YoungBob Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I was listening to ESPN radio in Chicago this morning when I heard football analyst John Clayton say, "Devin Hester is unbelievable at wide receiver. He reminded me of Steve Smith...only faster." Yes, I am a Chicago Bears homer and I realize it is VERY early in the pre-season...but has anyone else given consideration to taking a chance and drafting Hester? From what I've heard on local sports reports, Hester is catching everything and making Bears cornerbacks miss with regularity. Maybe that's a DB problem...but I think there may be something here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 (edited) No. Allow me to elaborate: of COURSE they're going to be talking him up and showing him off right now. Bet I'd bet you dollars to donuts he is put in motion a lot, gets faked reveerse to several times, but the net effect of him touching the ball while on the offensive team in ACTUAL regular season play will be less than 2 times a game. His main purpose will be to draw that extra defender or two AWAY from where they're going with the ball. They'll establish him as a threat early in the year but only to keep the D's honest late into it. Yes, if he has 32 touches -not including ST- this year, I'll eat a Green Bay Turd. They cannot run the risk of him getting a full blown POP by a grade A linebacker. Besides, if you're a homer you know Bradley is also providing the speed threat out of the slot this year, and once Wolfe heals his hammy I'd expect him to be used Reggie Bush style which would cut into anything run Hester's way as well. Edited July 31, 2007 by Pope Flick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturphy Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I wanna see him in preseason action first, but I'm not ruling him out as a late round pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goopster24 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 A couple of important things to note when talking about Hester: When he has played with the offense, he has not played as a No. 1 or 2 wide out. Sometimes the slot, but that spot will most likely go to Davis again. Bradley has also been wowing people as he is finally healthy. I think they will have several plays specifically designed for getting the ball to Hester. More often then not, he will be a decoy which will scare the crap out of the other defense. If I had solid backups at wide out and the rest of my positions, then maybe I would draft him. If he catches 25-30 balls this year, I would be happy as a fan of the team. Fantasy wise, that's really nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 IIRC, as good as he was at returning kicks last year, didn't he initially drop about half of the balls that he touched before picking them up and running? That makes me very hesitant to believe that he is now a catching machine. I wouldn't rule out a late round flyer on him, but for the most part I think he needs to prove a lot more on the field this pre-season before I put him on a roster. My guess... if he does turn out to be a good receiver, he will be a popular early season FA pickup more so than someone who will already be stashed away on someone's roster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungBob Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 Yes, if he has 32 touches -not including ST- this year, I'll eat a Green Bay Turd. That sounds like a bet to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 That sounds like a bet to me. OK - what will you eat if you lose, or would you rather go $? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturphy Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 (edited) OK - what will you eat if you lose, or would you rather go $? I can provide the GB turd, if you like? Edit: Oh wait, silly me, Favre has been providing that to Bears fans for years. (Had to get last comment in before the table completely turns) haha Edited July 31, 2007 by Sturphy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungBob Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 OK - what will you eat if you lose, or would you rather go $? $$...shall we make it easy like $10-$20 or something creative? How about you get $1 for every offensive touch under 32 and I get $1 for every touch over 32? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Itals Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I was listening to ESPN radio in Chicago this morning when I heard football analyst John Clayton say, "Devin Hester is unbelievable at wide receiver. He reminded me of Steve Smith...only faster." Yes, I am a Chicago Bears homer and I realize it is VERY early in the pre-season...but has anyone else given consideration to taking a chance and drafting Hester? From what I've heard on local sports reports, Hester is catching everything and making Bears cornerbacks miss with regularity. Maybe that's a DB problem...but I think there may be something here. I might think about taking him as my #5-6 WR in a league which assigns ST points to individual players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 (edited) $$...shall we make it easy like $10-$20 or something creative? How about you get $1 for every offensive touch under 32 and I get $1 for every touch over 32? I could go for that. You have references you pay out at this site? Sorry, have to ask. Edited July 31, 2007 by Pope Flick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystykoekaki Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Draft Hester as a WR? .....are you serious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 No one should draft him. Even if he is a WR he would be the 3rd guy at best which requires zero fantasy consideration IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Draft Hester as a WR? .....are you serious? If I play in a league where I get points for return yards/TDs, I'd take him. Other than that, no freaking way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goopster24 Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 No one should draft him. Even if he is a WR he would be the 3rd guy at best which requires zero fantasy consideration IMO. But that's the thing, he isn't the third WR. At least now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungBob Posted August 1, 2007 Author Share Posted August 1, 2007 I could go for that. You have references you pay out at this site? Sorry, have to ask. Sorry, no references other than my word as a Huddler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 I was listening to ESPN radio in Chicago this morning when I heard football analyst John Clayton say, "Devin Hester is unbelievable at wide receiver. He reminded me of Steve Smith...only faster." Is there anyone besides ESPN that considers John Clayton a serious source of credible information any longer? I'd rather put money on Yukon in a spelling bee than to be forced to rely on anything that Clayton reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Cheezhead Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 If I play in a league where I get points for return yards/TDs, I'd take him. I think that's the main question. In a league I'm commishing this year, we get return TD points for individuals. My cousin (Bears fan) asked me yesterday if he should be considering Hester in our upcoming draft. I told him Hester's probably only going to touch the ball 2-3 times a game on offense. His response: "What else can you expect from your #4 WR?" I thought about that...and I couldn't really argue with it. With return TDs included, he's got legit 8-TD potential. As a spot starter, you could do worse. Is there anyone besides ESPN that considers John Clayton a serious source of credible information any longer? I'd rather put money on Yukon in a spelling bee than to be forced to rely on anything that Clayton reports. What's the source of this venom, BB? I mean, I've never taken Clayton's word as gospel, but he seems all right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 What's the source of this venom, BB? I mean, I've never taken Clayton's word as gospel, but he seems all right. Other than that he gets paid an extraordinary amount, supposedly has great sources, and yet understands the game so little and is so wrong so often? Nothing. Nothing at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Itals Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 (edited) Other than that he gets paid an extraordinary amount, supposedly has great sources, and yet understands the game so little and is so wrong so often? Nothing. Nothing at all. C'mon. With Vick gone, you know ESPN has to pimp some other marginal player as the "most exciting playa in the NFL". Edited August 1, 2007 by General Itals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 (edited) C'mon. With Vick gone, you know ESPN has to pimp some other marginal player as the "most exciting playa in the NFL". Let me be a bit more precise with my thoughts. When John Clayton comes out & flatly compares Hester with a guy like Steve Smith, that's just assinine. I've got a pretty good idea what happened, thought I don't know it for a fact: Clayton went to Bears' camp (he's probably making the rounds of all the NFL camps or something else close to meaningless like this). He saw Hester running past a CB who won't make a NFL roster because he's the 9th CB on the roster and catching a long pass or two, and starting getting an erection that he had just discovered the next Steve Smith. What's overlooked in all of this is that Clayton is a journalist, not anyone with meaningful football experience, and has no basis of experience for making any kind of judgment on a player's capability at the NFL level. That's okay - he shares that trait with 95% of the people who love football as well as about the same amount on a FF message board like this one. It's great that he's interested in the game, that he's excited about watching a player in practice, and that he wants to share his thoughts with others. The difference is that he's got a national forum to put forth those opinions - as uneducated as they are - and to promote himself as though he has some kind of unique insight into the game. That he saw Hester run past a player and catch a long pass hardly puts him in the same class as someone as prominant as Smith - who has busted his balls to overcome his lack of height with attitude, talent, willpower, hard work and at times a downright nasty mean streak. It's like looking at Brock Lesnar in a tee & shorts and saying he's the next Reggie White because he looks huge and is damn strong. It's simply a matter of understanding the game and what it takes for a player to be successful - and Clayton doesn't get that. Again, that's cool. He loves the game and he wants to talk about it. But that he's put forth on a national stage as some kind of expert is what bothers me - he doesn't have expertise at the game, and he shows it time & time again with ridiculous statements like the one above about Hester & comparing him to Smith. It's like the Ol' George says in Hooisiers: "Look, mister, there's... two kinds of dumb, uh... guy that gets naked and runs out in the snow and barks at the moon, and, uh, guy who does the same thing in my living room. First one don't matter, the second one you're kinda forced to deal with." When Clayton drops trou like he did up above, he becomes the second kind of dumb. Edited August 1, 2007 by Bronco Billy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 (edited) Let me be a bit more precise with my thoughts. When John Clayton comes out & flatly compares Hester with a guy like Steve Smith, that's just assinine. I've got a pretty good idea what happened, thought I don't know it for a fact: Clayton went to Bears' camp (he's probably making the rounds of all the NFL camps or something else close to meaningless like this). He saw Hester running past a CB who won't make a NFL roster because he's the 9th CB on the roster and catching a long pass or two, and starting getting an erection that he had just discovered the next Steve Smith. What's overlooked in all of this is that Clayton is a journalist, not anyone with meaningful football experience, and has no basis of experience for making any kind of judgment on a player's capability at the NFL level. That's okay - he shares that trait with 95% of the people who love football as well as about the same amount on a FF message board like this one. It's great that he's interested in the game, that he's excited about watching a player in practice, and that he wants to share his thoughts with others. The difference is that he's got a national forum to put forth those opinions - as uneducated as they are - and to promote himself as though he has some kind of unique insight into the game. That he saw Hester run past a player and catch a long pass hardly puts him in the same class as someone as prominant as Smith - who has busted his balls to overcome his lack of height with attitude, talent, willpower, hard work and at times a downright nasty mean streak. It's like looking at Brock Lesnar in a tee & shorts and saying he's the next Reggie White because he looks huge and is damn strong. It's simply a matter of understanding the game and what it takes for a player to be successful - and Clayton doesn't get that. Again, that's cool. He loves the game and he wants to talk about it. But that he's put forth on a national stage as some kind of expert is what bothers me - he doesn't have expertise at the game, and he shows it time & time again with ridiculous statements like the one above about Hester & comparing him to Smith. It's like the Ol' George says in Hooisiers: "Look, mister, there's... two kinds of dumb, uh... guy that gets naked and runs out in the snow and barks at the moon, and, uh, guy who does the same thing in my living room. First one don't matter, the second one you're kinda forced to deal with." When Clayton drops trou like he did up above, he becomes the second kind of dumb. "Make it a good one, Strap." In all seriousness, this is why he is paired with Sean Salisbury...he calls it like he sees it and every player that comes along is not the greatest thing since sliced bread. Edited August 1, 2007 by The Wolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 BB - prolly got the John Clayton experience correct. Also note that Clayton is smart enough to compare him to Steve Smith, who became a WR after....being a badass punt returner his first two years. Kind of a code to get people all slobbery over someone who is a ST beast, but will be little more than a nice touch on offense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungBob Posted August 1, 2007 Author Share Posted August 1, 2007 I've got a pretty good idea what happened, thought I don't know it for a fact: Clayton went to Bears' camp (he's probably making the rounds of all the NFL camps or something else close to meaningless like this). He saw Hester running past a CB who won't make a NFL roster because he's the 9th CB on the roster and catching a long pass or two, and starting getting an erection that he had just discovered the next Steve Smith. ...just for the record, the guy Hester has been running past is Nathan Vasher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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