Upgrade our WR's??

[Controlled Chaos]

I can't help my disgust for how this team has treated Mike Hass. He can easily be this teams Wes Welker. Welker has gone through the exact same crap Hass is going through just to get his shot. These guys both have the talent and for some reason from college to the pros they were passed over. Welker finally has the stage to open up eyes and he has done so. Although he still has to fight for the credit. Mike Hass can be that same player. He is exactly the kind of receiver this team needs...Will he ever get his chance??

 

This is a pretty good read on Welker...

[Connorbear]

I can't help my disgust for how this team has treated Mike Hass. He can easily be this teams Wes Welker. Welker has gone through the exact same crap Hass is going through just to get his shot. These guys both have the talent and for some reason from college to the pros they were passed over. Welker finally has the stage to open up eyes and he has done so. Although he still has to fight for the credit. Mike Hass can be that same player. He is exactly the kind of receiver this team needs...Will he ever get his chance??

 

This is a pretty good read on Welker...

Well, he was drafted in the 6th round, New Orleans cut him and he was on Bears practice squad all yr last yr and no team stole him. This tells you how he is perceived by other scouts in the league.

 

That being said, I wanted to see the kid play this yr and was disappointed he did not get on the field. I am hoping he stays on the team and has an impact next yr.

 

Peace

[madlithuanian]

At leas in my case, you're preachin' to the converted!

 

I wanted to see more of him. I don't have undying faith in NFL talent evaluators. Otherwise, why did Brady or even Montana go so low in drafts...? And why did Andre Ware go so high!?

 

I can't help my disgust for how this team has treated Mike Hass. He can easily be this teams Wes Welker. Welker has gone through the exact same crap Hass is going through just to get his shot. These guys both have the talent and for some reason from college to the pros they were passed over. Welker finally has the stage to open up eyes and he has done so. Although he still has to fight for the credit. Mike Hass can be that same player. He is exactly the kind of receiver this team needs...Will he ever get his chance??

 

This is a pretty good read on Welker...

[Controlled Chaos]

Well, he was drafted in the 6th round, New Orleans cut him and he was on Bears practice squad all yr last yr and no team stole him. This tells you how he is perceived by other scouts in the league.

 

That being said, I wanted to see the kid play this yr and was disappointed he did not get on the field. I am hoping he stays on the team and has an impact next yr.

 

Peace

Yeah and Welker went undrafted...Hass would have went undrafted as well too if not for Reggie Bush who persuaded the Saints to take him.

 

Here's an article from before the season which I had never read. He has done everything asked of him...he has had to overcome every obstacle, he had to learn every receiver position just to make the team and he has done it all only to be IA all year on a team with little to zero impact receivers. If you put Hass and Davis on the field together and have a route running/catching/blocking contest it isn't even a competition, yet Hass can't get a shot. It's ridiculous!! He will solve some of the problems with this offense if given the chance...mark my words.

 

 

Outlook better for Hass landing a job with Bears

The former OSU receiver hopes hard work this summer pays off with a roster spot

Sunday, July 22, 2007

AARON FENTRESS

The Oregonian

WILSONVILLE -- A shirtless Mike Hass stood in the end zone at Wilsonville High School's football field and wiped his brow after completing a sprint workout.

 

Summer vacation and a hot July afternoon had left the school's stadium and track empty, save for the former Oregon State and current Chicago Bears wide receiver.

 

Eight 80-yard sprints, six 60-yard sprints and four 40-yard sprints had barely left Hass winded. After all, it was as he described, "a light day." In shape and in good spirits, Hass knows there won't be many "light" days ahead when Bears training camp opens in Bourbonnais, Ill., on Thursday.

 

Hass, a practice squad player for the Bears last season, was preparing to take a second stab at making an NFL team's active roster. And, as has been the case much of his career, he'll have to outwork the competition in the areas he excels in to help erase doubts.

 

However, Hass' prospects appear to be more promising than they were last season.

 

Strong performances during offseason workouts has Hass entering training camp as the team's No. 5 wide receiver and the No. 2 slot receiver.

 

"That's where I want to be," Hass said.

 

If he remains there opening day, it would mean he had made the team and once again proved doubters wrong.

 

Finding a new home

 

Hass was a sixth-round pick by New Orleans in 2006 and ultimately was cut by the Saints in favor of seventh-round pick Marquis Colston, who ended up with 1,038 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

 

The Saints, who had used Hass sparingly during preseason, offered to keep him on their practice squad. But Hass declined and signed with Chicago on Sept. 4.

 

"Why would I stick with a team that didn't give me an opportunity?" Hass said. "That's all I ask for is an opportunity. That's all I need."

 

Chicago, already carrying six wide receivers, placed Hass on its practice squad.

 

The Bears also happened to be a franchise his father had followed for 46 years, which had rubbed off on Hass.

 

In many ways, Hass' situation could have been considered a fantasy camp for many NFL fans. He practiced with his favorite team. Traveled with the Bears. Watched games from the sideline. And he got all the team gear anyone would ever want.

 

But Hass said the novelty eventually wore thin. He longed to play.

 

After the Bears' Super Bowl loss to Indianapolis, Hass met with team officials, who had favorable opinions about what they had seen from him during 22 weeks of practices.

 

"They wanted me to go through their summer program and vie for a spot," Hass said.

 

Hass' agent, Scott Smith from XAM Sports in Madison, Wis., said several other teams were interested but that Bears general manager Jerry Angelo always had expressed a serious interest in Hass, and it just seemed like the right fit.

 

With that, Hass began the process of learning the Bears' playbook, something he could do sparingly as a scout team player.

 

Last year, Chicago finished the season with five wide receivers. But, Justin Gage was not retained. That left the team with 12-year veteran Muhsin Muhammad, speedster Bernard Berrian, slot receiver Rashied Davis, a former Arena League player, and oft-injured Mark Bradley, a second-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2005.

 

Hass also benefited from the Bears not drafting a wide receiver in April.

 

"That's what you want to hear as a guy in my position," Hass said. "You don't want to have to fight through three more guys from the draft."

 

However, the Bears did move Pro Bowl kickoff and punt return specialist Devin Hester to wide receiver. But, according to Hass, the team said it would carry at least five wide receivers in addition to Hester.

 

Seizing an opportunity

 

Sensing it was his time, Hass attacked offseason workouts and caught the eye of at least a few teammates.

 

When three Bears defensive linemen, appearing on the Comcast Sports television show "Chicago Tribune Live," were asked who had stood out during the camps, each responded: "Mike Hass."

 

When told of those comments, Hass, who had not even heard of the show, was flattered.

 

"First thing you want to do is have the players' respect," Hass said.

 

Bears coaches were on vacation last week and unavailable for comment. But when wide receivers coach Darryl Drake was asked by ChicagoBears.com which young wide receiver had a chance to make the team, he responded: "You start with a guy like Mike Hass, who has done a tremendous job. He's a guy who catches the ball really well and runs good routes. He had a really good offseason."

 

The Bears did add three free agent wide receivers and will return third-year receiver Brandon Rideau out of Kansas who spent last season on the Bears' practice squad.

 

Still, on paper, the No. 5 spot appears to be Hass' to lose.

 

"All he needs to do is get a chance to play and show the type of playmaker he is," Smith said.

 

As for the speed issue, Hass always will be slow by league standards. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds at the 2006 NFL Combine.

 

But Hass doesn't think it should keep him off the field.

 

"I am the player that I am," Hass said. "And, obviously you do the things to make yourself better, but I don't need to run a 4.4. I never have. I'm not going to. I'm only getting older."

 

Bears coaches, he said, like his ability to work the middle of the field from the slot position and make tough catches.

 

"I feel like I'm a good fit in there," Hass said.

 

A new identity

 

The Bears have been a good fit for Hass.

 

His father, Rick Hass, 53, once painted an orange letter C on a blue helmet for his young son.

 

"He told me last year: "I can't wait to see you run out onto Soldier Field with that "C" on your head," Mike Hass said.

 

Rick Hass said the disappointments of the past year have affected his son, who hasn't played in a meaningful game since the Beavers' Civil War loss to Oregon in November 2005.

 

"He's changed a lot since last year," Rick Hass said. "He's gotten harder. Tougher. He knows what he's up against."

 

Good friend and former OSU kicker Brent Wismer, who spent last week at Hass' apartment in Lake Bluff, Ill., also has seen some changes.

 

"The difference just comes from it being a business and he realizes his job is on the line every day," Wismer said. "Off the field, he's still the same guy as when I met him before he became a household name in Oregon."

 

Another change has been in Hass' enthusiasm. Last year, according to Wismer, Hass often was disappointed and down about how things were going. Not so this time around.

 

"He's genuinely upbeat," Wismer said. "It's definitely 180 degrees from last year when I would talk to him."

 

Rick Hass believes it's just a matter of time before his son finds a home in the NFL.

 

"It's a regular Mike Hass story," Rick Hass said. "He's had to do it the hard way."

[kyyle23]

From everything I have heard from the Score and ESPN beat reporters on down to Hub Arkush, the only thing that is keeping Hass of the field is his speed. Welker can flat out fly, and he always has been able to. Hass is percieved to be slow, and unless he can change that perception he is going to be what he is, a practice squad player.

[Connorbear]

I read this article last summer. I already said I was disappointed he didn't see the field this yr. However, I don't feel the Bears treated him poorly. They obviously feel he has some value as they kept him on the roster the entire yr.

 

Again, I believe we need to have patience. His not playing is not the reason this season went into the shitter.

 

Peace

[Connorbear]

From everything I have heard from the Score and ESPN beat reporters on down to Hub Arkush, the only thing that is keeping Hass of the field is his speed. Welker can flat out fly, and he always has been able to. Hass is percieved to be slow, and unless he can change that perception he is going to be what he is, a practice squad player.

I agree and this is why I would never compare Haas to Welker.

 

Instead, I would compare Haas from a potential standpoint to Bobby Engram. Engram has minimal speed (I remember the game where the GB linebacker caught him from behind in the open field) but is a great route runner. He has over 550 career receptions and just had one of his best yrs.

 

We don't need Haas to be a speedburner. We need him to come in and make the big 3rd down catch to move the chains.

 

Peace

[DaBearSox]

I'd like to see more production out of Bradley before Hass. Its really pathetic he isn't targeted more.

[Controlled Chaos]

From everything I have heard from the Score and ESPN beat reporters on down to Hub Arkush, the only thing that is keeping Hass of the field is his speed. Welker can flat out fly, and he always has been able to. Hass is percieved to be slow, and unless he can change that perception he is going to be what he is, a practice squad player.

That's just not true....Welker can not flat out fly. From the article I posted above..."Try as he might, Welker could do no better than a relatively sluggish 4.63 seconds on a grass field." The only article I can find listing Welkers 40 time entering the draft is this and it has him listed with a 4.6.

 

Speed is not everything...and if that's all these coaches are going on ...then lets get these morons out of here and get some coaches with some smarts. If these guys aren't looking at all the aspects of a wide receiver then they're not doing their jobs. Route running, good hands, precison cuts, toughness, blocking and doing every dam thing you can to either catch the ball or make sure the DB doesn't catch the ball are all just as important if not more so than just flat out speed.

[madlithuanian]

There you go using logic again!

 

I couldn't agree more...

 

That's just not true....Welker can not flat out fly. From the article I posted above..."Try as he might, Welker could do no better than a relatively sluggish 4.63 seconds on a grass field." The only article I can find listing Welkers 40 time entering the draft is this and it has him listed with a 4.6.

 

Speed is not everything...and if that's all these coaches are going on ...then lets get these morons out of here and get some coaches with some smarts. If these guys aren't looking at all the aspects of a wide receiver then they're not doing their jobs. Route running, good hands, precison cuts, toughness, blocking and doing every dam thing you can to either catch the ball or make sure the DB doesn't catch the ball are all just as important if not more so than just flat out speed.

[Connorbear]

That's just not true....Welker can not flat out fly. From the article I posted above..."Try as he might, Welker could do no better than a relatively sluggish 4.63 seconds on a grass field." The only article I can find listing Welkers 40 time entering the draft is this and it has him listed with a 4.6.

 

Speed is not everything...and if that's all these coaches are going on ...then lets get these morons out of here and get some coaches with some smarts. If these guys aren't looking at all the aspects of a wide receiver then they're not doing their jobs. Route running, good hands, precison cuts, toughness, blocking and doing every dam thing you can to either catch the ball or make sure the DB doesn't catch the ball are all just as important if not more so than just flat out speed.

Let's put Welker and Haas on the field in pads and see who wins that race. My money is on Welker. I don't get caught up in 40 times at the combine.

 

Peace

[Controlled Chaos]

Let's put Welker and Haas on the field in pads and see who wins that race. My money is on Welker. I don't get caught up in 40 times at the combine.

 

Peace

I don't want to see him race Welker...I want to see him get his shot. The point is they are pretty dam comparable and the questions and concerns about Hass are the same ones that followed Welker his whole career until he finally got a shot.

[Connorbear]

I don't want to see him race Welker...I want to see him get his shot. The point is they are pretty dam comparable and the questions and concerns about Hass are the same ones that followed Welker his whole career until he finally got a shot.

And I have agreed with you. I do not agree, however, with the following which was your first sentence in this post:

 

"I can't help my disgust for how this team has treated Mike Hass."

 

You make it sound like they have treated him poorly which is not true.

 

Peace

[Controlled Chaos]

And I have agreed with you. I do not agree, however, with the following which was your first sentence in this post:

 

"I can't help my disgust for how this team has treated Mike Hass."

 

You make it sound like they have treated him poorly which is not true.

 

Peace

Well IMHO, when you have an offense that is ineffective. A bunch of receivers underperforming....Cutting off routes, Running wrong routes, Not cutting hard, Not getting open, Dropping balls and giving up on balls. Then you have a guy on your roster that doesn't do any of those things and you still don't let him play.....EVEN when you are out of the playoff picture, then you are treating that player pretty dam poorly. A receiver who has done everything you asked him to, including learn every WR position. A receiver who made news in camp when he finally dropped a ball. A receiver who was one of the hardest workers in camp and OTA's and you don't reward him by getting him on the field in the last game, to me is...well....disgusting. We're not talking about some no talent hack that I just want to step foot on the football field either. We're talking about the Fred Biletnikoff winner. The only one, by the way, that hasn't got his shot.

[Connorbear]

Well IMHO, when you have an offense that is ineffective. A bunch of receivers underperforming....Cutting off routes, Running wrong routes, Not cutting hard, Not getting open, Dropping balls and giving up on balls. Then you have a guy on your roster that doesn't do any of those things and you still don't let him play.....EVEN when you are out of the playoff picture, then you are treating that player pretty dam poorly. A receiver who has done everything you asked him to, including learn every WR position. A receiver who made news in camp when he finally dropped a ball. A receiver who was one of the hardest workers in camp and OTA's and you don't reward him by getting him on the field in the last game, to me is...well....disgusting. We're not talking about some no talent hack that I just want to step foot on the football field either. We're talking about the Fred Biletnikoff winner. The only one, by the way, that hasn't got his shot.

I would like someone to pay me $360k a yr and treat me like that. I would not say that I was being treated poorly. We'll agree to disagree.

 

Peace

[Mongo3451]

That's just not true....Welker can not flat out fly. From the article I posted above..."Try as he might, Welker could do no better than a relatively sluggish 4.63 seconds on a grass field." The only article I can find listing Welkers 40 time entering the draft is this and it has him listed with a 4.6.

 

Speed is not everything...and if that's all these coaches are going on ...then lets get these morons out of here and get some coaches with some smarts. If these guys aren't looking at all the aspects of a wide receiver then they're not doing their jobs. Route running, good hands, precison cuts, toughness, blocking and doing every dam thing you can to either catch the ball or make sure the DB doesn't catch the ball are all just as important if not more so than just flat out speed.

 

 

Hass and Welker are two completely separate talents. IMO - Welker is special. He catches everything, runs lower than anyone I've ever seen, and can seriously cut. Speed is not the issue that separates the two. It's that Welker has the ability to separate his talents from those of his peers. Hass has great hands and works hard. Sometime that's just not enough. If we going on hard work and desire, I'd make all of you stop talking about Sid Luckman being the last great Bear QB.

[azbearsfan]

Again, if Hass was such a stud, someone would have signed him from our practice squad. So why don't you get pissed that the entire NFL treated him poorly.

 

 

I'd rather us get Bradley, Olsen and Wolfe the ball more than Hass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How about worrying about something that matters like the o line

[balta1701-A]

Again, if Hass was such a stud, someone would have signed him from our practice squad. So why don't you get pissed that the entire NFL treated him poorly.

 

 

I'd rather us get Bradley, Olsen and Wolfe the ball more than Hass.

How about worrying about something that matters like the o line

I agree with you on the O-Line part, but just because no one signed him doesn't mean he can never play. How many stories have we heard about people turning into decent players, or even stars, from more of the scrap heap than that? If nothing else, we can always point out how Kurt Warner was bagging groceries the year before he dominated the league and won a super bowl. How come all 29 teams missed that?

[AZ54]

I think Hass gets his shot next year. I'd like to see him and Moose line up for a 40yd sprint and see who wins because Moose can't separate from anybody. Hass is quicker in his cuts than Moose too. Anyway, what I'd like to see next year is: resign Berrian if reasonable or pickup Bryant Johnson. Either will be a starter on the outside. The starter on the other side will be a split between Hester and Mark Bradley. We still have Olsen and Clark that get downfield. Stop putting little Rashied Davis in the slot and give me Mike Hass who is 4" taller than Davis and having a bigger target behind big DTs helps. I agree with the Bobby Engram comparison. We rarely work the middle of the field and Hass is a guy who will fight for a ball in traffic, he'll hang on to anything near him.

[adam]

I would like to see Hass at least get a shot. He catches everything.

[Pixote]

I would like to see Hass at least get a shot. He catches everything.

 

I agree, I was very disappointed we did not see him get some oportunities, especially the last few weeks when we were out of the running for the playoffs. I loved what I saw in preseason, then he went into the closet and never came out.

[Controlled Chaos]

Hass and Welker are two completely separate talents. IMO - Welker is special. He catches everything, runs lower than anyone I've ever seen, and can seriously cut. Speed is not the issue that separates the two. It's that Welker has the ability to separate his talents from those of his peers. Hass has great hands and works hard. Sometime that's just not enough. If we going on hard work and desire, I'd make all of you stop talking about Sid Luckman being the last great Bear QB.

I also think Welker is special, but Mike Hass is special too. The reason you make the case for Welker is he has finally been given the opportunity to separate his talents from those of his peers, Hass has not. To be fair though, Welker's opportunity didn't come easy either. So let's not talk about "oh if Hass was that good then why hasn't anyone tried to take him" If Welker is that good...why did he go undrafted? Why was it that he wasn't even invited to participate in the combine? Why was he waived by San Diego after 1 game? Why couldn't he get on the field at all as a receiver with Miami in 2004? Why did he hardly get on the field as a receiver in 05? Why did Miami continue to ignore his talents in 06, only putting him on the field in 3 & 4 receiver sets when he ended up catching 67 passes that year. There are a number of reasons why, but I'm glad someone noticed him and he finally got his shot.

 

Mike Hass, who had a much more impressive collegiate career deserves his...that's all I'm saying. Yeah they are separate talents now, but not due to physical skills. Hass is more than just someone who works hard....he won the biletnikoff award. It wasn't a fluke...he can get open and he can catch everything. He's the kind of player that makes a QB comfortable. The big difference I see between him and Welker as of right now, is opportunity.

 

It's possible you've never seen Hass play....Here ya go...

[Pixote]

Great post!! Good points!! I agree totally!!

[Bears4Ever_34]

Wes Welker has Tom Brady, along with Dante Stallworth and Randy Moss which means he's going to get alot of accurate throws and he's not going to get double covered because there is a guy named Moss that is pretty dangerous. Hass is nothing more than a practice squad receiver which is why Rideau got the burn over him.

[Mongo3451]

I also think Welker is special, but Mike Hass is special too. The reason you make the case for Welker is he has finally been given the opportunity to separate his talents from those of his peers, Hass has not. To be fair though, Welker's opportunity didn't come easy either. So let's not talk about "oh if Hass was that good then why hasn't anyone tried to take him" If Welker is that good...why did he go undrafted? Why was it that he wasn't even invited to participate in the combine? Why was he waived by San Diego after 1 game? Why couldn't he get on the field at all as a receiver with Miami in 2004? Why did he hardly get on the field as a receiver in 05? Why did Miami continue to ignore his talents in 06, only putting him on the field in 3 & 4 receiver sets when he ended up catching 67 passes that year. There are a number of reasons why, but I'm glad someone noticed him and he finally got his shot.

 

Mike Hass, who had a much more impressive collegiate career deserves his...that's all I'm saying. Yeah they are separate talents now, but not due to physical skills. Hass is more than just someone who works hard....he won the biletnikoff award. It wasn't a fluke...he can get open and he can catch everything. He's the kind of player that makes a QB comfortable. The big difference I see between him and Welker as of right now, is opportunity.

 

It's possible you've never seen Hass play....Here ya go...

 

 

I enjoyed that video clip. I have seen him play, thus my point about great hands!! I think you missed my point though. Not dissing Hass at all. I miss the days of Tom Waddle. It always amazed me that he only came in in spot duty. Welker and Hass are completley different, that remains my point. Welker is rare and has found his niche. He'll never be a #1 reciever type, but will continue to be a leading reception getter. His rarity comes from his ability to get yards after the catch. He runs soooo low, catches everything and has jitterbug moves. I can see how he was overlooked in college as they probably didn't know what to do with him or played a college system. But Hass has the hardware from college and prototypical size. A higher percentage of NFL players have Hass' skillset than of Welker and there he can get lost in the shuffle. I hope he at least gets a shot, whether he makes it though may not be up to him. His talents may not separate him.(see Chris Zorich) It took the Patriots to recognize Welker had IT. It may just be that the are smarter than everyone else. That whole Brady thing in the 6th round still kills me.