Free-Agent Wide Receivers Bears Should Look At

Today I will look at the Bears weakest position going into the 2009-2010 season, wide receiver.

First lets see what they currently have on their roster.

Besides Devin Hester and Rashied Davis the Bears have no receivers, who have ever caught a pass in the NFL.

Last years 3rd round pick Earl Bennett had great chemistry with new Bears QB Jay Cutler, but failed to learn the playbook, thus never getting in the starting lineup.

The other receiver is Brandon Rideau, he has spent the last three seasons on the Bears practice squad.

The tight ends are solid with former first round pick Greg Olsen, and veteran Desmond Clark.

But, they definitely need some help at the wide receiver position.

Here are some wide receivers the Bears should look at:

Torry Holt- soon to be 33 year old, had his worst season statistically last year since 1999, catching 64 passes, 796 yards receiving and only three touchdowns. Holt still has some years left in the tank, but might be signing with the Tennessee Titans pretty soon.

Amani Toomer- 35 years old, caught 48 passes, having 580 yards receiving, and four touchdowns. Might have one year left in the tank.

Drew Bennett- almost 31 years old, Bennett has struggled to stay healthy the last two seasons, catching only 34 passes, having 379 yards receiving and three touchdown passes. Before he came to St. Louis he had three big seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Maybe he can get back to his 2006 form, if he stays healthy.

Darrell Jackson- the 30 year old receiver only caught 12 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown last season with the Denver Broncos. The previous season he caught 46 passes for almost 500 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson might be on the wrong side of 30, but if he could play like he did in 2006, he could be a sweet addition.

Mike Furrey- almost 32 years old, Furrey failed to stay healthy last season but had two solid seasons from 2006-2007, catching 159 passes, having over 1700 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Furrey could be a decent pickup.

D.J. Hackett- a fifth round pick in 2004, has played in only 15 games since 2007 and has only 45 catches, about 500 receiving yards and three touchdowns. His biggest season was 2006, when he caught 45 passes, 610 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games. Hackett is a big receiver, who still has a lot of seasons left in the NFL.

Ronald Curry- the 30 year old receiver caught only 19 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns last season. From 2006-2008, Curry caught over 110 passes, 1400 yards and five touchdown passes. Curry could be a nice player, if he stays away from the injury bug.

Joe Jurevicius- I wrote an article recently, about this soon to be 35 year old receiver, here. This will most likely be his last season, if he plays.

Earl Bennett Speaks Up About Jay Cutler Trade

Earl Bennett spoke about being reunited with his old teammate at Vanderbilt:

"I was surprised, I thought it was a joke."

"Jay just asked me if I was ready, he is going to be a great asset to our offense, and I think we're going to get things rolling. He is a great guy. He's going to do a great job for our organization."

"What people don't know is Jay is a very vocal leader, I remember an overtime game against Florida my freshman year. That was probably the most vocal I ever heard him.

"Jay joining us does give me a comfort zone. But at the same time, we still have to get on the same page. It's going to be a great process. Just knowing the things that we can do, it's going to be great."

Bennett was asked if Cutler has been portrayed unfairly following the fallout in Denver.

"I don't think Jay's a crybaby. He's a competitor, he's always ready to play football. There's nothing wrong with being competitive."

What Do I Think?

I think having Jay Cutler as the Bears starting quarterback helps Earl Bennett the most.

Cutler and Bennett had a great relationship at Vanderbilt and with Bennett having one season to know the plays, they will be fun to watch.

The other players who will be way better, will be speedster Devin Hester and tight end Greg Olsen.

The Bears still need a couple more receivers, either through the draft or free agency.

This season will be much more fun to watch with Cutler under center.


all quotes from chicagosuntimes.com

What Are the Bears' Odds of Getting QB Jay Cutler?

According to ESPN.com the Bears odds to get QB Jay Cutler in a trade with Denver are 5-1.


This is what ESPN.com's Bill Williamson had to say:

"Making such a deal may be out of character for general manager Jerry Angelo, but the Bears need a quarterback and two of their NFC North foes will be going after Cutler. They need to make a push. Chicago has the No. 18 pick."

There are three teams ahead of the Bears right now, the NY Jets (3-1), TB Bucs (3-1) and the Detroit Lions (4-1).

I know the Bears would love to have Jay Cutler throwing to Bears players like Devin Hester, Matt Forte, Earl Bennett and Greg Olsen, but i don't know if the Bears would be willing to give up a lot for a whiner like Cutler.

I have read many proposed deals that could work for both the Broncos and the Bears.

Here's the examples:

1) QB Kyle Orton, CB Nathan Vasher, the Bears' first round pick (18) and third round pick (84).

2) DT Marcus Harrison, CB Corey Graham and two first round picks.

3) MLB Brian Urlacher and the first round pick (18) could be enough.

They could also make a three-team trade.

I would love to see the Bears get Jay Cutler, let's just wait and see what happens.

ESPN's Ron Jaworski Feels Bears WR Devin Hester Has Improved

Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, who is an announcer for ESPN's "Monday Night Football" has studied Bears WR Devin Hester's transition from a kick returner to wide receiver.

Jaws had this to say about Hester's transition:

"He has improved dramatically as a wide receiver, he has improved in every area, … I thought he learned how to run routes, he learned how to read coverages on the move and he learned now to stem and separate from cornerbacks and safeties. I saw a guy who got better and better and better the more experience he got. I think he is going to make a significant contribution as a wide receiver."

quotes from chicagotribune.com

Bears Should Sign WR Jurevicius

Joe Jurevicius was released today and even though he's 34 years old he can still be a solid possession receiver.

Jurevicius has said that he plans to play one more year before retiring.

The bad news about Joe is that he has been hit by injuries late in his ten year career.

Jurevicius has spent those ten seasons with the Giants, Bucs, Seahawks, and Browns.

In his best season, 2005, with the Seahawks he recorded ten receiving touchdowns and 694 receiving yards and also had five catches for 93 yards in Super Bowl XL.

Then he left for the Browns in 2006 through free agency and he turned out to be great on 3rd and long situations.

The next season he finished with the third most 3rd-down receptions (29) in the league.

This past season Joe Jurevicius missed every game after developing a staph infection following arthroscopic knee surgery.

Jurevicius has over 4,000 yards receiving and almost 30 receiving touchdowns in his NFL career.

If the Bears can get Jurevicius cheap, I think it would be a great signing considering what the depth they have right now.

Besides Devin Hester and Rashied Davis no other receiver on the Bears has a reception in his NFL career.

Hopefully Joe Jurevicius's last season will be spent with the 2008-2009 Chicago Bears.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson both Heading to the Bears?

When the Cincinnati Bengals used the franchise tag on K Shayne Graham, TJ Housmandzadeh spoke about his future with the team:

Houshmandzadeh told ESPN's Bob Holtzman last week that there is a "90-something percent chance" he won't return to the Bengals.

Houshmandzadeh said he also thinks Chad Johnson's days in Cincinnati are over.


What are the chances of both of these elite wide receivers coming to the Bears?

The chances are pretty slim, but could you imagine Devin Hester, Chad Johnson, and TJ Houshmandzadeh all in a Bears uniform together.

That would be pretty sweet.

But, Housh wants a lot of dough this off season and you'd probably have to give up a 2nd and a 3rd draft pick to get Ocho Cinco from the Bengals.

If this did actually happen, the Bears would be one of the better offensive teams.

They could have Orton, Forte, Hester, Housh, Chad Johnson, Greg Olsen and Dez Clark all on the field at once.

I know every Bears fan would love this, but it would not only take a lot of money, but also a lot of decisions out of Jerry Angelo.

Angelo probably wouldn't make these moves considering what he said at this weekend's combine about the Bears receivers:

'I like what we have [at receiver], they need to continue to develop. But again, our play starts with our lines. I don't want to get so focused on the receiver position -- although, yes, we do need to look at the receiver position, as well. And that's why I say we can go a lot of ways on draft day. And that's the silver lining because it will allow us to create more options and allow us then to get the best players at those particular rounds.''

all quotes from chicagosuntimes.com

Devin Hester: Knows he will be a better returner next season

Hester was interviewed on WSCR-AM 670 Friday in Tampa at the site of Super Bowl XLIII, and he had this to say:

“This year I felt I had a lot of pressure on myself, contract-wise, and then the past two years the high expectations I had on my back."

“But I was trying to please man instead of the man up above. I found myself trying to please everybody and sidetracking myself [instead of] giving all the glory to God. This year I’m not out to try to please man. I’m going to go ahead and please the man up above.”

Devin Hester also said that he believes he's capable of being the Bears' No. 1 receiver in 2009 and that he felt much more comfortable on offense late in the 2008 season than he had previously.

Devin Hester caught 25 passes for 347 yards in the last six games after registering 26 receptions for 318 yards in his first nine contests. In the finale in Houston, he equaled a career high with six catches for 85 yards, his second-highest yardage total of the year.

“Toward the end of the season I really started understanding the game on the offensive side of the ball as far as reading coverages and knowing when the ball is coming to me."

“It was just [a matter of] getting the feel of the game. You can’t really try to overplay every play, but just be relaxed and play the game that you know and everything will speak for itself. Don’t go out and try to do too much; just relax and play football. That’s what you get paid for.

“Just go out and have fun. When you understand the game and start having fun, that’s when all the big plays come.”

“Right now we’re in the process of gradually getting better, we made a couple changes with the coaching staff. I know we’re going to go out and get a couple players who are going to help out and try to get back to where we were when we were in the Super Bowl.”

all quotes from chicagobears.com

2008 Stats: Bernard Berrian vs Devin Hester

Bernard Berrian: Minnesota Vikings

68th in receptions (48)

24th in receiving yards (964)

1st in longest reception (99 yards)

tied for 12th in recieving TDs (7)

3rd highest cap value for a receiver

4th highest total salary WR

Devin Hester: Chicago Bears

63rd in receptions ( 51)

49th in receiving yards (665 )

36th in longest reception (65 yards)

tied for 61st in receiving TDs (3)

70th highest cap value for a receiver

20th highest total salary WR

Whose worth it in the long run?

Obviously Berrian had the better stats, but he also had other receivers to help him get less double teams, unlike Hester, who was the main weapon for the Bears.

There both playmakers, but Devin Hester is just so good when he gets in open space, he can make guys miss easily.

Dave Toub: Danieal Manning will be kick returner in 09'

When Dave Toub was asked if Danieal Manning would be the kick retuner next season, he replied with this answer:

Yes, he will. He finished No. 1 in the NFL. He’s going to be our kickoff returner and Devin [Hester] is going to be our punt returner

The Bears Should look at these Wide Receivers

In the upcoming NFL Draft, which is about 3 months away, the Bears most glaring need is wide receiver.

They own the 18th pick in the upcoming draft and by the time they choose expect Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree, Missouri's Jeremy Maclin and Florida's Percy Harvin to all be off the board.

That's why they should look at Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey and North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks.

Darrius Heyward-Bey's College Statistics:

Maryland			Receiving						Rushing
Season	Games		Rec	Yds	Avg	Lg	TD		Att	Yds	Avg	Lg	TD
2006	13		45	694	15.4	96	5		5	14	1.0	9	0
2007	13		51	786	15.4	63	3		5	110	21.4	54	1
2008	12		42	608	14.5	80	5		15	202	13.5	76	1
Total	37		138	2,089	15.1	96	13		25	326	13.0	76	2

Career highlights and awards for Darrius Heyward-Bey

• 2006 The Sporting News first-team freshman All-America
• 2006 All-ACC second-team
• 2008 All-ACC honorable mention

fftoolbox.com says that "Darrius Heyward-Bey is a big 6-2 receiver who is simply an amazing athlete who can win a jump ball against any corner in the NFL."

YouTube Highlights of Darrius Heyward-Bey




Hakeem Nicks' College Statistics:

tats Overview	Receiving					Rushing					Fumbles
YEAR	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	ATT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	FUM	LST
2006	39	660	16.9	83	4	1	10	10.0	10	0	0	0
2007	74	958	12.9	53	5	1	-1	-1.0	0	0	0	0
2008	68	1222	18.0	74	12	5	34	6.8	12	1	0	0

Career highlights and awards

• Most career receptions in UNC history (181)
• Most career TD receptions in UNC history (21)
• Most single-season TD receptions in UNC history (12)

fftoolbox.com says that "Nicks is not a pure speed receiver, but he has certainly been productive. At 6-2 and 210 pounds, he has decent size and could develop into a solid complimentary receiver on just about any team in the NFL."

YouTube Highlights of Hakeem Nicks


So why should we care about these guys ?
Because they might help the Bears tremendously next season.

I'm not a big Kyle Orton fan, but he had horrible wide receivers this season.

Kyle Orton needs other help than Matt Forte.

Marty Booker, Brandon Lloyd and Rashied Davis are not #2 receivers in the NFL.

And Devin Hester is definitely not a #1.

I would love to have either of these guys, but I would prefer Nicks of Heyward-Bey, just because of the highlight above from YouTube.

Cameron Worrell: Welcome Back

Cameron Worrell flew in Wednesday night to Chicago, and spent Christmas at the Charles Tillman's house.

He will sign a one-year deal today, which ultimately means one game, unless they resign him this offseason.

Cameron Worrell, who spent four seasons with the Bears and made 28 special-teams tackles in 2006, was placed on injured reserve and waived by the New York Jets in the preseason after a shoulder injury that required surgery 13 weeks ago.

Worrell was spending his time rehabbing with his family in California.

In the picture on the left, he is celebrating Devin Hester's touchdown return in Super Bowl XLI.


Worrell had this to say about his return:

'It wasn't an easy decision, and I wasn't really pursuing anything. With the Bears, I'm familiar with the system, and I know what is expected. I've been through playoff games here, and I know what is at stake.''

Worrell also had this to say:

“I’ve been through the system, I know what I’m doing. I picked it up fairly quickly when I came back. I’m just here to add some depth and do whatever they ask me to do.”

Danieal Manning Named NFC special teams player of the week

According to NFL.com, Bears safety Danieal Manning was named NFC special teams player of the week after returning five kickoffs for 179 yards, including the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown last Thursday night against New Orleans.

Danieal Manning leads the NFL this season with 29.5 yards per kickoff return (26 returns, 766 yards).

The last time a Bear returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, was in Super Bowl XLI, by a guy named Devin Hester.

Good job Danieal Manning, we need you to return some long ones in the future.

Lance Briggs lone bear heading to Honolulu

Lance Briggs was selected to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl today

Lance Briggs leads the Bears in tackles with 122.

He also has three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.


Briggs on Pro Bowl:

"Obviously, I'm ecstatic about it, I'm extremely excited. It's always nice to get voted to the Pro Bowl, and this is going four years in a row."


Urlacher on Briggs' Pro Bowl vote:

"He’s having a great year, man, after the first game of the year I told him, 'You should be defensive player of the year. There’s no doubt in my mind.' He just makes plays."

Brian Urlacher was named a third alternate at MLB.

Tommie Harris was named a first alternate at defensive tackle.

Center Olin Kreutz, punter Brad Maynard, and tight end Greg Olsen were named second alternate.

Also, Devin Hester was named a third alternate kick returner.

All quotes from Chicagotribune.com

Bears sign WR

According to ESPN.com, the Bears signed wide receiver Devin Aromashodu off the Washington Redskins' practice squad.

Devin Aromashodu took the roster spot of Dusty Dvoraceck, who officially went on the injured reserve today.

Devin Aromashodu won a Super Bowl ring with the Indianapolis Colts.

Devin Aromashodu was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 7th round of the 2006 draft out of Auburn.

He had 71 receptions, 1,333 yards receiving, and nine touchdowns with the Auburn Tigers. (2002-2005)

He is a 6'2" wide receiver, who weighs about 200 pounds.

Last year he saw his first action of his career, where he appeared in six games and caught seven passes for 96 yards for the Colts.

He has also been apart of the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins practice squads.

Maybe, this means the Bears are fed up with the production of Rashied Davis, Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd.

Booker left last game with bruised ribs, and there was no update on his status for Thursday's nights' game.


Booker on possibility of playing Thursday night:

`This game here, I would say, will be a game-time decision, but we don't know. Definitely I'll probably only sit out one game.''

``I knew it [was cracked] as soon as I did it, Sunday night was unbelievable. I didn't get any sleep. I'm still having trouble sleeping. But I'm able to move around. Yesterday, I was like Frankenstein. But today, I'm able to move around a little bit better.''

Rashied Davis has dropped more balls, than he has caught in the last three games and Brandon Lloyd is flat out invisible.

They need to give Earl Bennett and Brandon Rideau a shot because besides Devin Hester they have no receivers.

I think Rideau will be active for this game, if Booker can't go.

Rideau is 6'3" and looked to be a weapon during the pre-season.

Why sign Devin Aromashodu?

Maybe, this Devin Aromashodu guy is pretty good.

Hopefully!

We need him to help Kyle Orton and the offense out.

Bears win 23-10 against struggling Jags

The Bears made sure they won this game, by coming out early and setting the tempo.

Kyle Orton looked solid with a 85.3 passer rating, 219 yards and two touchdown passes to Dez Clark and Greg Olsen.

His one mistake came when he under threw Devin Hester, who finished the game with five catches and 80 yards.

Danieal Manning, who moved to nickel back this season, picked off David Garrard on the Jag's first drive.

Manning returned it to the five where he fumbled out of bounds.

It was initially called a touch back, but Lovie Smith threw the challenge flag and the Bears scored on a Dez Clark catch.

They looked solid in the first half, but they were very conservative in the second half.

They knew they had it in the bag.

They allowed only 159 yards threw the air and the defensive line helped out with three sacks.

The defense had about 11 tipped passes in this game and it seemed like they were going to pick off Garrard more than just once.


The defensive stars:

Anthony Adams, Israel Idonije, and Daniel Manning led the defense for most of the day.

Adams, who is filling in for the injured Dusty Dvoraceck had eight tackles and really looked good.

Israel Idonije, had 1.5 sacks and a couple of deflected passes on some big plays.

Danieal Manning looked like a first round pick.

Manning not only had an interception, three tackles and two deflected passes, but he also had some decent kick returns.


The offensive stars:

Kyle Orton looked good with his 2 touchdowns and 85.3 passer rating.

Devin Hester had a big day receiving, but he also seems to know what he is doing returning punts now.

Hester was close to taking a punt to the house in the second half, this made the Jaguars punt out of bounds multiple times.

The tight ends looked really good, with Greg Olsen's 52 yards and a score and Dez Clark's touchdown catch.

Matt Forte, who is a rookie, but plays like a veteran, finished with 69 yards rushing and 37 yards receiving.


Notes from the game:

Garrett Wolfe left the game on the opening kickoff with a hamstring injury.

Mark Anderson recorded on his first sack of the season, when he beat tackle Tony Pashos with a spin move.

Adewale Ogunleye, who was on the injury report, helped Israel Idonije bring down David Garrard late in the game.

This victory gives the Bears 700 wins, an NFL record.

Adrian Peterson, finished the game with 19 yards on three carries, but he really looked like a solid backup running back.


Disappointments from the game:

Besides Devin Hester the wide receivers looked pathetic.

Marty Booker, Rashied Davis, and Brandon Lloyd combined for 5 catches.

Lloyd didn't catch a ball and looks almost invisible lately.

Booker was banged up late in the game and Rashied Davis just has no hands.

None of these guys should be starters in the NFL.

I don't understand why Earl Bennett and Brandon Rideau don't get any playing time.

Lance Briggs missed a tackle on the little, but powerful Maurice Jones-Drew four yard touchdown.


What's Next?

The Bears face the 7-6 New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.

Both teams need this win.

The Lions played the Vikings tough, but the Vikings came away with the victory to stay one game ahead of the Bears.

The Packers lost their eighth game of the season and are eliminated from the playoffs.

Bears plans for the rest of the season and next year is??

1. Win the next four games and you might have a real shot of making the playoffs.

You play Jacksonville this week, New Orleans, Green Bay and @ Houston in the four game stretch.

Don't worry about the other teams in your division, worry about yourself and winning the next four games.

2. Minnesota obviously beat you on Sunday, but they have a tough four game stretch to finish out the season. They play the win less Lions on the road, then Arizona on the road and Atlanta and NY "football" Giants in Minnesota.

The Vikings have lost both Pat Williams and Kevin Williams for the rest of the regular season, so that is huge for the Bears.

The Packers still have a real chance of winning the division, they play vs Houston, at Jacksonville, @ the Bears, and vs the Lions. They can easily finish 9-7.

3. Start thinking about what you need for this team to win in the future. They need a big time receiver, maybe T.J. Houshmandzadeh or Chad Johnson would come to Chicago. They could always draft someone in the first round.

Other areas of need:

backup RB, Forte needs a helper.

DE, a big time pass rusher, Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown, Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije are just not getting it done anymore.

S, Mike Brown is getting old and Kevin Payne just isn't very good.

Coach, I think it's time for Lovie to go, the guy doesn't show any character after a win, loss or a big play.

Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner is consistent with his horrible play calling, especially in the red zone. He consists on giving it the FB at the one yard line or just running the same play three times in a row.

4. For now, the Bears need Orton to get healthy, cause he hasn't looked himself since his injury and fans are starting to call for Rex to come in, but Orton will be just fine. Hopefully Hester, Davis and Lloyd are enough to help Orton and Forte just be yourself.

5. The tight ends have been almost invisible the last couple of games, Olsen looks like a bust and Dez Clark looks really old all of a sudden.

6. This team better get their act together if they want to win the NFC North, they have been so inconsistent this season. One week they barely beat the Lions, then they almost beat the Titans and they get crushed by the Packers and Vikings.

Coaches, players, if you want to be here next year, i'd tell you this, "step it up a notch.(Mark Rogers, friend)"

They Are Who We Thought They Were

The Bears have many questions to ask themselves after a 21-14 loss against the undefeated Tennessee Titans.

How do you lose a game where you shut down supposedly the best running back tandem in the NFL?

How does your pass rush, who is loaded with players like Tommie Harris, Mark Anderson, Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye have no success getting to Kerry Collins?

How does your pass defense, who has everyone back from injury, struggle against Kerry Collins, who hasn't had over 200 yards passing all year?

The Bears need to remedy these crucial mistakes and fast.

We know they can shut down running backs, but how do you make an ordinary QB look like a pro bowler?

It has happened with Brian Griese, Gus Frerotte and even Dan Orlovsky this season.

On the bright side, the first eight games the Titans averaged 149.1 rushing yards per game and yesterday only produced 20 yards. At half they had -5 yards on the ground.
Chris Johnson who averaged 89.4 ypg rushing had only eight total yards on the ground.

The Bears offense was another story, they came out strong with a six minute drive and Grossman threw a touchdown to Matt Forte, who ran all over the Titans D in the first half.

The next eight drives ended in punts.

The Bears had their share of opportunities as they stopped the Titans on 4th and goal late in the first quarter.

Between Marty Booker, Rashied Davis, and Devin Hester, five passes were caught for a total of 69 yards.

Booker looked like a bad Muhsin Muhammad and Rashied Davis just ran the wrong routes.

Hester had two big returns that I thought could have been returned for touchdowns.

Also, Grossman overthrew Hester on a sure touchdown, which would have gave the Bears much needed momentum.

Grossman shouldn't get all the blame, but he did struggle to get the ball to his receivers.

He looked in sync at intervals in the game, but just couldn't keep it going.

His interception reminded me of the one he threw in Super Bowl 41, which Kelvin Hayden returned for a touchdown.

If Grossman played like he did on the first drive of the game and one of the drives at the end of the game, we would have scored a lot of points.

But, the team just looked out of sync and they abandoned the running game in the second half; Forte ran for a total of seven yards.

They need some help and they need it fast because they have a huge game in Green Bay next Sunday and the Packers just came off a tough loss.

If Orton can't go this week, there is absolutely no way they would put in Caleb Hanie at QB, for all the Hanie fans out there.

You have to give the Titans offensive coordinator some credit for realizing the running game wasn't working, but the Bears should have figured out a way to get to Kerry Collins

The Bears have at total of five sacks in there last five games.

That really hurts your pass defense.


Quote of the Day:

Rashied Davis said this after a tough loss to the now 9-0 Titans, "Maybe they have some kind of angel around them or something, I don't know."


Three Stars of the Game:

1) The run defense

2) Corey Graham- he recovered a big fumble early in the first quarter.

3) Matt Forte- had a big day running and looked great receiving as well.


Just a Thought...


You can blame Rex Grossman for this loss all you want, but the Bears were backed up in the own 10 yard line for most of the game.

Who knows if Orton could have one this game, but it doesn't matter anymore.

Where was Brandon Lloyd, I thought he was supposed to play yesterday.

He definitely would have helped, anything but Marty Booker.

They must change gears to the Packers, for they don't want to lose a divisional game, against my most hated team.

Hopefully they can figure this out before this week's game.

Happy 26th Birthday to Devin Hester

Happy birthday Devin Hester!

I hope you return a kick or score on offense to make up for a costly fumble next week.

That should be your wish.

Devin Hester angry at himself for having no kick returns for score

Devin Hester - The best bloopers are here
The third-year wide receiver and Pro Bowl returner has gone all seven games this season without taking into the end zone.

His last TD return came on a kickoff against New Orleans in the 2007 season finale.

Hester said this yesterday after practice:

“I kind of put all the pressure on myself and say that it is kind of my fault that the return game is not the way that (it was)."

“I put all pressure on me because at the end of the day, I’m the one with the ball in my hands. I have to be the one to figure it out and pick up the slack. If something breaks down, that’s why they rely on me."

“As far as the return game, I have to be the one to step up and make big plays. It hasn’t been the way it’s been, so I kind of take some of the blame for it.”

Hester is two TD returns short of Brian Mitchell’s NFL career record of 13 regular-season TDs on punts or kickoffs.

Hester actually has 13 total returned kicks for scores, but one came on a missed field goal and the other was a postseason kickoff return to open the 2007 Super Bowl.

Hester hasn’t had a punt return longer than 9 yards since the opener.

His long kickoff return is 51 yards against Philadelphia, and he hasn’t had another longer than 28 yards.

Lovie Smith on Hester's career:

“The type of career he has had so far, he assumes he is going to score every time he touches the football."

“I can see why a guy like that would think that way, but it has been a lot more than just Devin. We need to do some things to help him out—mainly, block better to give him more opportunities. It’s just a matter of time. The second half of the season, Devin like the rest of our football team, can make a lot of improvement and I expect that to happen.”

Many people have said Hester is tired because of his extended play as a WR, where he has 18 catches and two touchdowns.

To be honest, I’m not tired when it’s time to return kickoffs and punts, so I wouldn’t say that’s a reason why it’s not like that."

Hopefully Hester will return one this weekend against the Lions, so he can be in a great mood.

Just kidding, hopefully he improves as a key offensive weapon for Kyle "Neckbeard" Orton.

Devin Hester Injured

Chicago Bears kick returner and wide receiver Devin Hester injured a quadriceps muscle in the third quarter Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings and had to leave the game.

It was not immediately known how Hester got hurt, but he did return the second half kickoff and was initially charged with a fumble before video review reversed the call and gave the ball to the Bears.

Hester had two catches for 22 yards in the first half. On Minnesota's second kickoff of the third quarter, Hester was not back to return the kick.

Hester scored 11 TDs on kick returns during his first two regular seasons, seven on punts and four more on kickoffs.

He also returned a missed field goal 108 yards in 2006 and ran back the opening kickoff in the Super Bowl against Indianapolis in February 2007 for a touchdown.

He has not returned a kick for a score this season, but has two touchdown catches.