Week 13: Bears at Vikings, 7:15 on NBC

[UMFan83]

Good win for the Vikings. Wouldn't be surprised if both teams end with 9 wins and it comes down to tiebreakers.

 

Which the Vikings just essentially clinched.

[UMFan83]

Nice they are auditioning punt returners

[Guest]

Earl Bennett!

[Smack]

Good win for the Vikings. Wouldn't be surprised if both teams end with 9 wins and it comes down to tiebreakers.

 

Which the Vikings just essentially clinched.

 

The Lions are due a shocker. Where do we stand if the Lions win next week and the Bears win as well? Bears have the advantage with the 4th tiebreaker, right?

[Handlebar McSkullet]

Well fellas. It was horrifying. See you all next week for another exciting rendition of bad team-mediocre team.

[hawkeyecub]

Good win for the Vikings. Wouldn't be surprised if both teams end with 9 wins and it comes down to tiebreakers.

 

Which the Vikings just essentially clinched.

 

Well we'll also know more by Tuesday. If the Williams Wall is suspended we may only win 8. And as bad as the Lions were on Thanksgiving, I keep having this nightmare that Daunte has a resurgent game and they ruin the bizarro-perfect season.

[Butterscup1679666578]

what the hell did adrian peterson just say?

[hawkeyecub]

what the hell did adrian peterson just say?

 

"I am Purple Jesus."

[UMFan83]

Lovie just said that Dusty's injury is considered serious. 3rd season ending injury in 3 seasons in the NFL, gah.

[Butterscup1679666578]

Add DT to the draft board.

[manbearcub]

Add DT to the draft board.

were gonna need a bigger board.

[Brian]

this season is so weird.

 

it's a constant balance between

 

wtf this is a disappointing loss

 

vs.

 

they already have more wins then I expected them to get

[sweetpeteman]

» Kyle Orton's franchise-record streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception ended at 206.

[Banedon]

I know this isn't what the Bears want to do, especially with all the money they're paying him, but in the offseason, I'd like to abandon the Hester/WR experiment and go back to him being solely a return guy. Let him focus on that, and be the amazing player he can be back there. That on slant route notwithstanding, he's not been a good receiver, imo. He doesn't make anything beyond the routine catches. There were several last night where he had a chance to make a really good catch, and couldn't quite haul it in. The one where he did the slant route around the outside of the defender sticks in my mind. Al and John really gave the defender credit, but I thought Hester should've had it. It hit him right in the hands.

 

I quit watching after the int/fumble/challenge, so I didn't see all the goryness. This is going to be a disappointing season even if we win the division. This team isn't good. It's very, very, mediocre, possibly even leaning to the bad side of mediocre.

[Soul]

Probably 2-2 in their last 4, finishing 8-8. Better than I thought they'd be starting the year, but still very frustrating. And we developed more holes than we filled this year, so now it's down to paying too much for too little performance.

[jersey cubs fan]

I know this isn't what the Bears want to do, especially with all the money they're paying him, but in the offseason, I'd like to abandon the Hester/WR experiment and go back to him being solely a return guy.

 

Completely disagree. The odds that he will have any sort of prolonged success as an amazing returner are extremely low. I think he's lost that step he had and he's not going to get it back. But he's shown enough in his 1.5 as a receiver to make me believe he can keep getting better, and he's going to have much more of an impact there than at returner.

[Banedon]

I know this isn't what the Bears want to do, especially with all the money they're paying him, but in the offseason, I'd like to abandon the Hester/WR experiment and go back to him being solely a return guy.

 

Completely disagree. The odds that he will have any sort of prolonged success as an amazing returner are extremely low. I think he's lost that step he had and he's not going to get it back. But he's shown enough in his 1.5 as a receiver to make me believe he can keep getting better, and he's going to have much more of an impact there than at returner.

 

I just don't think he has the hands to be a good/great receiver. He might have lost a step, but that could have to do with his hip injury early in the season. I'm hopeful it returns. But even if it does, I don't see that making him some great receiver.

 

In any case, I fear we've seen the best of Hester already...

[jersey cubs fan]

The Bears are who we thought they were. The offensive line is still a significant weakness. John St. Clair has to be replaced asap. Williams better be the man, and they still need to draft line early next year. The defense has clearly taken a significant step back from 2005/2006, and they probably need some sort of stud drafted in the first next year to think they can improve it.

[jersey cubs fan]

I know this isn't what the Bears want to do, especially with all the money they're paying him, but in the offseason, I'd like to abandon the Hester/WR experiment and go back to him being solely a return guy.

 

Completely disagree. The odds that he will have any sort of prolonged success as an amazing returner are extremely low. I think he's lost that step he had and he's not going to get it back. But he's shown enough in his 1.5 as a receiver to make me believe he can keep getting better, and he's going to have much more of an impact there than at returner.

 

I just don't think he has the hands to be a good/great receiver. He might have lost a step, but that could have to do with his hip injury early in the season. I'm hopeful it returns. But even if it does, I don't see that making him some great receiver.

 

In any case, I fear we've seen the best of Hester already...

 

Regardless, he's not going to help the team more as strictly a returner. That's done. He's not a #1, but he could be a tremendous weapon if the Bears actually had a good WR on the other side, and an offensive line that could block for more than 2 seconds.

[Soul]

The Bears are who we thought they were. The offensive line is still a significant weakness. John St. Clair has to be replaced asap. Williams better be the man, and they still need to draft line early next year. The defense has clearly taken a significant step back from 2005/2006, and they probably need some sort of stud drafted in the first next year to think they can improve it.

 

They need to put Williams in now. They need to find out what he can give them, because it will influence their draft-day decisions. They need to see him in real games. There's no way he's worse than JSC anyway. That's not possible. Williams must start.

Edited December 1, 2008 by Soul

[UMFan83]

I know this isn't what the Bears want to do, especially with all the money they're paying him, but in the offseason, I'd like to abandon the Hester/WR experiment and go back to him being solely a return guy.

 

Completely disagree. The odds that he will have any sort of prolonged success as an amazing returner are extremely low. I think he's lost that step he had and he's not going to get it back. But he's shown enough in his 1.5 as a receiver to make me believe he can keep getting better, and he's going to have much more of an impact there than at returner.

 

I just don't think he has the hands to be a good/great receiver. He might have lost a step, but that could have to do with his hip injury early in the season. I'm hopeful it returns. But even if it does, I don't see that making him some great receiver.

 

In any case, I fear we've seen the best of Hester already...

 

Regardless, he's not going to help the team more as strictly a returner. That's done. He's not a #1, but he could be a tremendous weapon if the Bears actually had a good WR on the other side, and an offensive line that could block for more than 2 seconds.

 

That's why I told everyone I could to enjoy Devin while they could. There is just not a long self life for any dominant return man, let alone one that lives and dies by his speed.

[Soul]

I know this isn't what the Bears want to do, especially with all the money they're paying him, but in the offseason, I'd like to abandon the Hester/WR experiment and go back to him being solely a return guy.

 

Completely disagree. The odds that he will have any sort of prolonged success as an amazing returner are extremely low. I think he's lost that step he had and he's not going to get it back. But he's shown enough in his 1.5 as a receiver to make me believe he can keep getting better, and he's going to have much more of an impact there than at returner.

 

I just don't think he has the hands to be a good/great receiver. He might have lost a step, but that could have to do with his hip injury early in the season. I'm hopeful it returns. But even if it does, I don't see that making him some great receiver.

 

In any case, I fear we've seen the best of Hester already...

 

Regardless, he's not going to help the team more as strictly a returner. That's done. He's not a #1, but he could be a tremendous weapon if the Bears actually had a good WR on the other side, and an offensive line that could block for more than 2 seconds.

 

That's why I told everyone I could to enjoy Devin while they could. There is just not a long self life for any dominant return man, let alone one that lives and dies by his speed.

 

I don't mind just keeping him at WR. Just get him off punts, let him concentrate on the receiver position 100%. D. Manning seems to have found a way to add value to the team with his kick returns, and we can grab someone else to return punts. I don't think we could fill 2 WRs on draft day anyway, so it would be nice to have Hester as one of them.

[Banedon]

I know this isn't what the Bears want to do, especially with all the money they're paying him, but in the offseason, I'd like to abandon the Hester/WR experiment and go back to him being solely a return guy.

 

Completely disagree. The odds that he will have any sort of prolonged success as an amazing returner are extremely low. I think he's lost that step he had and he's not going to get it back. But he's shown enough in his 1.5 as a receiver to make me believe he can keep getting better, and he's going to have much more of an impact there than at returner.

 

I just don't think he has the hands to be a good/great receiver. He might have lost a step, but that could have to do with his hip injury early in the season. I'm hopeful it returns. But even if it does, I don't see that making him some great receiver.

 

In any case, I fear we've seen the best of Hester already...

 

Regardless, he's not going to help the team more as strictly a returner. That's done. He's not a #1, but he could be a tremendous weapon if the Bears actually had a good WR on the other side, and an offensive line that could block for more than 2 seconds.

 

Ok then...choose returning or WR...get him off doing both...:P

 

I guess as a #2 WR he could be ok, but he's getting paid like a #1, isn't he?

[jersey cubs fan]

Ok then...choose returning or WR...get him off doing both...:P

 

I guess as a #2 WR he could be ok, but he's getting paid like a #1, isn't he?

 

I don't know the details of his contract, but I'm fairly certain he's getting paid a whole heck of a lot less than the league's best. I say let him make a couple returns per game. I would never have him return punts when he's back inside his own 20. He's such a moron that he's a risk to pin you back deep in your own. When teams have to punt from inside their own 35, put him back there to tempt them to kick out of bounds or something.

[Soul]

Lovie Smith, the master of understatement:

 

Two plays later, Orton’s 2-yard TD pass to Forte cut the deficit to a manageable 17-14. But the Bears offense did nothing from that point on, mustering just one first down on its final seven possessions.

 

“We got back in position,” Smith said, “but then it kind of collapsed on us a little bit.”

 

Yeah. Just a tad.