adam

Worst article title ever, geez. http://www.nfpost.com/Biggs-Bears-tight-en...r-the-year.html

1.5%? Not human. 110 routes? How do you defend against that?

I still think he should be used in certain situations, but I guess with all the other options, there is no reason to risk injury.

Hester is too good of a playmaker not to be at least above-average. He may not ever become a true #1, but with the way Olsen is looking, the Bears may not even need one.

A new Dr. Seuss movie perhaps?

Yeah, I posted it in the TC thread: http://www.talkbears.com/forums/index.php?...ost&p=66619

Yeah, I saw that article too, then realized he actually had some videos posted.

Alex Brown has some TC videos on his site: http://www.alexbrown96.com/

On a good note, at least we have some intelligent posters on here who usually back up their comments with valid facts and arguments - and even though most are excited to add Cutler, you usually don't see the OMFGWEZRGONAGO16N0NWINDASUPABOWL posts!

I think of it this way. 7 wins would be a disappointment, and 13 wins would be a surprise. However, I think we have more of a shot at 13 than we do 7. Unless this team gets crushed by injuries, I can't see us winning less than we did last year. Also, by saying Cutler is ringing up the points so that will work against the defense is silly. How many times did we have 3 and outs last year? Or drives lasting only 5 or 6 downs? Cutler is going to allow the Bears to extend drives and keep the defense fresh. That is huge and cannot be overlooked.

From the videos, Hester looks like he is running with more authority or in another gear. Confidence and/or experience starting to set it?

Bowman has looked really good given the opportunity. I just hope it is because of his play and not the WRs.

I think of Brees and someone like Colston. He is a good receiver, but becomes even better when he has a great QB like Brees. I think Cutler is that type of QB. He can get away with some things others cannot. From watching Denver's training camp videos, it doesn't seem like they are too thrilled with the passing game. I saw more footage about the defense and the running game.

Cutler became Denver's starting QB Week 13 in 2006. Before that game Brandon Marshall had caught 6 passes for 76 yards and 1 TD the entire season. The first pass he catches from Cutler? A 71 yard TD strike, and from then on they both stayed in as starters. Now you can say that Marshall helped Cutler, and I am sure he did, but Marshall was essentially a non-factor until Cutler started. It will be interesting to see what Marshall and Royal do this year.

Really odd timing to say the least. Hard to imagine this was a new injury.

That is true. Dominant receivers don't equate to Super Bowls. Great QBs, a great running game, and a great Defense normally do. If look back at the past winners since 2000. Most had a dominant Defense (PIT, NYG, NE, TB, BAL), a great QB (PIT, NYG, IND, NE), and a solid running game (NYG, IND, PIT, NE, BAL). Hell, PIT won last year with their leading receiver having 1,009 yards and leading rusher having 791 yards, but had a sick Defense. I also think Hester will crack the top 30.

How does Driver know "what we have right now"? He also never mentions potential, he just said "they don't have the receiver group" or "receivers that can make plays down field". How does he know this? Just because there are a bunch of young receivers? Also, what does that say about Hester? He can't make plays downfield? Also, Driver is an odd one to make these comments. He didn't do jack until his 4th season, and I wouldn't be surprised if you saw his numbers slip this year with him being 34.

That seems feasible, and it is not like we couldn't pick someone up in the event of an injury. I just like to think that we only need 1 QB.

Yeah Driver's comments have a lot of weight coming from a former 7th round pick. /sarcasm He should be the one saying, hey look at me, I was drafted in the 7th round and turned out pretty good. He also forgot to mention Olsen/Clark, so he clearly doesn't know the team very well.

If you had to pick what type of season Denver will have this year (trainwreck or surprising success), I would have to go with the trainwreck. If McDaniels has lost trust in numerous players on that roster, it could be an ugly year.

1) I agree that injury risk is much higher. I also think that KR/PR actually run into different problems if they stay exclusively as return men. One problem is contracts. Teams don't want to pay big bucks for a guy that is only going to play 6-8 plays a game. 2) I was thinking more along the lines of Hester (KR/PR) compared to a normal returner vs Hester (as WR) compared to a normal receiver. The differences right now lean towards Hester being a KR/PR since the upside is so much higher. Now I am hoping that this year is the year that it all changes. 3) No matter where Hester is on the field, he is going to draw attention and make teams game plan around him. Which is good. That is why I think they should still use him sparingly as a returner. Maybe open up the game or half as KR, and as a PR on important punt returns. All in all, it is a good problem to have.

Great point nfo. I never thought about it that way.

I like the NYG defense, but their offense was all run. 2x 1,000 yard rushers and one is gone. Not a single receiver with over 600 yards receiving. Also, they lost Spagnuolo who was the architect behind that defense. They are due to regress. They went 1-4 (including playoff loss) in their last 5 games in 2008 (all without Plax).

I agree that any extra play during the game is going to take something out of you, but I think the injury potential is one of the biggest factors. I agree that the decision will be much easier if he improves as a receiver and if we have other options. In the long run, where will he have the bigger impact, as a returner or as a receiver? If he only becomes a decent #2, is that more valuable than the best returner in the game? I just thought his talent as a returner was so good (best ever) that you would not want to mess with that.

I don't buy him being out of juice. He is getting on the field 1 play early. I could see if he was playing CB, then had to return a punt, but he could've been sitting on the bench for 10 minutes while the defense was on the field. The same goes for kickoffs. What is wrong with him opening the half or the start of the game returning a kick. I could see kick returning taking juice out of his plays on offense, but not the other way around. Also, how much juice did he expend averaging 6 yds a punt return? His drop off last year was huge, and I don't know how much of that was because he was playing receiver.