SB Nation - Devin Hester

Aromashodu Sticking Up for Cutler

Dane Noble — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:04:12 -0000

In a QB/ WR marriage that was bound to happen at some point, Devin Aromashodu and Jay Cutler have finally had a couple of weeks to see how well they work together.

In the game against Green Bay, the results were pretty good, but last week, not as much.

Aromashodu talked about Cutler, and the game film from last week.

Cutler's final pass of the game was intercepted by Foxworth. The pocket broke down and Cutler moved to his left before throwing too short for Aromashodu. There was nothing he could have done to break the pass up. But it was another example of the quarterback and a young receiver not being on the same page when it comes to scramble rules.

"That was kind of a busted play,'' Aromashodu said. "Looking over the film, we went over it, I should have stretched the field a little bit more. I should have gone vertical on that, and once again that is on me."

It will be interesting to see how much playing time Aromashodu will get should Devin Hester return against the Vikings. But we know that Cutler probably wants to see him on the field.

Someone on this website mentioned something after the Green Bay game that I thought was very interesting (I don't remember who said it)... they said that Cutler throwing to Aromashodu the first two plays of the game may have been his way of communicating to the Bears that he really wants to see the kid more.

A Break From the Hysteria- Top 10 Chicago Lists

Dane Noble — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:15:44 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Browse more photos »

To try and navigate around the interwebs and find anything noteworthy about the Chicago Bears that is not centered around firing Lovie Smith and/or Jerry Angelo can be quite a task. We realize that people are fired up right now, but sometimes you just need a break from all of the outcries and dire curses.

If only for a few moments, we bring you that opportunity. ESPNChicago has put together some top-10 lists that focus on the Bears, other professional teams in the city, and even athletes from Chicago who play for other city's teams. We'll post the top-10 Bears players from this decade, but make sure you check out the other lists as well if you have time.

10- Ruben Brown

4- Mike Brown

2- Olin Kreutz

Also listed are the top-10 Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire; top-10 games, and top-10 players from Chicago.

Thoughts? (besides the fact that we should fire Lovie)

Josh Morgan, Punt Returner?

Fooch — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:33:51 -0000

It's no mystery that since releasing Allen Rossum, and losing Nate Clements to injury, the 49ers punt return options have been somewhere between awful and abysmal. You know what, I think I'll just stick with abysmal because they honestly don't qualify to be as good as "awful." The 49ers as a team rank 31st in the NFL in punt returns with a 3.8 yard average. Brandon Jones ranks 73rd in the NFL among all players to return a punt with a 2.9 yard average. Arnaz Battle ranks 81st with a return average of .7 yards. Yes you read that right. Oh and that is good enough for dead last among any player to return a punt, so congratulations Arnaz.

Which brings me to yet another suggestion for how to improve the punt return game, if even just a little bit. Josh Morgan is quickly showing he has some serious kick return skills. Maybe he's not Devin Hester, but in a small sample size so far, he might very well be the answer for the 49ers. On 9 kick returns he's averaging 32.9 yards per return. It's not enough returns to qualify, but it's certainly a nice start. The current leader among qualified return men is Clifton Smith with an average of 29.1 yards per return.

Given Morgan's solid start as a kick returner, should the 49ers be giving him a chance to return punts as well? I'm not throwing that out there simply because of his success as a kick returner. Although there are similarities in the two types of returns, punt returns do require some different skills than kick returns. However, Morgan does have a track record of returning punts at Virginia Tech. His sophomore season he returned 11 punts, his junior season he returned 7 punts, and his senior season he returned 1 punt. Not a huge number to work with, but still better than nothing.

John Taylor is a guy that many 49ers fans look back on fondly for both his receiving skills AND his return skills. Taylor was a very solid return man for the 49ers, particularly in the punt return arena, where he was the main returner from 1988-1991. I'm not saying Josh Morgan is the second coming of John Taylor, but it would certainly be a nice guy for him to emulate.

There are certain injury concerns in the punt return game, and given that Morgan will likely be the #2 guy in 2010, maybe it's not worth the risk. And of course, he could get worn down from the beating he would take in the return game and potentially become less effective as the #2 wide receiver. At the same time, the punt return game has been pretty awful this season. I don't know if it's at an historic level, but it has to be close given what we've been subjected to. The 49ers keep rolling out Arnaz Battle back there, but it's clearly not working. Is it time to give Josh Morgan a chance as both the punt and kick return option? Or do they just find somebody in the offseason in free agency or the draft to fill the role?

Week 15 NFL Capsule: Ravens vs. Bears

Bruce Raffel — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:09:32 -0000

From the NFL, here is all the info you need to know about this weekend's game of the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Chicago Bears. Info on the series and stats first and notes about the game after the 'Jump.'

By the way, while I'd love to see the Colts knock the Jaguars out of the Wild Card slot and end up facing the Saints in the Super Bowl with both teams being undefeated, I see the weather being a factor (rain expected) on how long the Indy starters play and Jacksonville ends up winning the game tonight. Hope I'm wrong!

CHICAGO BEARS (5-8) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (7-6)

SERIES

	BEARS	RAVENS
SERIES LEADER	2-1
STREAKS	Past 1
COACHES VS. OPP.	Smith: 1-0	Harbaugh: 0-0
LAST WEEK	L 21-14 vs. Packers	W 48-3 vs. Lions
LAST GAME	10/23/05: Ravens 6 at Bears 10. Chicago defense allows 199 total yards & registers 4 sacks. Bears QB Kyle Orton throws 9-yard TD pass to FB Marc Edwards for game’s lone TD.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/9/01: Ravens 17, Bears 6. Defending Super Bowl XXXV-champion Ravens have strong defensive performance to start season, allowing just 2 FGs.
BROADCAST	FOX (1:00 PM ET): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, Chris Myers (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 91 (Chi.), 152 (Bal.). XM: 108 (Bal.).

STATS

PASSING	Cutler: 284-457-3,023-19-22-75.2	Flacco: 270-426-3,111-15-11-86.3
RUSHING	Forté: 201-685-3.4-4	Rice: 194-1,041-5.4-7
RECEIVING	Hester: 54-682-12.6-3	Rice (RB): 68-652-9.6-1
OFFENSE	304.9	355.4
TAKE/GIVE	-4	+4
DEFENSE	329.7	305.9
SACKS	Ogunleye: 6	J. Johnson, Pryce: 6
INTs	Bowman: 4	Landry: 4
PUNTING	Maynard: 41.5	Koch: 44.8
KICKING	Gould: 79 (25/25 PAT; 18/21 FG)	Cundiff: 59 (14/14 PAT; 15/17 FG)

NOTES

BEARS: QB JAY CUTLER has 3,023 yards & is 5th Bears QB to reach 3,000-yard mark in season. When Cutler has 100+ rating, his teams are 13-0…RB MATT FORTÉ is only player in NFL with 1,900+ rush yards (1,923) & 900+ rec. yards (932) since 2008. Has 114 receptions since 2008, most by RB…WR-PR DEVIN HESTER has 20 TDs (8 rec., 7 PR, 5 KR), incl. playoffs. 4 of his 5 career TDs vs. AFC (incl. playoffs) have been 70+ yards. WR-KR JOHNNY KNOX had TD last week & ties for 2nd among rookies with 6 TDs (5 rec., 1 KR). GREG OLSEN ranks 5th among NFL TEs with 6 rec. TDs. WR DEVIN AROMASHODU had career-high 8 catches & 76 yards last week & scored 1st TD…DE ADEWALE OGUNLEYE has 5 sacks in 3 career meetings & aims for 4th in row vs. Bal. with 1+ sack. CB CHARLES TILLMAN has INT in 2 of past 3 vs. AFC, incl. INT-TD. Team is 16-5 (.762) when he has INT. DE ALEX BROWN has 3 sacks in past 3 vs. AFC. LB LANCE BRIGGS had sack last week…RAVENS: Aim for 7th consecutive win against NFC at home…Ravens are 3-1 at home in Dec. under head coach JOHN HARBAUGH…Bal. (319) is on pace (392) to surpass franchise scoring record (391 in ’03)…QB JOE FLACCO has 5-2 record at home in ’09 & has completed 152 of 224 (67.9 pct.) for 1,785 yards with 8 TDs vs. 4 INTs & 96.3 passer rating. Flacco’s 3,111 passing yards are 2nd-most in season in club history (VINNY TESTAVERDE, 4,177 in ’96)…Ravens had 5 rush TDs by 4 different players last week…RB RAY RICE leads NFL RBs in catches (68) & rec. yards (652) among RBs. Rice totaled 219 yards last week (156 rush, 53 rec.). Rice ranks 2nd in NFL w/1,693 scrimmage yards (1,041 rush, 652 rec.). RB WILLIS MC GAHEE has 4 rush TDs in past 3…DERRICK MASON (849) needs 1 reception to become 16th player in NFL history to reach 850 career…LB ANTWAN BARNES had 1st sack of season last week…S TOM ZBIKOWSKI aims for 3rd consecutive game w/INT.

Looking for the Brightside: Week 14

Sklz711 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:00:15 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

View full size photo »

Let's face it, this was not a good week to be a Bears fan. Nothing burns worse than a loss to a rival at home. I'd honestly go as far to say as the loss in the Super Bowl actually didn't burn as much even with the epic failure that existed in that game. There is just something that crawls up your throat when you see the Packers raising their hands in victory at Soldier Field. Enough negativity though, follow me below the fold while we look for the few rays of sunshine on that dark dark day.

We have the deepest and most promising group of WR outside of Arizona, Denver, and possibly Indy.

It's really amazing the amount of hate this heaped upon our wide receivers on a consistent basis.

We have Devin Hester, who a vocal minority of people were happy to see out of the game against Green Bay, previously on pace to be a top 15 wide receiver in the league. That's something he was accomplishing when what makes him special, his deep threat speed, was taken away by the lack of ability of our offensive line to allow deep plays to develop. To make up for this you've seen Hester really start showing a more complete game including better hands, better route running, more willingness to go over the middle, and catching the ball in traffic. For someone in only his second year at the position at any level, his progression is amazing.

Johnny Knox has been nothing short of phenomenal in this his rookie year which is a notoriously tough adjustment. He's looked great since the start of training camp, doing a great job catching just about anything thrown in his direction. He has also showed a great sense of the game by knowing when and how to bump DB's to create separation without getting flagged, as well as causing contact the other way to get the flags thrown on the other guy. He's floating around between the third and fifth best rookie WR in the league in a draft that was filled with quality WR. Right now the only people I have ranked over him are Maclin, Harvin, and Collie, and I think Knox has a lot more going for him than any of those three. He's shown himself to have elite speed and now really just needs to work on the timing and routes that come with time and experience. This guy has star written all over him.

Earl Bennett is finally seeing the field after experiencing a bit of DMS the first year from trying to learn all three WR positions in a single off season. He's really stepped it up in becoming a reliable possession receiver coming out of his slot, and his sure hands are a massively welcome change from the Droppapotamus that used to be in his position. Sitting pretty at 4th in receptions for all second year wide receivers you can expect the Vanderbilt connection to get even stronger once opposing defenses are forced to spread out and respect the deep ball more opening up the intermediate game for this great player to work.

Finally Devin Aromashodu has received the chance to showcase his abilities in the big show, and I for one couldn't be happier for him. Standing at six foot two inches he is one of the Bears tallest receiving threats, and having spent three seasons in the league he has more NFL WR receiver experience than anyone else at the position and it shows on the field. He has a great grasp of his routes and where he is supposed to be on any given play. He seems to give a ton of effort and makes the tough catches when it counts. Another diamond in the rough finally get his shot to shine, and he'll get a chance to be a diamond amongst gems on this great WR corps.

In this game we got to see Aromashodu and Knox both score a touchdown and look good the majority of the game, with a few miscues and wrong routes marring what was otherwise a superb performance by both men. The thing to take away from this game isn't that Hester is a bad WR and that's why DA could just immediately fill in, but that all of our WR are good now, and they are all getting better every game.

Even being under constant fire, Jay Cutler hasn't forgotten how to use his legs.

We finally got a chance to see Cutler get flushed out of the pocket in the game, and he took the opportunity to run up field for an extremely good looking 20+ yard scramble. Now, I know you're saying two different things to this, the first being why doesn't he do this all the time? Even on a QB scramble there has to be some kind of blocking and protection to get flushed out instead of crushed down. Most of the time when the pocket collapses for us this year it's much like a bubble that has been popped than a can that is slowly being crushed. With all of the stories about Cutler looking bad under the constant pressure it was really a relief to see that being shell shocked hasn't affected his confidence when it comes to his scrambling ability for a long first down. The second thing you're going to say is that it got called back. It may have been called back, but at the end of the day it showed me something I'd really been wanting to see from Jay so whether or not we got the first down is irrelevant to Jay's scrambling ability.

A lot of the issues that we have on offense can be fixed by next year.

For all the issues we have on offense we are in a pretty great lynch pin scenario. It can be argued that are problems stem from only two spots on offense, coaching and the offensive line. Since coaching salary doesn't apply to any cap or draft considerations that should be extremely fixable, and should be fixed this off-season. Better play calling, better talent evaluation, and ultimately better performance from parts that we already have would go a long way to fixing this offense.

The offensive line is the elephant in the room on this one, but we're really in a great position as long as you believe in Chris Williams, CDub, is the future at the LT position. I think he's looked pretty damn good in his first two appearances at LT, and as long as he continues to improve the penalties should decrease as the comfort level increases.

So if we have CDub holding down the LT position, a left guard position that needs filled, a center position that will likely be a great fit for Beekman, a RG position that should be okay with Garza for one more year, and a RT position that will likely either end up with someone new or Omiyale/Shaffer at the spot.

You can consider me one of the many that hopes Omiyale either does very well at RT or gets cut, and you can also count me amongst those that thing Shaffer hasn't been very good. However, even if both are awful and neither are better than a back up last year we should be able to find at least one quality lineman in the third and fourth round next year. Interior lineman are like the fruit and nut caramels in the Russel Stovers box. Sure they are okay, and they are caramel, but if you really want caramel your're going for the butter creme first. Fantastic interior lineman usually barely get into the second round, and usually fall to the third meaning we should have second or third pick at LG, or RT whichever we deem a more pressing concern and possibly our 5th or 6th pick at the other position in the 4th round.

That's not a guarantee of line supremacy next year, but it's really not that hard to imagine a vastly improved line with only these two second day picks to our name. Our offensive rebirth starts right here though, and if we can really improve the line then everything else is going to fall into place very quickly. Better protection means more time for Cutler to throw, more time for Cutler to throw means deep routes that our current #1 and #2 are unmatched in tandem at., more deep routes means less crowding the box and more Safety help coming out of the middle, that leads to the middle opening up for the slot and TE, and with the LB keeping an eye out on the slot and TE it frees up gaps in the run game and that's all she wrote.

We're just not that far away from being an offensive force, it's like we have all the game pieces but someone broke the board in half. Hopefully we can break the draft board in half this off season and grab what we need to show the league who the hell we are next season.

Poll

Will a coaching change and a revamped offensive line be enough to put the Bears offense in the top 5 next year?

Hey Lovie, looks like Devin Aromashodu showed you

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:00:19 -0000

by Nam Y. Huh - AP

View full size photo »

Is week 14 really the time to discover this "new" player? Only after being the surprise of training camp and the OTA's, after getting his name mentioned in nearly every interview by nearly every offensive player or coach in preseason, after winning the #3 WR job before week 1 (only to have an injury setback give Johnny Knox a chance), after Jay Cutler continually mentioning him as a guy that he'd like to see get some more snaps in recent weeks, and after Devin Hester is inactive for the game, does Devin Aromashodu finally get some extended playing time. D.A. was targeted 12 times, making 8 grabs for 76 yards and a TD, a really athletic TD.

At first I thought Cutler was just targeting D.A. so often to make a point, but then I realized he was getting open. He was running good routes and he was making good catches. After spending time in the Colts system, it makes sense that he'd be the most polished WR on the team. And it took until game 13 and an injury to Hester to get him on the field for more than a token snap or two. Sad...

After Kahlil Bell was elevated from the practice squad and had that storybook debut run, word from the coaches was that he always looked good in practice, but you never know until you get on the big stage. And you'll never know if you don't have the cojones to get said player on the big stage. Can Jarron Gilbert or Gaines Adams be any worse then what the Bears are putting out there on the D-Line now? Get them some extended time. It's not like you have Dan Hampton manning the trenches, get some new blood in there. Did the Corey Graham to free safety experiment go so horribly wrong that is just ended without any game time?

I'm not lauding Aromashodu as the second coming of Marcus Robinson... I'm just saying that the kid should have been given an opportunity. The Packers did seem to make more of an effort in locating D.A. as the game wore on, but Johnny Knox was able to have a career day. Two career days for two Bears receivers, who'd a thunk it?

Bears Updates: Briggs, Hester, and June

Dane Noble — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:16:42 -0000

While feathers are flying all over the internet (including here at WCG) about the most recent loss for the Chicago Bears, we thought it might be a good idea to poke around and see if there are any updates from Halas Hall today.

First, it looks like Devin Hester will still be sidelined when practice resumes Wednesday, but it is unclear how serious his calf injury really is. More to come on this as we get it.

Also, with Lance Briggs back, the Bears released Cato June, the linebacker whom they had only recently signed. To take the place of June on the 53 man roster, the Bears promoted OT James Marten from the practice squad.

Packers Pre-Game: Inactives and Turf

Brandon — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:30:57 -0000

Inactives from Greg Bedard at JSOnline.com:

Packers inactives: WR Biren Ealy, CB Trevor Ford, FB Quinn Johnson, S Matt Giordano, T Breno Giacomini, T/G Allen Barbre, NT Ryan Pickett, LB Jeremy Thompson.

Bears inactives: WR Juaquin Iglesias, S Craig Steltz, WR Devin Hester, CB D.J. Moore, LB Cato June, DT Matt Toeainia, LT Orlando Pace, DT Jarron Gilbert.

NT Ryan Pickett appeared unlikely all week, and I'm glad to see he'll get a week off to heal his injured hamstring. They'll get a little smaller up front with either DE Michael Montgomery or DE Jarius Wynn in the rotation this week.

The loss of WR Devin Hester will hurt the Bears, but it's not a fatal blow to their offense either. It does mean the Bears might be playing with 2 TEs for nearly the entire game. LT Orlando Pace might not be a starter anymore, even if healthy.

And one more thing from Greg Bedard:

The turf here at Soldier Field looks terrible and it could be a factor in today's game. It's holding up OK now. Doubt it during the game.

I had forgotten about the awful turf at Soldier Field, though I haven't heard much about it since it was replaced back in September.

Friday Injury Report: Packers at Bears

Brandon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:37:23 -0000

It's a fairly short injury report for the Green Bay Packers, only 9 players listed, but it includes the top 4 defensive lineman. The Bears report is even shorter, but it might expose their lack of depth at wide receiver.

For the Packers: the big story has been that their top 4 defensive lineman are listed on listed on the injury report. While technically true, the only player likely to miss the game is NT Ryan Pickett, who hasn't practiced all week as he tries to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered during the win on Monday night. NT B.J. Raji will slide into replace him, and he's already making friends with Bear C Olin Kreutz. Raji is listed too, but he was a full participant in Friday's practice. DE Cullen Jenkins and DE Johnny Jolly were both limited in Friday's practice, but I expect they'll go. Late in the Monday night game, DE Jarius Wynn was in on several plays, and I don't expect the coaching staff has any concerns going with the 277 lb. rookie, if necessary.

Everyone else was a full participant in practice, except backup LB Jeremy Thompson, as he tries to recover from a career threatening neck injury. One name not listed is rookie OL T.J. Lang, who missed last Monday's game with a concussion, which is good news since LT Chad Clifton did miss some practice this week, and Lang will also be available to spell RT Mark Tauscher, if he needs a break.

For the Bears: it looks like WR Devin Hester is unlikely to play. While he isn't the greatest receiver and he's no longer the best kick returner on the Bears either, but he's still their leading receiver. Their great kick returner, WR Johnny Knox, would be counted on more in the offense, alongside WR Earl Bennett. Their bigger problem is that they don't have any depth at receiver behind their top 3 (none of their other receivers have more than 2 receptions on the season). The Bears might rely on their 2 TE packages even more than usual. LT Orlando Pace could return this week, but it's not clear whether he would start even if healthy. LB Lance Briggs should return this week, but his replacement, LB Jamar Williams, did very well in his place with 18 tackles against the Rams last week.

The complete injury report is after the jump.

Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Nick Barnett	LB	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Chad Clifton	T	Hamstring	Full Participation	Probable
Jermichael Finley	TE	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Cullen Jenkins	DE	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Probable
Johnny Jolly	DE	Knee	Limited Participation	Questionable
Ryan Pickett	NT	Hamstring	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
B.J. Raji	NT	Ankle	Full Participation	Probable
Jeremy Thompson	LB	Neck	Out	Out
Charles Woodson	CB	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable


Player	Pos.	Injury	Friday Participation	Friday Status
Lance Briggs	LB	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Tommie Harris	DT	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Devin Hester	WR	Calf	Did Not Participate	Probable
Hunter Hillenmeyer	LB	Groin	Full Participation	Probable
Israel Idonije	DT	Knee	Full Participation	Questionable
Orlando Pace	T	Groin	Limited Participation	Probable

Devin Hester Unlikely To Play Versus Packers

Dane Noble — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:40:37 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

18 days ago: Chicago Bears' Devin Hester (23) leaves the field after an injury during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Browse more photos »

We've heard over the last couple of days that Devin Hester was not able to practice, but now signs are pointing to him being unable to play come Sunday. Vaughn McClure, via his Twitter page, reported a few minutes ago that Hester will not practice today, and is unlikely to play Sunday.

McClure's words were a bit different in his full write-up, saying that "if Hester does not practice Friday, he will not play against the Packers on Sunday."

Lovie Smith said that he was comfortable with Knox, Bennett, and Aromashodu should Hester not be able to play.

Stay tuned.