Angelo. Lets hope Devin Aromashodu proves him wrong!
Since training camp Cutler has said that he like Devin Aromashodu as a receiver. I saw him live at training camp and Aromashodu has very good hands, good height (he is the Bears tallest receiver), and he has good speed. He seems to catch anything in sight. A few weeks ago I said we need to play him now but the Bears have finally heard me. The Bears season is over. They are not going anywhere, so why not use the rest of the season to see what we have and evaluate our talent for next season.
Devin Hester is injured and had to miss the last game. That opened up an opportunity for Devin Aromashodu and he took advantage of it! Devin Aromashodu reffered to as
D.A. was thrown to 12 times, making 8 grabs for 76 yards and a TD. His touchdown catch was a really good hard catch. I don't think any other Bears receiver could have made that catch. Jay Cutler likes Devin Aromashodu and it shows. They are on the same page and if his playing time contiunes the future could be bright for the Bears receiving core if our offensive line gives them some time.
Lovie Smith said after the game that Hesther could have made those catches and more. I like Hester and he has great speed, but he couldn't make those catches. DA has great hands that Hester doesn't have. I hope DA continues to play when Hester returns. DA should split time with Earl Bennett or take it all together. I think a receiving core of Hester, Knox, and Devin Aromashodu would be really good next year if the offensive line can give Cutler time and change the game by having some type of running game because the Bears rank last in rushing in the NFL. Smith may not play DA that much, and may put Bennett ahead of him because the Bears and Lovie Smith look at Pedigree and where they were drafted for deciding playing time. Part of the reason why Smith is a bad coach and needs to go with Angelo. Lets hope Devin Aromashodu proves him wrong!
Surprisingly Not The First Time Seeing Hester's Ass
A video replay of an incomplete pass on the final Bears drive showed a "wardrobe malfunction" of Devin Hester's ass to all of America's youth. Considering I have spent 100 hours studying for my anatomy exam the past 3 weeks, I am quite impressed with Mr. Hester's ischial tuberosity. I thought about putting the video on the blog myself, but was too depressed from watching the Bears lose another one. But since deadspin has the pics and video up in the middle of the night, I guess I'll just rip them off for the first time ever.
How are the Bears wide Receivers holding up?
Last season the Chicago Bears brought in two veteran receivers in Brandon Lloyd and Marty Booker. Both of them didn’t contribute much and factor in much. So this off-season the Bears decided to not bring in any veteran receivers who would be mediocre and decided to turn to their youth. They didn’t want any veteran’s taking away from playing time from young players who may be better. So the Bears went into the season with several wide receivers in the mix. The six wide receivers listed on the Bears roster are: Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett, Rashied Davis, Juaquin Iglesias, and Devin Aromashodu.
The three main receivers are Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett. Devin Hester has 28 catches for 373 yards. That is an average of 13.3 yeards per catch. The rookie Johnny Knox has made an impact fast. He has 21 catches for 266 yards. That is an average of 12.7 per catch. Earl Bennett the rookie has caught 23 catches for 305 yards. His average is 13.3 yards per catch.
The other three wide receivers have barley played. Rashied Davis has lined up in limited action this season as a wide reviver. He has played more on special teams. As a wide reviver he caught two passes for 16 total yards. The rookie Juaquin Iglesias has caught no passes. Journeyman Devin Aromashodu has also caught no passes.
This is not taking into account the Tight ends and the running back Forte catching passes. This is focusing on the wide receivers. The nucleus of Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett have done well.
I wish we would see more of Devin Aromashodu though. He was injured to start the season so he wasn’t given a chance. Devin Aromashodu was supposed to be ahead of Jonny Knox of the depth chart before his injury. He missed a few weeks, but has been back for a while. Now there is no playing time for him. I saw Devin Aromashodu at training camp and he looked good. He is tall at 6-2, fast, and seemed to have very good hands making some hard catches on the day I went. He has been on a few teams now for a reason, but I think if he was given a few throws his ways, he would wow Chicago fans. For now it is up to Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett to carry the load though.
The three main receivers are Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett. Devin Hester has 28 catches for 373 yards. That is an average of 13.3 yeards per catch. The rookie Johnny Knox has made an impact fast. He has 21 catches for 266 yards. That is an average of 12.7 per catch. Earl Bennett the rookie has caught 23 catches for 305 yards. His average is 13.3 yards per catch.
The other three wide receivers have barley played. Rashied Davis has lined up in limited action this season as a wide reviver. He has played more on special teams. As a wide reviver he caught two passes for 16 total yards. The rookie Juaquin Iglesias has caught no passes. Journeyman Devin Aromashodu has also caught no passes.
This is not taking into account the Tight ends and the running back Forte catching passes. This is focusing on the wide receivers. The nucleus of Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett have done well.
I wish we would see more of Devin Aromashodu though. He was injured to start the season so he wasn’t given a chance. Devin Aromashodu was supposed to be ahead of Jonny Knox of the depth chart before his injury. He missed a few weeks, but has been back for a while. Now there is no playing time for him. I saw Devin Aromashodu at training camp and he looked good. He is tall at 6-2, fast, and seemed to have very good hands making some hard catches on the day I went. He has been on a few teams now for a reason, but I think if he was given a few throws his ways, he would wow Chicago fans. For now it is up to Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, and Earl Bennett to carry the load though.
