Devin Hester was a better kick returner than he has proven to be as a wide receiver.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Ok, before you come after me with the pitchforks and torches, let me explain myself as to why I think Chicago Bears kick returner/wide receiver Devin Hester would be a great fit for the Green Bay Packers … and why he will probably never wear a Packers uniform.

First, we have to understand that Hester is not happy in Chicago, not only because of the firing of Lovie Smith, but because his role has been greatly reduced the past couple of years.When Hester’s role in kick returning diminished because the Bears thought they could utilize his skills more as a wide receiver, there were great hopes. However, his production didn’t match up to the hype.

If Hester was to even be considered a fit with the Packers, he would most likely be listed fourth, fifth or sixth among wide receivers.

So, why would the Packers want him?

Returning kicks has always been Devin Hester’s strong suit.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Well, he could compete in the phase of the game where he has always been successful – returning kicks and punts.

The Packers have been looking for a player to take over those special teams duties from Randall Cobb and have found at least one player, Jeremy Ross, who has shown promise, but has also had some problems keeping his hands on the ball. His muffed punt in the Divisional Playoff game looms largest in our most recent memories. However, to his credit, he did have many more positive than negative plays.

Bringing Hester in to compete on special teams would certainly force Ross to focus. Having both would be big, but it’s doubtful Ted Thompson would keep two kick returners unless they contributed elsewhere.

Another bonus for Hester is his salary. He is expected to make $2.1 million next year. For a player of his experience, that seems to be a deal … and we all know how Ted Thompson loves a good deal.

And while this may be an exercise in futility because we all probably understand that TT wouldn’t pull off any kind of deal, let alone one for a Chicago Bear, it’s fun to speculate … and really, who knows? TT has surprised us in the past.

So now you can put away those pitchforks and torches …

May 23, 2012; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) throws a pass during organized team activities at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

FantasyCPR, our fansided.com brethren, is hosting a series of team previews that should interest all National Football League fans.

They began the series with a Q&A with Keith Myers of 12th Man Rising, another fine site under the fansided.com umbrella.

Fantasy fans and fans in general will be interested in following this series diligently put together by FantasyCPR’s Zach Thompson.

This particular posting will be of interest to Green Bay Packers fans because it focuses on the Chicago Bears.

Anyway, you can go directly to the site here or you may just continue reading the posting below.

Chicago Bears – Fantasy Football 2012 Preview

The MLB All-Star break is always a good time to start your fantasy football preparations. We’ll have plenty of coverage  here at FantasyCPR leading up to preseason and  the highly-anticipated kickoff to the regular season.

Today we’re joined by Boomer from Bear Goggles On who helps us preview what we can expect from “da Bears” as they head into a tough season in the ultra-competetive NFC North.

Zach Thompson, FantasyCPR: Thanks again, Mike, for helping us with our season previews. We’ll start with the obvious one… The Bears looked good last year and appeared to be on their way to the playoffs before injuries completely derailed their season. Should we expect any lingering effects of either Matt Forte or Jay Cutler’s injury? And will the Bears O-line be able to keep Cutler upright

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: I don’t expect any lingering effects from the injuries to Forte and Cutler.  By all accounts, Jay has been zipping the ball around during OTA’s, showing no signs of damage from the broken thumb that ended his 2011 campaign.  Even though Forte has not been in camp with his contract status up in the air, he is always in top shape and I expect this season to be no different.

The offensive line question is another story.  The Bears didn’t make any significant moves this offseason, either in free agency or through the draft, to address one of their most glaring weaknesses.  This one still scares me a bit.

Z: Will Jay Cutler be a top 10 QB statistically this year?

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On:  There’s no reason to believe Cutler can’t get to that upper echelon of quarterbacks now that the Bears finally put some weapons around him and scrapped Mike Martz’s offensive playbook filled with 7-step drops that the Bears offensive line couldn’t block.

Z: I’ve been surprised at the lack of love given to the newly-acquired Brandon Marshall. Do you think he’ll be a top-10 receiver this year?

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: No question.  Marshall and Cutler were an elite duo in Denver and I expect them to pick up where they left off.  The Bears added Jeremy Bates and quarterbacks coach and de facto passing coordinator, so hopes are high for Marshall in the Bears offense.  He’ll get a ton of targets and should catch 90+ balls if things go according to plan.

Z: Would you rather have Brandon Marshall on your fantasy team or Hakeem Nicks?

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: I’d take Marshall since I think he’s a better receiver and since there are fewer weapons around Marshall compared to Nicks, who has to compete with Victor Cruz for touches.

Z: Brandon Marshall or Jordy Nelson?

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: Marshall.  Nelson is 2^nd or 3^rd option in Green Bay.

Z: Brandon Marshall or Steve Smith

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: Marshall. I think the Panthers and Cam Newton come back down to earth this season.

Z: Just one more, Brandon Marshall or A.J. Green.

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: Marshall since he’s got a stronger track record than Green, who might suffer a sophomore slump in 2012.

Z: I agree with you on all of those. I might consider Smith over him, but I want to see what the Panthers are doing during camp, but other than that I’m liking Marshall over all those guys. Who do you think will be the #2 wide receiver in Chicago?

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On:  That’s a great question.  Everyone in Bears camp has been pumping up Devin Hester now that he’ll be moved into the slot.  I think that Earl Bennett will emerge as the #2 in terms of targets.  Look for Alshon Jeffery to be a red zone threat as the season progresses.

Z: Will the Bears use the TE much as a receiver and if so who do you think will emerge as Cutler’s favorite target in that role?

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: Kellen Davis has been getting some preseason hype as a super sleeper TE for the Bears.  He’s 6’7”, so he should be able to get some red zone TD’s.

Z: Matt Forte seemed to wear down a little at the end of the year even before the injury. Who will serve as the Bears backup RB and will they use him in any kind of a rotation?

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: I expect Forte and Bush to be sort of a lightening and thunder attack.  For all his success that Forte has had, he hasn’t been good in short yardage and red zone.  That’s where Bush will excel.

Z: The Bears D/ST is always one of the top units in all of fantasy football. Do you think they’ll take a step forward or backward this year?

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: Their defense is definitely on the decline with their top stars on the wrong side of 30, but with a Lovie Smith defense, it’s always about takeaways.  The Bears will continue to be opportunistic and should still be a top fantasy producer.  When you add Devin Hester and special teams to the mix, I think they’ll still be a top fantasy option.

Z: Last one, give me your realistic expectation for the Bears this season, and then your perfect scenario. How far can Lovie Smith and Da Bears go?

Mike Burzawa, Bear Goggles On: Realistically, I have the Bears at 10 or 11 wins this season and making a strong run in the playoffs. In a perfect scenario, Cutler stays healthy and he and Marshall live up to the hype while the defense gets another year out of Urlacher, Briggs, Peppers and Tillman and the Bears return to Super Bowl glory.

If the Packers are to win Sunday against the Bears, they must not turn the ball over.

Mike Burzawa, the blogger over at beargoggleson.com, threw some questions to us here at lombardiave.com about today’s Packer vs. Bears, which we were more than glad to answer.

In what, in my opinion, could be a much closer game than many expect, We talk about injuries, quarterbacks, defense and the Packers vs. Bears longtime rivalry.

No doubt, this will be just another great game between the Midwest rivals.

As you prepare to watch, check out the Q&A we’ve put together here … and don’t forget to Like Lombardiave.com on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Q. The Packers finally lost a game.  Does that help take some of the pressure off?  How does that affect their preparations for the Bears on Sunday night?

(more…)

Aaron Rodgers and Jared Allen were both named as October Players of the Month in the NFC. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Good gosh, is it no doubt why the Packers have been the best team in the NFL during the first half of the season and Aaron Rodgers the best quarterback?

Just take a look at the NFC North Division … The Lions and the Bears are close behind the Packers, while even the Vikings have shown vast improvement the past couple of weeks.

In essence, it’s the competition that ultimately makes a championship team and the Packers play, without question, the toughest competition within its own division.

Clearly, it makes them better.

(more…)

The Packers special teams, and in this case their return coverage team, should improve this season under third-year coach Shawn Slocum. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Special teams has been nothing short of schitzophrenic for the Green Bay Packers the past few seasons.

Coach Shawn Slocum has worked with the tools he has been given, but the results have been far from satisfactory. In fact, if you take away the anemic running game of the first 12 games last year, the play of the special teams was probably not far behind as the Achilles heel in the Packers’ attack.

Slocum’s units have not ranked well at all the past few years and even before he was named Packers special teams coach, the teamwasn’t impressive.

So, it’s been a while since we’ve seen production from special teams in Green Bay.

Here are the rankings of the team the past few years - rankings that Slocum can only improve on this year. The Packers ranked 29th in the Dallas Morning News’ annual survey of performance after ranking 31st in 2009, 26th in ’08, tied for seventh in ’07 and 32nd in ’06. The Packers also were dead last in ’05 under Mike Sherman.

That’s pretty pathetic.

If last Saturday was any indication (though it is a long, long season) it looks as though GM Ted Thompson has finally outfitted Slocum with the depth of talent that could make a huge difference in production this coming season. (more…)

Chicago Bears
The Bears brought in a franchise quarterback during the offseason in Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos in a massive trade.  The Bears now have a face to the franchise on offense to go with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on defense.  Although I said that Bears receivers are bad a few posts ago (a statement I still stand behind), Cutler makes them a bit better, while the presence of Cutler takes the pressure of Matt Forte and the running game.  So would you throw Vick in this mix?

The Bears already have one gimmick player on offense in Devin Hester.  Hester is the main decoy on many plays and the Bears love to use his vertical speed to stretch the defense and give the coordinators headaches.  Adding Vick would give the Bears two potentially explosive players on offense at the same time.  Putting Vick into the offense without a full offseason and training camp to get everything to work between him and Hester would be a burden for Cutler, who’s learning a new system, and the offense in general.

Also, owner Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith are classy guys.  While I think Vick should be allowed back in the league as soon as commissioner Roger Goodell can approve of him and I don’t think he’s a threat to society, Angelo and Smith would want to avoid any backlash.  Vick could really work in Chicago, but I feel that Angelo and Smith wouldn’t run the risk of the backlash and something going wrong.

Detroit Lions
It doesn’t seem like things can get any worse for the Detroit Lions.  With last year’s debacle, there is really nowhere for the Lions to go but up.  With Matthew Stafford and revamped linebacking corps, there is hope in Detroit for a few wins here or there.  But would Vick be a fit in Detroit?

The first thing you have to look at his playmakers.  Who are the Lions playmakers?  Stafford isn’t even the starter yet, as he’s behind Daunte Culpepper.  Kevin Smith guaranteed the playoffs this year for Detroit and he does give them a steady option at running back, but he’s nothing too special yet.  Calvin Johnson is the closest thing the Lions have to a star player.  After Johnson, there’s a mess with Keary Colbert, Ronald Curry, Bryant Johnson, Dennis Northcutt, and rookie Derrick Williams.  Those guys are all going for the spots behind Calvin Johnson.  Is there room for Vick in here?  I’d say yes.

The Lions could definitely use Vick’s playmaking ability.  However, Stafford is the quarterback of the future and coach Jim Schwartz wants to use Culpepper as the stop gap.  Vick would be relegated to a Wildcat role and basically be a gimmick player.

Image-wise, the Lions can’t really get that much lower after the 0-16 season.  Getting Vick would show that they are serious about making an attempt to get better.  But then again, they might look as a risk for getting their reputation dumbed down even more.  They could use his talent, but will stay hands off, as there is enough work to do on that team already.

Green Bay Packers
First off, I don’t see Vick in a Green Bay Packer uniform.  Sure, if he was more of a traditional quarterback, I could definitely see Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy run the risk and sign him to back up Aaron Rodgers if Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn can’t improve.  But the fact that Vick is all over the place with his play, I don’t see it happening.  Vick could also serve the purpose of a Wildcat in the Packers offense, but the team has been prolific enough the last few years that they should (and will) stay with what works.

Also, I can’t see Vick meshing too well in Green Bay.  He’s done his time and deserves to be back in, but Green Bay doesn’t seem to be the town to take him.  This is a big year for the Packers, so anything to upset the balance could gain the ire of the stockholders, which the team does not want.

Minnesota Vikings
Finally, the Minnesota Vikings.  There are three reasons why I think the Vikings are the least likely to land Vick in the division: 1) Brett Favre; 2) Percy Harvin; 3) Tarvaris Jackson.

Favre.  Right now, the Vikings are waiting for Favre to notify Brad Childress and the team whether or not he will be returning to football and joining the Vikings on July 30 (or sooner).  If the Vikings get Favre, it can give them a quarterback that can hand off to Adrian Peterson and get the ball down the field and make plays if necessary.  No need for Vick there.

Harvin.  Harvin fills the role of Minnesota’s Wildcat.  He can run with the ball, he can catch the ball, and the Vikings have had him throwing in practice.  If he can do all that, why do they need Vick?  Plus, they’re waiting on Favre; why wait on Vick too?

Jackson.  The Vikings have been dealing with the mobile quarterback with shoddy decision making over the past few years with T-Jack.  Vick is an exponentially better version of Tarvaris, but do the Vikings and their fans really want to go through this ordeal all over again?  I don’t think so.  Small chance of Vick in Viking purple.

Lions, Bears, Packers, Vikings.  That’s the order (from most likely to least likely) of teams in the NFC North going after one Michael Vick.

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“They don’t have a receiver,” Driver said on the “Waddle & Silvy” show on ESPN 1000. “They don’t have any true receivers that step up and play and take their team to where they want to go.

“I love Devin [Hester], and Devin knows that, but Devin plays [defensive back]. I don’t think he’s just a solid receiver right now. He may become one as years go on, but it doesn’t happen overnight.”

I’m not sure there’s anyone that can deny this, even Bears fans.  Let’s look at the wide receivers on the Bears roster currently: Hester, Brandon Rideau, Eric Peterman, Johnny Knox, Derek Kinder, Juaquin Iglesias, Rashied Davis, John Broussard, Earl Bennett, and Devin Aromashodu.  Peterman, Knox, Kinder, and Iglesias are all rookies.  I’ve never heard of Rideau.  Bennett and Aromashodu have yet to show anything on the NFL level.  Davis has had flashes of brilliance, but his career season was 2008, when he had 35 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns.  Hester had 52 receptions for 665 yards and three touchdowns.

Granted, with Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman as your quarterbacks, it’s hard to produce.  With Jay Cutler in town, the wide receivers will see some improvement, but you have to have some toys for your quarterback to play with.  Cutler is a great quarterback, but I doubt he will be able to turn these guys into Pro Bowlers within one or two seasons.  The Bears weakest point on their offense is their receiving corps.  Hester has his moments, but it feels like most of the time he is used as a diversion or as a gimmick.

If Chicago wants to contend, they need a Brandon Marshall or an Anquan Boldin, a big target that can make any quarterback look good.  However, with the king’s ransom they payed for Cutler, it doesn’t look like they have anything to give up for them.  The Cutler acquisition of Cutler gives Chicago the franchise quarterback it needs, but he doesn’t have any receivers, meaning a tough time getting adjusted for Jay.

Donald Driver states the obvious folks.  Seriously, before you read this, could you name a Bears wide receiver besides Hester?

The other thing that I found interesting about this is that Driver is usually pretty silent when it comes to the media.  He doesn’t toot his own horn that much or make too much noise on the airwaves.  That being said, I like it.  It gives the Packers a bit of an edge for 2009.  Driver also answered questions about future Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre:

“A lot of guys just kind of put it out of their mind, and said that whatever Brett does he’s going to do it on his own, and we can’t worry about it in Green Bay,” Driver said. “If he signs with Minnesota, he does, and if he doesn’t he doesn’t.

“If he signs with them, then we prepare for him when that week comes around, but right now we’re not focused on that. We’re just focused on winning games trying to get to where we want to go, and that’s the world championship.”

Good words from Driver.  Less than two weeks until Favre’s decision.  My guess?  He’ll be back.

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