Hester not quite as electric for Bears this year

Nov/03/08 01:47 AM Filed in: Devin Hester
DevinHester
This was the game in which many Bear watchers expected Devin Hester to make a significant impact on the outcome.

They were right, but not nearly the way many envisioned Hester affecting the Bears' 27-23 victory over the Lions.

Hester fumbled a kickoff return with 13 minutes 21 seconds left in the second quarter that Lions linebacker Alex Lewis forced and recovered. One play later Detroit scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dan Orlovsky to Calvin Johnson to give the Lions a 13-10 lead.

Buoyed by the momentum swing Hester's turnover created, Detroit scored all 23 of their points in the second quarter — an avalanche that started with the fumble.

"It was a good play by him," Hester said. "I had the ball close to my body, and he just reached out and made a great play on it."

Lewis did, but Hester's role in the mistake capped a disappointing first half of the season for the Pro Bowl return man. He has averaged just 20.9 yards on 20 kickoff returns and 6.2 yards per punt return without a touchdown. Against the Lions, a team that had given up an 80-yard touchdown return one week earlier to Santana Moss, Hester managed just 16.3 yards per kickoff return and 10.5 yards per punt return.

Hesterized, the Lions were not.

"The things we did last year we can't do this year," Hester said. "Like I said from the beginning, it's a new group of guys [blocking]. I don't want to get into no details and start complaining, but we just have to get adjusted to ourselves and figure out which side is strength and which side is weak."

The loss of Pro Bowl special-teams player Brendon Ayanbadejo has hurt. The reputation of Hester has made the bull's-eye on his back bigger too. But the Bears object to the idea that his increased role in the offense has affected his returns, and he doesn't agree that he has become more tentative.

"I don't feel like I'm playing it safe," Hester said. "In a game situation you have to know when to protect the ball and when to hit a home run. You have to say there's no I in team, and if [a chance is] there, I'll do what I do. But if it's not there, secure the ball and do what I can."

(chicagotribune.com)