Will Devin Hester Be Ridiculous This Season?

Jake Perper by Senior Writer Written on June 29, 2009
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Last season, Devin Hester made the switch from full-time return specialist to full-time receiver.

Hester saw his numbers go up because he was not only the No. 1 receiver, but he actually knew all of the plays.

Here are his all-time career receiving stats:

2006: N/A

2007: 20 receptions, 299 yards, and two touchdowns

2008: 51 receptions, 665 yards, and three touchdowns

Even though Hester saw his numbers go up, he could have had a monster year if he had a quarterback with a better arm than Kyle Orton.

The switch to receiver took away from his return game last season, where he had zero touchdowns on both punts and kick returns. His average on kick returns was similar to 2007, but his punt return average was split in half.

You won’t see the incredible Devin Hester forcing kickers and punters to kick the ball away from him anymore, but you will see Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox returning kicks this season.

You will also watch Hester’s speed and determination help him get into the end zone. The Cutler and Hester combo should be pretty sweet this upcoming season.

I am pretty excited that the Bears finally have a big-time quarterback who can actually get the ball down the field. Having Devin Hester on the field with a big-time quarterback should give him the chance to take it the distance every time—he is one dangerous player.

I would warn teams to watch for Hester at all times on offense, and let's not forget that he will still be returning punts.

So, I think with a more reduced role on special teams and a solid quarterback with a big-time arm, he should be nothing but ridiculous this season.

What do you think?


Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com.
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written on June 29, 2009 Preview/Prediction

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