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Post by wildcat on Dec 12, 2006 8:32:03 GMT -6
Wow! 2 KO returns for TDs last night. Set a new NFL record.
Might have to change my vote from Vince Young to Hester for ROTY!
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50Murf
Sophomore Member
Posts: 212
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Post by 50Murf on Dec 12, 2006 9:36:17 GMT -6
The Bears have both ROTY's, Offense is Devin Hester; Defense is Mark Anderson. WOW
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Post by knighter on Dec 12, 2006 9:45:54 GMT -6
WHY does anyone KICK to him? How much money does an NFL head coach make? For God's sake I am just a HS coach and if they opposition has a good return man we kick away from him, or squib to the middle and give up a little field position to avoid a big return.
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Post by brophy on Dec 12, 2006 10:05:54 GMT -6
Offensive rookie of the year belongs to WR Marques Colston of the Saints. Hester plays special teams.
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Post by wildcat on Dec 12, 2006 11:11:19 GMT -6
Offensive rookie of the year belongs to WR Marques Colston of the Saints. Hester plays special teams. Good point about Hester...have to go with VY, then. Colston is having a great year, no doubt, but look who is throwing the ball to him. How many games would the Titans have won this year without VY? New Orleans is still one of the best teams in the NFC without Colston. Tennessee is a JV team without Young.
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Post by wingt74 on Dec 12, 2006 12:05:41 GMT -6
Flash in the pan like Desmond Howard and Dante Hall.
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Post by brophy on Dec 12, 2006 12:08:55 GMT -6
did you see Hester at Miami? Hester played defense last night Flash in the pan like Desmond Howard and Dante Hall. why?
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Post by olinecoach61 on Dec 12, 2006 12:12:43 GMT -6
Dante Hall, Desmond Howard, chad Morton, Hester, all one hit wonders.
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Post by wildcat on Dec 12, 2006 12:17:05 GMT -6
did you see Hester at Miami? Hester played defense last night He didn't play too badly, either. Got beat pretty good on that TD, but made some decent plays after that. Not bad for a kid who hasn't played there all year and was pressed into duty because of injuries.
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Post by blb on Dec 12, 2006 12:17:29 GMT -6
Desmond Howard was a Heisman winner and Super Bowl MVP - that's a little bit more than "one hit."
Maybe could've lasted longer in The League if he hadn't insisted on trying to be a receiver too instead of what he was - outstanding kick returner for the Pack.
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Post by wildcat on Dec 12, 2006 12:27:45 GMT -6
Desmond Howard was a Heisman winner and Super Bowl MVP - that's a little bit more than "one hit." Good point... The guy played over 10 years in the NFL...hardly qualifies as a "one-hit wonder"...
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Post by wingt74 on Dec 12, 2006 13:04:22 GMT -6
did you see Hester at Miami? Hester played defense last night He didn't play too badly, either. Got beat pretty good on that TD, but made some decent plays after that. Not bad for a kid who hasn't played there all year and was pressed into duty because of injuries. Return guys are a dime a dozen. The real credit goes to the Special teams coach and the guys blocking. To me, it's 20% return man, 40% scheme, 40% blocking.
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Post by brophy on Dec 12, 2006 13:13:46 GMT -6
He didn't play too badly, either. Got beat pretty good on that TD, but made some decent plays after that. Not bad for a kid who hasn't played there all year and was pressed into duty because of injuries. Return guys are a dime a dozen. The real credit goes to the Special teams coach and the guys blocking. To me, it's 20% return man, 40% scheme, 40% blocking. same thing for LaDanian Tomlinson then, right? video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6205366969068796814&q=devin+hester&hl=en
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Post by wildcat on Dec 12, 2006 13:16:40 GMT -6
C'mon, Brophy! That's just good coaching!
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50Murf
Sophomore Member
Posts: 212
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Post by 50Murf on Dec 12, 2006 13:55:51 GMT -6
He is still my Offensive ROTY....and IMO he is sure a lot better than a one hit wonder... I'm happy the Bears have him - the good coaching comes in when they figure out how to get him the ball, maybe a slot receiver
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neil
Sophomore Member
Posts: 218
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Post by neil on Dec 12, 2006 14:41:44 GMT -6
wingT -
How many guys were doing a great job when Dante Hall was making all those highlight reel returns where he changed direction 2 and three times.
I'm sure that's how the special teams coach drew it up, right?
Why are you so bitter towards kick returners?
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Post by blb on Dec 12, 2006 18:52:10 GMT -6
There are players who have a feel (as well as the skill) for batting down passes, finding the lanes on kick returns, blocking kicks, many other things that we great Gurus of the Gridiron try to teach, but only some can do regardless of drills and game plans.
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Post by Coach Huey on Dec 12, 2006 20:29:03 GMT -6
wingT - How many guys were doing a great job when Dante Hall was making all those highlight reel returns where he changed direction 2 and three times. I'm sure that's how the special teams coach drew it up, right? Why are you so bitter towards kick returners? you mean this one? ;D
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Post by wingt74 on Dec 13, 2006 8:04:57 GMT -6
wingT - How many guys were doing a great job when Dante Hall was making all those highlight reel returns where he changed direction 2 and three times. I'm sure that's how the special teams coach drew it up, right? Why are you so bitter towards kick returners? Where is Hall now? He did it for what? A year or two? All those great moves can only happen with good blocking...good blocking is set up through good schemes. Then opponents watch film and figure out how to defend it. Suddenly, a superstar return man disappears. Not bitter towards return men, just saying these hot shot, dancing return men are a dime a dozen. Personel will change, coaches will change, and he'll disappear. Give me Brian Mitchell any day. Awesome hands, smart, amazing balance, and consistent. He never had moves like Dante Hall or Hester, but was effective everywhere he went.
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Post by coachcogs33 on Dec 13, 2006 8:40:19 GMT -6
It seems that people are down on Devin Hester saying he is only on Sp teams.
He does not get the hype since he was a no name in college unless you are a Miami follower or a big College football guy.
If Reggie Bush has done what Hester did people would be drooling all over themselves.
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Post by wildcat on Dec 13, 2006 8:45:34 GMT -6
Lovie Smith hinted that Hester might be playing some offense in future games...might just be trying to get the opposiing coaches thinking, but I wouldn't mind seeing Hester on an end around or catching a screen pass.
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coachf
Freshmen Member
Posts: 15
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Post by coachf on Dec 13, 2006 11:41:04 GMT -6
hey, hey watch the Dante Hall ripping, you have a Chiefs fan here. Hall is still a major threat. He has one return for TD this year and still maintains a good average.
Two things have happened regarding Hall. 1. Everyone expects a TD return every game. The expectations are unreal. You have to understand he is a marked man (just like Hester will be). Nobody on a special teams unit wants to give up another TD to him. I will admit I think that he is trying to make the big return to often, but he has also lost a lot of good special teamers that used to play with him (Gary Stills to name one)
2. Teams do not kick off to him or punt to him like they do other players. The kickoffs and punts are always high and short. 2 weeks ago, the Browns were kicking the ball to about the 25. High pop ball, so he couldn't return it. He will never get the opportunities like he used to.
I guarantee if you ask coaches around the league they are still scared of Dante Hall. That is why they gameplan to take away his return ability. They will do the same to Hester and then everyone will complain "What happened to Hester?"
Players don't just suddenly suck....except for Sammy Sosa.
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Post by brophy on Dec 13, 2006 11:59:04 GMT -6
'Neon' light: Sanders mentors Hester
By David Haugh Tribune staff reporter Published December 12, 2006, 10:24 PM CST
Like most who watched Devin Hester make NFL history Monday night against the St. Louis Rams, Deion Sanders felt pretty certain saying he never would see again what he had just witnessed.
But Sanders was talking about Hester's showboating during the final 10 yards of his 94-yard kickoff return in the Edward Jones Dome, his first of two on the night.
"You won't see him do it again, I promise," Sanders said Tuesday of the rookie's early celebration. "I don't condone the looking back and the taunting. I got on him about that. I know that sounds funny coming from me."
Sanders called Hester on Tuesday to congratulate more than scold his protégé, but he included a little tough love because that is what Hester has come to expect from the former NFL star known as "Prime Time."
The two met during Hester's freshman year at Miami after Sanders heard during a TV broadcast of a Hurricanes game that Hester idolized him.
Sanders used then-Baltimore Ravens teammate and Miami alum Ed Reed to hook them up. They became so close Hester has spent the last two summers with Sanders, learning everything from the finer points of playing cornerback in the league to the tricks of handling fans and the media.
"I look at Devin like a little brother I never had, and I love him," said Sanders, now retired and an analyst for the NFL Network. "I'm living vicariously through him right now."
And what a high life it is.
In setting an NFL record with his sixth return for a touchdown this season, Hester established a pace that immediately thrusts him into the conversation of all-time great return men.
He has touched the ball 47 times this season—36 punt returns, 10 kickoff returns and a field-goal return. That's one touchdown every 7.8 touches in an admittedly small sample.
To consider how dominant that is, Barry Bonds homered once every 6.5 at-bats during the 2001 season when he set a major-league record of 73 home runs. Michael Jordan scored 40 or more points six times his rookie season of 1985—once every 13.6 regular-season games.
In Bears history, Gale Sayers, the team standard for returners, scored two touchdowns on 37 punt and kickoff returns his rookie season of 1965. Sayers ended his career with eight touchdowns on 118 punt or kickoff returns—one every 13.5 returns.
Sanders, considered one of the all-time greats as well, returned nine punts or kicks for scores in 14 years in the NFL.
That Hester has six in 13 games boggles Sanders' mind. He had no qualms admitting Hester already was a better returner than he ever was because, "I never accomplished the feats he has accomplished."
"It's sort of like you can believe it but can't fathom the idea that he's doing what he knows he could do," Sanders said. "I just got off the phone with him and he said, 'The problem is, we have three more games.' … He's in a zone right now."
Sanders identified instinct, vision, burst and hands as the keys for any elite returner to find that zone.
"Some returners have one or the other," Sanders said. "But he has all of them."
Sanders promised Hester also could develop into a cornerback worthy of Pro Bowl consideration if he gets more experience. According to Sanders, Hester's footwork for the position sets him apart and if Hester ever got to return an interception, "it's going to be ridiculous."
There will be more touchdowns in Hester's future and maybe more tributes like the dance-step Hester copied from Sanders as an end-zone tribute to his mentor. Dancing to celebrate is "joyous," Sanders said, but next time Hester needs a little more coaching.
"I have to work with him on that to tighten up his back kick," Sanders said.
He had better hurry. Hester's next kickoff return is noon Sunday.
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Post by wildcat on Dec 13, 2006 14:59:30 GMT -6
Has anyone seen Sanders on any of the NFL Network shows? He is actually pretty good...I remember when he first got into broadcasting a few years ago...he was gawdawful. It is obvious that he has put quite a lot of work into being a decent NFL television personality.
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Post by optionem on Dec 15, 2006 13:46:18 GMT -6
He didn't play too badly, either. Got beat pretty good on that TD, but made some decent plays after that. Not bad for a kid who hasn't played there all year and was pressed into duty because of injuries. Return guys are a dime a dozen. The real credit goes to the Special teams coach and the guys blocking. To me, it's 20% return man, 40% scheme, 40% blocking. What!!!! ?? If that's true and the Bears have the same special teams coach, and nearly the same return units as last season, then where were all these returns last year? Get serious...
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Post by jraybern on Dec 15, 2006 14:18:04 GMT -6
I just want to point out a major difference between Hall and Hester......Hester doesn't have to lose 15 yards in order to break one. I searched for the average punt return yards in the NFL. Guess who is leading the league.....Devin Hester. His average is 14.4 yards per return with second place being 12.7 and third 11.6. sports.excite.com/nfl/stats/league/puntreturnavg.htmlWhere is Dante Hall on this list? 19th with an average of 8.9 yards per return. I will admit, the returns that he had a few years ago were pretty amazing but he was always on the edge of getting stopped for a huge loss and then he'd slip through for a big return. He almost single handedly won the game for KC a couple of times. Hester runs downhill very well and in only one of those highlights does he retreat before taking off down the field. What amazes me about him is that seems to find that lane and cut off of his blockers extremely well. Wingt74 makes a good point that his blockers are doing a fantastic job (check out the great hit at about midfield on the FG miss return) but Hester makes several guys miss on most of those returns. As a parting note I will just say that the missed FG return for the TD was one of the coolest things I have seen on a football field (regardless of who the NYG had on the field).
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