Bears' Hester Is Questionable vs. Packers: Does it Matter?

[SnakeLH2006]

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/story/1377708.html

Bears' Hester questionable for Sunday vs. Packers

Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester is questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals with an ankle injury.

Hester sat out practice all week after suffering the injury against Cleveland last week. He is the team leader in receptions (35) and receiving yards (454) and has yet to miss a game this season.

Safety Danieal Manning is also as questionable with a back injury after being limited in practice. Linebacker Pina Tinoisamoa will continue to sit out with a knee injury suffered early in the season.

• Bears' Hester misses practice

Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester missed practice on Wednesday after suffering an ankle injury against Cleveland this past Sunday.

Hester caught seven balls for 81 yards on Sunday and also returned four punts for 47 yards. The speedster leads the team in receptions (35) and receiving yards (454) while scoring three touchdowns.

Several other Bears were limited in Wednesday's practice session, including linebacker Lance Briggs (shoulder), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee), defensive end Adewale Ogunleye (ankle), safety Craig Steltz (bicep) and tight end Greg Olsen (ankle).

• Cutler, Bears hold off Rams 17-9

Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears looked like they were headed to an easy win. Instead, they had to hang on to beat lowly St. Louis.

Cutler fizzled after a strong start, throwing for 143 yards and a touchdown without an interception, and the Bears beat the Rams 17-9 Sunday after dropping four straight and six of seven.

Cutler threw for 131 yards in the first quarter as the Bears built a 10-0 lead. After that? Chicago went to the run, St. Louis rallied and Bears receiver Devin Hester left the game with a calf injury.

• Bears' Hester, Peterson leave game against Lions

Chicago Bears wide receiver/returner Devin Hester and special teams player Adrian Peterson left Sunday's 48-24 win against the Detroit Lions.

Hester left in the second quarter and was not on the field at the start of the third quarter because of a shoulder injury.

Peterson injured his right knee early in the game and did not return.

• NFL Preview - Chicago (1-1) at Seattle (1-1)

In their first road trip without injured Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher, the Chicago Bears are not likely to have many tears shed for them by this week's opponent, the Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle, plagued by the injury bug throughout its dismal 4-12 campaign of 2008, is already dealing with an infirmed list that rivals that of the Bears or anyone else in the league, for that matter.

The concerns begin on offense, where a team that has already been minus left tackle Walter Jones (knee) and center Chris Spencer (quadriceps) for the first two games had to make room for a few more bodies in the training room this week.
By Sports Network
The Sports Network

Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester missed practice for the third straight day on Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Green Bay.

The speedy wideout and returner, who is nursing a calf injury, has 54 catches for 682 yards with three touchdowns in 12 games for the 5-7 Bears this season. He has also returned 23 punts for an average of 8.1 yards.

Hester was hurt in the third quarter of last weekend's win against St. Louis when he took a handoff and was thrown for a four-yard loss.

Starting left tackle Orlando Pace is also listed as questionable after he missed the entire week of practice with a groin injury. The seven-time Pro Bowl selection sat out last Sunday versus the Rams after starting the first 11 games this season.

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Personally, Snake has many buddies who are Bears fans...they all still cling onto Hester as the Neon Deion godsend...

Well, Da Bears screwed it up by making him a subpar WR....he's failed on KR/PR for the thing he used to justbeast at....special teams.

I'm not concerned with Hester at all anymore. Look at his stats...He's an average WR at best...and very average at ST the last 2 years now. Just don't mess with it.....and they did.

Is any PackerRat concerned about Hester anymore? I know I was 2 years ago....Where the are those great posters DaBaddestBear and that other Bear fan lately to let us hear about the goings on in Chicago?

Packers in a low-scoring win. CWood gets at least one pick and starts laying groundwork for his NFL D player of the year award. Cutler should be fun to watch throw up picks and pout. Hester makes no difference in the game if he plays. He's so mid-2000's.

[Gunakor]

I still fear Hester in the return game, simply because our coverage teams are incredibly awful. Far lesser return men than Hester have been made to look spectacular against the Packers. He doesn't have to be the Devin Hester of old to create problems for us returning kicks and punts.

[SnakeLH2006]

I still fear Hester in the return game, simply because our coverage teams are incredibly awful. Far lesser return men than Hester have been made to look spectacular against the Packers. He doesn't have to be the Devin Hester of old to create problems for us returning kicks and punts.

I agree our ST is shit....but Hester is no threat.

.........Not worried at all.

[Gunakor]

It doesn't have to be Hester. Whoever they have back there returning worries me a little. Agreed Hester isn't a threat anymore, but that isn't the point. He doesn't have to be. The threat is our own coverage teams, not the return man. They could have Orlando Pace back there returning punts and I'd be a little concerned. Hester's going to give Chicago an advantage in starting field position at the very least, unless Crosby can boot all of his kickoffs out of the endzone and Kampinos drops every punt out of bounds. He's still capable of reaching paydirt, especially against our ST's. Yes, I am worried about Hester a little bit should we give him his opportunities returning kickoffs and punts.

[Bossman641]

It doesn't have to be Hester. Whoever they have back there returning worries me a little. Agreed Hester isn't a threat anymore, but that isn't the point. He doesn't have to be. The threat is our own coverage teams, not the return man. They could have Orlando Pace back there returning punts and I'd be a little concerned. Hester's going to give Chicago an advantage in starting field position at the very least, unless Crosby can boot all of his kickoffs out of the endzone and Kampinos drops every punt out of bounds. He's still capable of reaching paydirt, especially against our ST's. Yes, I am worried about Hester a little bit should we give him his opportunities returning kickoffs and punts.

Hester only returns punts.

Knox and Manning return kickoffs. I'm more worried about them then I am Hester.

[Fritz]

The way the Packer special teams' coverage units have been, I'd be scared if my mom was back there returning punts.

[red]

I still fear Hester in the return game, simply because our coverage teams are incredibly awful. Far lesser return men than Hester have been made to look spectacular against the Packers. He doesn't have to be the Devin Hester of old to create problems for us returning kicks and punts.

william the refrigerator perry is a threat against our coverage

[mraynrand]

The way the Packer special teams' coverage units have been, I'd be scared if my mom was back there returning punts.

So Would I:

"Eat your vegetables!"
"Clean your room!"
"Don't blindside tackle your poor dear, arthritic, nagging mother!"

[hoosier]

Orlando Pace is also listed as questionable. If Hester can't play that is a loss for the Bears, but if Pace can't play that is addition by subtraction. That would be a case of one injury cancelling out another.

[mraynrand]

Orlando Pace is also listed as questionable. If Hester can't play that is a loss for the Bears, but if Pace can't play that is addition by subtraction. That would be a case of one injury cancelling out another.

I don't think Pace was going to be effective returning kicks anyway.

[Guiness]

Is he really not a threat on returns anymore? I really don't know.

Regardless of who's back there, if there any good, punt/kick (more kick, it seems) is certainly a weakness that can be exploited on the Packers, and it worries me more than any other facet of the game right now.

[mission]

Won't matter.

Too much rivalry build up and early-Lovie-Smith-W/L-statistics being pushed this week.

All media, not reality this time around.

We play continue to play the kind of ball we're playing. Dominant D, opportunistic scoring and, yes, still too many gaffes.

Hester is JAG now.

[Guiness]

Why is Hester JAG on returns now? Has he lost a step?

Return guys seem to go that way. Dante Hall went from toast of the league to out of a job in an awful hurry. Why do they burn out faster than any other position?

[channtheman]

Why is Hester JAG on returns now? Has he lost a step?

Return guys seem to go that way. Dante Hall went from toast of the league to out of a job in an awful hurry. Why do they burn out faster than any other position?

I don't want to take everything away from these return guys, but I think that like turnovers, big kick returns are luck. All it takes is one guy to be out of position on a return and bam there the speedy little guy goes. And since he was able to return 4 or 5 in half a season he gets all this love.

[mission]

Why is Hester JAG on returns now? Has he lost a step?

Return guys seem to go that way. Dante Hall went from toast of the league to out of a job in an awful hurry. Why do they burn out faster than any other position?

Just a guess without a lot of facts, but I think it's because a lot of these guys come in running 4.2's and 4.3's out of college with super fresh legs and as a couple years go by those 4.3's turn into 4.4's and 4.5's and they're back on level playing field with the rest of the league.

I know that sounds a bit backwards because the NFL is obviously way faster than college but I think that .1 makes a huge difference and I don't think these guys are getting faster as the years go by. They still might be fast but they don't have that super fresh advantage.

Just that little bit renders their whole advantage useless.

[bobblehead]

The way the Packer special teams' coverage units have been, I'd be scared if my mom was back there returning punts.

I am hearing Max and Larry in my mind suddenly:

"Old lady Fritz back to field the punt at her own 20. Kampinos hits a high floater. Old lady Fritz fields it on the 18....she takes two steps to the right, now she cuts back across the field. She makes one tackler miss. She's all the way to the 40, the 50, Kampinos is the only one in her way. She does a quick head fake, Kampinos slips on the icy field, she's at the 30, the 20, the 10, TD for old lady Fritz...Larry, it seems this unit can make anyone look like a pro bowler."

[MJZiggy]

The way the Packer special teams' coverage units have been, I'd be scared if my mom was back there returning punts.

I am hearing Max and Larry in my mind suddenly:

"Old lady Fritz back to field the punt at her own 20. Kampinos hits a high floater. Old lady Fritz fields it on the 18....she takes two steps to the right, now she cuts back across the field. She makes one tackler miss. She's all the way to the 40, the 50, Kampinos is the only one in her way. She does a quick head fake, Kampinos slips on the icy field, she's at the 30, the 20, the 10, TD for old lady Fritz...Larry, it seems this unit can make anyone look like a pro bowler." :lol: :lol:

She never would have juked Ryan like that...