Am I Crazy For Thinking Devin Hester Is Going To Have A Monster Year Now That He's Exclusively A Kick Returner Again?
” Devin Hester seems content in his new role as strictly a return man. Hester has not taken a single rep at wide receiver since Trestman was hired, spending time at practice either with the other specialists or on a side field catching punts from the JUGS machine. “I feel great,” Hester said. “I haven’t felt like this in a while. I’m very excited for the season, what’s at stake this year. I do feel like we do have a great chance to make a run for the playoffs as well as the Super Bowl. I’m more excited than a lot of guys this year coming in and hopefully having fun out there on the field.” Hester is in the final year of his contract and set to earn a base salary of $1.857 million if he makes the 53-man roster.
I’m sure I’ll be accused of being a delusional optimist here but I have to say one of the under the radar stories in this Bears camp is Hester being exclusively a return man this year. Not one snap as a Wide Receiver. Hasn’t had to learn a second of the playbook, not that he did last year either, but you get what I’m saying. And honestly, I couldn’t be more pumped about it. Last night I was watching Comcast’s recap of the day at Camp and Hester was talking about how his legs haven’t felt this explosive since his rookie year. How running constant routes and then trying to return kicks took a toll on him. How trying to learn proper route technique took up brain space (he didn’t actually say that but we all know it’s true). There are a ton of questions going into this season, but if Hester can capture even a fraction of that old magic it will be enormous. The Devin Hester as receiver experiment sort of made everyone forget that he is the most dynamic special teams player of all time. Absolute game changer, and I know it’s premature, but I’m calling it now, monster year for him. I’ll put my reputation as Barstool’s premier punt return on it.
PS
Bad news today with Kelvin Hayden. Thin position getting thinner.
