Bears receivers are better without Berrian/Muhammad

[mngolf19]

Not sure I would agree with this.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/982390,CST-SPT-bearnt02.article

Wide receivers coach Darryl Drake admitted he's prone to hyperbole from time to time. But even after the Bears lost Bernard Berrian, a wide receiver they were willing to invest more than $5million per year in, and released veteran Muhsin Muhammad, Drake sees a better corps of playmakers this season.

Granted, after losing Berrian there's really no direction to go but up, but after minicamp Drake likes what he has seen.

That's a point worth considering. The Bears have been searching for some playmakers and may have a better cast now even if it's not clear if there's someone who can match Berrian's production: 71 receptions, 951 yards and five touchdowns last season. Finding a quarterback to get receivers the ball is no small issue, either.

Devin Hester was getting the ball all over the field in practice -- deep, short, out, across the middle. Brandon Lloyd looked to be headed in the right direction in a career-saving effort. On Sunday, he made a nice over-the-shoulder catch for a touchdown ahead of cornerback Corey Graham.

''But the best player for us probably out on the field has been 81 [Rashied Davis],'' Drake said. ''He's quicker, he's faster, he's stronger. He puts more fear in them -- you go ask those guys on defense who puts fear inside them.''

Add wily veteran Marty Booker into the equation and Mark Bradley could be fighting for a roster spot when his right knee heals, along with third-round pick Earl Bennett and others.

[SMACKTALKIE]

Hester is scary with the ball in his hands no matter how it gets there. He did'nt show much at WR last year but I would imagine every opposing D coordinator notices him when he takes the field.

[red]

yeah, when you have hester on the team, you HAVE to find ways to get the ball into his hands

i'm shocked its taken this long

but i don't see how they are a better group after losing their top 2 wr's

but it doesn't matter, they don't have a qb capable of getting ANY wr's the ball

[DonHutson]

They'll probably miss Berrian more than they're willing to admit, but he's a bit one dimensional and I'd by surprised if he justifies what the Vikings are paying him.

Muhammad is washed up.

If Hester ever develops any kind of feel for playing WR (which he may not), he should be as good as Berrian. Booker and Muhammad are a push. They're both scrap.

Considering the calendar, that statement isn't completely off base. I mean, the WR's weren't very good last year either. There's not much room to get worse.

Finally, does it matter anyway? As Red points out, who's gonna get them the ball?

[SMACKTALKIE]

yeah, when you have hester on the team, you HAVE to find ways to get the ball into his hands

i'm shocked its taken this long

but i don't see how they are a better group after losing their top 2 wr's

but it doesn't matter, they don't have a qb capable of getting ANY wr's the ball

Or an O-line to protect the QB. Or a run game to balance the offense.

They should coach their D to play both ways. :P

[Spaulding]

Scary with the ball as a return person (in space). As a receiver and bumped off the line, blocking and going over the middle - good luck.

I think the Bears are going to regret this move of using Hester more and more as a receiver, especially when he goes down in the first half of the season with an injury.

Then again, he might stay healthy and be pedestrian as wide receiver much like Dante Hall in his hey day for the Chiefs.

[Bossman641]

Hester is a fast guy playing WR. He'll be decent on screens and fly routes but that will probably all he will every be good at. He's too small to be an everyday WR and more than likely won't develop the knack for route running required. However, he is still a dangerous weapon who is sure to get the attention of the opposing DC everytime he lines up. Word out of Bears camp is that they can't overthrow him. He just tells them to throw it as far as they can and he'll go get it.

I don't buy this piece at all. Lloyd was one of the biggest FA disappointments ever. Booker is washed up. Davis is a former Arena League player (a cornerback I believe).

This raises an interesting question though. If you had the worst WR corps last year and you have the worst WR corps this year, how can you say you have improved?

[DonHutson]

This raises an interesting question though. If you had the worst WR corps last year and you have the worst WR corps this year, how can you say you have improved?

Because a coach isn't going to admit that in June.

That's what I mean when I say based on the calendar it's not that outlandish. At this time of year every draft pick is a sure fire star and every player improved by leaps and bounds in the weight room. Darren Sharper is a hall of famer, and Mike Vanderjagt was hell bent on playing the CFL no matter who called from the NFL. It's silly season.

If this guy suggested anything less than a marked improvement in the WR corps, that would be a shock. This is the same coaching staff that's tickled pink with their QB 'competition' after all.

[The Leaper]

I remember "The Professor" aka "Crater Face" John Clayton GUSHING over the Bears WRs last preseason. The way he talked, Hester was a lock for 1200 yards and 12 TDs.

I don't buy it. They don't have a single starting caliber NFL WR on their roster. With their QBs and WRs, they will have a difficult time escaping the bottom 10 in the offensive rankings in 2008.