BearFan2000 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Looks like Hester will be gone, just saw this Rapoport article stating that the Bears will not try to re-sign Hester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chitownhustla Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Looks like Hester will be gone, just saw this Rapoport article stating that the Bears will not try to re-sign Hester That sucks, all great things come to an end. Sucks that he didn't get the record while playing for the Bears.... Wasn't one TD called back for a hold that looked OK on the replay??!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger226 Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 That sucks, all great things come to an end. Sucks that he didn't get the record while playing for the Bears.... Wasn't one TD called back for a hold that looked OK on the replay??!!! I think your right about the called back play I think this is just his opinion, our local team writers have a better sense to this that Rapoport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I won't fully but iy until he signs elsewhere... But if true, I am sad. I know it was bound to happen and on a pure logical level it should happen. But, I will always cherish the excitement he brought to each and every kickoff. I will never again watch a punted or kicked-off ball with the same anticipation. Devin, if you are truly not in our plans...with all my heart as a Bears fan...thank you. You have been and always will be part of our storied history. Now bust one more wherever you go and seal the deal. Bear down. Looks like Hester will be gone, just saw this Rapoport article stating that the Bears will not try to re-sign Hester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjock Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 That sucks, all great things come to an end. Sucks that he didn't get the record while playing for the Bears.... Wasn't one TD called back for a hold that looked OK on the replay??!!! Yep. Craig Steltz felt terrible about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjock Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I won't fully but iy until he signs elsewhere... But if true, I am sad. I know it was bound to happen and on a pure logical level it should happen. But, I will always cherish the excitement he brought to each and every kickoff. I will never again watch a punted or kicked-off ball with the same anticipation. Devin, if you are truly not in our plans...with all my heart as a Bears fan...thank you. You have been and always will be part of our storied history. Now bust one more wherever you go and seal the deal. Bear down. Beautiful and I agree 100% Madlith. So many of my best memories as a Bear fan include Devin Hester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 This would be a bad move for a variety of reasons. First of which is his stats: Among players with at least 17 Punt Returns (one less than Hester), he is… 3rd in Punt Return Average 8th (tied) for 20+ yard Punt Returns 4th (tied) for 20+ yard Punt Return % 3rd (tied) for 40+ yard Punt Returns 2nd for 40+ yard Punt Return % 8th (tied) for longest Punt Return [81 yards] Among players with at least 20 Kickoff Returns, he is… 5th (tied) in KO Return Average 1st for 20+ yard KO Returns 4th for 20+ yard KO Return % 2nd for 40+ yard KO Returns 7th for 40+ yard KO Return % 5th for longest KO Return [80 yards] Second is the abnormal number of near misses. Remember Week 2 when he had kickoff returns of 76 and 80 yards? Both could have been TDs if not for one block. Freaking Steltz. Or Week 11, the one where Hester returned a punt for a TD (at about 2:20) but there was a holding call that brought it back? Freaking Steltz. What makes this one worse is that Steltz didn't even need to hold the guy. Or what about Week 13 when he broke one (about 1:53), but there were two unaccounted for tacklers which made it so Devin couldn't juke the kicker? And let's not forget Week 15 when he would have returned a punt against the Browns if Blake Costanzo had just blocked the kicker? Finally, what about the last week of the season when he nearly returned a punt (1:35) if it weren't for the fact that Weems missed the same guy twice in one play? Weems hits that guy early and Devin has his seam. All others are either locked up or too far away. THE MAN IS STILL A DANGEROUS WEAPON AND ONE OF THE BEST RETURN MEN IN THE NFL. PERIOD. Aside from that, he's a team player. He accepted the demotion last year and worked hard. It's not is fault the team dumped one of the best special teams coaches in the NFL, lost key ST contributors, and had a rash of injuries to others. If my research is right, his vet minimum would be $855K for 2014. He's worth that at the very least. The Bears should approach him as the veteran, team player, contributor, historically significant, long-standing Bear that he is, and offer him something around $1M. After Devin's agent negotiates, the price ends up somewhere around $1.25-$1.5M per year and it's for 2-3 years. Letting Hester go will be a mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASHKUM BEAR Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I agree, if Hester would want to come back for a little more than the minimum, I would want him back. Our luck, we let him walk, he signs with Dallas and has a game winning record breaking return and it becomes the highlight reel of the century on espn, nflnetwork, and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrackerDog Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 The Bears should approach him as the veteran, team player, contributor, historically significant, long-standing Bear that he is, and offer him something around $1M. After Devin's agent negotiates, the price ends up somewhere around $1.25-$1.5M per year and it's for 2-3 years. Agree. And one thing you forgot, he's just god damn fun to watch. If he'd accept that salary level (not sure what his market value is) I'd sure want to see him back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo3451 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Agree. And one thing you forgot, he's just god damn fun to watch. If he'd accept that salary level (not sure what his market value is) I'd sure want to see him back. Watching him "live" in the last game of the season, he was the fastest guy on the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chitownhustla Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 This would be a bad move for a variety of reasons. First of which is his stats: Among players with at least 17 Punt Returns (one less than Hester), he is… 3rd in Punt Return Average 8th (tied) for 20+ yard Punt Returns 4th (tied) for 20+ yard Punt Return % 3rd (tied) for 40+ yard Punt Returns 2nd for 40+ yard Punt Return % 8th (tied) for longest Punt Return [81 yards] Among players with at least 20 Kickoff Returns, he is… 5th (tied) in KO Return Average 1st for 20+ yard KO Returns 4th for 20+ yard KO Return % 2nd for 40+ yard KO Returns 7th for 40+ yard KO Return % 5th for longest KO Return [80 yards] Second is the abnormal number of near misses. Remember Week 2 when he had kickoff returns of 76 and 80 yards? Both could have been TDs if not for one block. Freaking Steltz. Or Week 11, the one where Hester returned a punt for a TD (at about 2:20) but there was a holding call that brought it back? Freaking Steltz. What makes this one worse is that Steltz didn't even need to hold the guy. Or what about Week 13 when he broke one (about 1:53), but there were two unaccounted for tacklers which made it so Devin couldn't juke the kicker? And let's not forget Week 15 when he would have returned a punt against the Browns if Blake Costanzo had just blocked the kicker? Finally, what about the last week of the season when he nearly returned a punt (1:35) if it weren't for the fact that Weems missed the same guy twice in one play? Weems hits that guy early and Devin has his seam. All others are either locked up or too far away. THE MAN IS STILL A DANGEROUS WEAPON AND ONE OF THE BEST RETURN MEN IN THE NFL. PERIOD. Aside from that, he's a team player. He accepted the demotion last year and worked hard. It's not is fault the team dumped one of the best special teams coaches in the NFL, lost key ST contributors, and had a rash of injuries to others. If my research is right, his vet minimum would be $855K for 2014. He's worth that at the very least. The Bears should approach him as the veteran, team player, contributor, historically significant, long-standing Bear that he is, and offer him something around $1M. After Devin's agent negotiates, the price ends up somewhere around $1.25-$1.5M per year and it's for 2-3 years. Letting Hester go will be a mistake. I agree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I assume he will end up in TB if he is truly gone. I would've liked to have seen at least a one year incentive laden deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskan Grizzly Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 This would be a bad move for a variety of reasons. Letting Hester go will be a mistake. Couldn't agree more. All the 'facts' you presented show a fair number of near misses that occured just last year. I think there were a few games at the end of the season where he alone in his returns put the offense in a great position to start. And THAT is a huge factor by itself. Sure there are a few where he called fair catches that were questionable but those were distinctly in the minority. And for those others that he's not trying to return, the opposing team is doing all that it can to avoid kicking to him. Which on punts means the punter angling for an out of bounds kick which most times translates to good field position. What a lot of "us" are doing are comparing the Hester of late to the Hester of his hey days. A few things to consider, Hester was working with a different ST coordinator last year. Obviously Toub was better at setting up the ST than is DeCamillis (or whatever his name is) and Hester is a bit older than he was then. Nevertheless, the current Hester is still better than a large number of return men still available. The one and only knock I can say to Hester is that he can't contribute anywhere else. To pay him premium is difficult especially if you have a player like Williams (former Candadian player) who is a decent return man AND plays WR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chitownhustla Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Couldn't agree more. All the 'facts' you presented show a fair number of near misses that occured just last year. I think there were a few games at the end of the season where he alone in his returns put the offense in a great position to start. And THAT is a huge factor by itself. Sure there are a few where he called fair catches that were questionable but those were distinctly in the minority. And for those others that he's not trying to return, the opposing team is doing all that it can to avoid kicking to him. Which on punts means the punter angling for an out of bounds kick which most times translates to good field position. What a lot of "us" are doing are comparing the Hester of late to the Hester of his hey days. A few things to consider, Hester was working with a different ST coordinator last year. Obviously Toub was better at setting up the ST than is DeCamillis (or whatever his name is) and Hester is a bit older than he was then. Nevertheless, the current Hester is still better than a large number of return men still available. The one and only knock I can say to Hester is that he can't contribute anywhere else. To pay him premium is difficult especially if you have a player like Williams (former Candadian player) who is a decent return man AND plays WR. The biggest question will be what are others teams willing to pay Hester to be a return man and are the Bears willing to match it. I would have to think Hester would want to return to the Bears instead of playing for a different team for the same pay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connorbear Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I would pay him vet. minimum to stay. That's it. Great player in his prime but he has already been paid. Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo3451 Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 The biggest question will be what are others teams willing to pay Hester to be a return man and are the Bears willing to match it. I would have to think Hester would want to return to the Bears instead of playing for a different team for the same pay. Lovie still thinks he's a number 1 receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjock Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I would pay him vet. minimum to stay. That's it. Great player in his prime but he has already been paid. Peace I've got to disagree somewhat. It doesn't matter if we over-paid him in the past. We pay him what we think he can be this year. He's easily worth Eric Weems money in the range of 1.25+ a year. There's a familiarity and he still generates excitement within the stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger226 Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I would pay him vet. minimum to stay. That's it. Great player in his prime but he has already been paid. Peace I agree they paid him like a top WR, so he should want to be here for a song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger226 Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I've got to disagree somewhat. It doesn't matter if we over-paid him in the past. We pay him what we think he can be this year. He's easily worth Eric Weems money in the range of 1.25+ a year. There's a familiarity and he still generates excitement within the stadium. Actually Weems make more plays in a season than Hester did, but think Weems is over paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connorbear Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I've got to disagree somewhat. It doesn't matter if we over-paid him in the past. We pay him what we think he can be this year. He's easily worth Eric Weems money in the range of 1.25+ a year. There's a familiarity and he still generates excitement within the stadium. I would cut Weems. Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASHKUM BEAR Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I've got to disagree somewhat. It doesn't matter if we over-paid him in the past. We pay him what we think he can be this year. He's easily worth Eric Weems money in the range of 1.25+ a year. There's a familiarity and he still generates excitement within the stadium. If we can keep Hester, which didn't sound promising as he was on NFL network with AJ, I would for Weems money. Hester basically said he was done in Chicago but would like to retire a Bear when his career is over. Tampa was mentioned as a suitor and Hester said he'd love to rejoin Lovie. He has a lot of respect for Lovie because of him putting faith into him. "Devin is a #1 WR" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I would pay him vet. minimum to stay. That's it. Great player in his prime but he has already been paid. Peace That's so hypocritical considering your stance on Urlacher. You've essentially said that past seasons didn't matter, and a. Player is worth what they are this year. Hester is worth more than vet minimum this upcoming year. That is almost undeniable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Actually Weems make more plays in a season than Hester did, but think Weems is over paid. When was that? Weems didn't make many plays at all, and of those very few were impact plays. Hester's big plays this year were significantly larger than anything Weems has done his entire career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger226 Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 When was that? Weems didn't make many plays at all, and of those very few were impact plays. Hester's big plays this year were significantly larger than anything Weems has done his entire career. I was trying to be sarcastic.I dont think Weems is worth 1.25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connorbear Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 That's so hypocritical considering your stance on Urlacher. You've essentially said that past seasons didn't matter, and a. Player is worth what they are this year. Hester is worth more than get minimum this upcoming year. That is almost undeniable. I absolutely believe Hester is not worth any more than the vet minimum. I believe it is time to move on. Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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