Cutler says he's happy with the Bears' receivers

[defiantgiant]

From the Sun-Times:

 

Cutler passes on chance to lobby for Plaxico Burress, Brandon Marshall

 

Jay Cutler is ready to roll with the wide receivers he has on the roster right now.

 

Really, what else could the Bears' new quarterback say Wednesday afternoon when the team completed its offseason program. Players will show up Thursday, but the final day is usually reserved for a bowling outing. There will not be any more work on the field.

 

"I'm 100 percent comfortable [with the wide receivers],'' Cutler said. "I think we added some depth with some younger guys and then some of the older veterans are stepping up and playing well. So I think we've got more than enough to compete.''

 

It's easy to link Cutler with his former teammate Brandon Marshall, who has made it public he would like to be traded out of Denver. The Bears would seem more likely to pursue a guy like Plaxico Burress. With the Broncos already holding the Bears' first-round pick in 2010, the Bears don't have a lot of ammunition to trade. Then, they would have to hand Marshall the contract he's seeking that has him upset in the first place. Marshall has had more off-field trouble than Burress, who faces gun charges in New York.

 

"I haven't talked to Brandon Marshall,'' Cutler said. "He's a great player, Brandon is, and I played with him for three years, put up a lot big numbers with him, and wherever he ends up, obviously he's going to be successful. Whether or not it's here, that's up to the guys upstairs, but as of right now, I'm 100 percent happy with what we've got."

 

Cutler placed a call to Burress shortly after he was traded to the Bears, and the Bears have touched base with Burress' agent Drew Rosenhaus about the player.

 

"If it [the Bears land Burress], it happens,'' Cutler said. "I'm not going to speculate on whether or not we're going to go get him or not. The guys we have right now, I'm 100 percent confident in and comfortable with. We'll just have to wait down the road and see what happens with that.''

 

Devin Hester and Earl Bennett spent most of the time with the first team at practice. Brandon Rideau and Rashied Davis were also worked in.

 

"I think we've got one,'' Cutler said when asked if the team had a No. 1 wide receiver. "I think we've got one in Devin, and I think Earl is going to be dangerous on the back side as well."

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Johnny Knox must really be tearing it up.

[madlithuanian]

In all honesty, I'm not sure he could really say anything else...

 

But, taken with a grain of salt, I'd rahter hear this than the opposite!

 

From the Sun-Times:

 

Cutler passes on chance to lobby for Plaxico Burress, Brandon Marshall

 

Jay Cutler is ready to roll with the wide receivers he has on the roster right now.

 

Really, what else could the Bears' new quarterback say Wednesday afternoon when the team completed its offseason program. Players will show up Thursday, but the final day is usually reserved for a bowling outing. There will not be any more work on the field.

 

"I'm 100 percent comfortable [with the wide receivers],'' Cutler said. "I think we added some depth with some younger guys and then some of the older veterans are stepping up and playing well. So I think we've got more than enough to compete.''

 

It's easy to link Cutler with his former teammate Brandon Marshall, who has made it public he would like to be traded out of Denver. The Bears would seem more likely to pursue a guy like Plaxico Burress. With the Broncos already holding the Bears' first-round pick in 2010, the Bears don't have a lot of ammunition to trade. Then, they would have to hand Marshall the contract he's seeking that has him upset in the first place. Marshall has had more off-field trouble than Burress, who faces gun charges in New York.

 

"I haven't talked to Brandon Marshall,'' Cutler said. "He's a great player, Brandon is, and I played with him for three years, put up a lot big numbers with him, and wherever he ends up, obviously he's going to be successful. Whether or not it's here, that's up to the guys upstairs, but as of right now, I'm 100 percent happy with what we've got."

 

Cutler placed a call to Burress shortly after he was traded to the Bears, and the Bears have touched base with Burress' agent Drew Rosenhaus about the player.

 

"If it [the Bears land Burress], it happens,'' Cutler said. "I'm not going to speculate on whether or not we're going to go get him or not. The guys we have right now, I'm 100 percent confident in and comfortable with. We'll just have to wait down the road and see what happens with that.''

 

Devin Hester and Earl Bennett spent most of the time with the first team at practice. Brandon Rideau and Rashied Davis were also worked in.

 

"I think we've got one,'' Cutler said when asked if the team had a No. 1 wide receiver. "I think we've got one in Devin, and I think Earl is going to be dangerous on the back side as well."

[Pixote]

Cutler is saying and doing all the right things since coming to the Bears. He has worked his ass off in meetings with Turner and in private workouts with many of the receivers. I had to laugh my ass off when I read an article (I can't remember which site it was on) where they said round one went to Orton because he has worked so hard in Denver picking up the new system. They obviously missed the fact that Cutler has not been vacationing in the Bahamas.

 

I suspect Cutler would love it if we went after Burress but he knows that is not his decision and by suggesting the same it would show a lack of trust in his current WR group. At least that is my guess. Hopefully I am wrong and he means exactly what he is quoted in saying.

 

I have heard a lot of positive remarks made about Bennett, Knox, Hester, & Rideau. The few things I have heard about Iglasias & Kinder seems to be an "after the fact" statement. I have yet to hear any glowing reports on Kinder. My guess is going into camp on July 31st Bennett, Knox, Hester, & Rideau are our top 4 WRs with the remaining spots up for grabs. Kinder will probably come up with a mysterious injury and wind up with a patented JA "Red-Shirt". Iglasias & Davis will probably round out the roster.

 

Now, if we pick up a "Burress" type of WR, I am guessing Davis is toast.

[madlithuanian]

I think your take might just be right!

 

 

 

Cutler is saying and doing all the right things since coming to the Bears. He has worked his ass off in meetings with Turner and in private workouts with many of the receivers. I had to laugh my ass off when I read an article (I can't remember which site it was on) where they said round one went to Orton because he has worked so hard in Denver picking up the new system. They obviously missed the fact that Cutler has not been vacationing in the Bahamas.

 

I suspect Cutler would love it if we went after Burress but he knows that is not his decision and by suggesting the same it would show a lack of trust in his current WR group. At least that is my guess. Hopefully I am wrong and he means exactly what he is quoted in saying.

 

I have heard a lot of positive remarks made about Bennett, Knox, Hester, & Rideau. The few things I have heard about Iglasias & Kinder seems to be an "after the fact" statement. I have yet to hear any glowing reports on Kinder. My guess is going into camp on July 31st Bennett, Knox, Hester, & Rideau are our top 4 WRs with the remaining spots up for grabs. Kinder will probably come up with a mysterious injury and wind up with a patented JA "Red-Shirt". Iglasias & Davis will probably round out the roster.

 

Now, if we pick up a "Burress" type of WR, I am guessing Davis is toast.

[lemonej]

Cutler is saying and doing all the right things since coming to the Bears. He has worked his ass off in meetings with Turner and in private workouts with many of the receivers. I had to laugh my ass off when I read an article (I can't remember which site it was on) where they said round one went to Orton because he has worked so hard in Denver picking up the new system. They obviously missed the fact that Cutler has not been vacationing in the Bahamas.

 

I suspect Cutler would love it if we went after Burress but he knows that is not his decision and by suggesting the same it would show a lack of trust in his current WR group. At least that is my guess. Hopefully I am wrong and he means exactly what he is quoted in saying.

 

I have heard a lot of positive remarks made about Bennett, Knox, Hester, & Rideau. The few things I have heard about Iglasias & Kinder seems to be an "after the fact" statement. I have yet to hear any glowing reports on Kinder. My guess is going into camp on July 31st Bennett, Knox, Hester, & Rideau are our top 4 WRs with the remaining spots up for grabs. Kinder will probably come up with a mysterious injury and wind up with a patented JA "Red-Shirt". Iglasias & Davis will probably round out the roster.

 

Now, if we pick up a "Burress" type of WR, I am guessing Davis is toast.

Pix I'm right there with you and lets address that maturity issue after he gives answers to questions like he has the last couple of days. He personally said he was going to get Bennett up to speed and it seems so far that he has followed that up. When you speak about someone being a leader this is what you envision. BTW Oklahoma WRs are starting to resemble Texas WRs in the NFL and are not measuring up to their hype.

[Bears4Ever_34]

I can't freaking wait until the first preseason game! I want to see Cutler to Hester for TD's! Forte dashing through the holes bruising defenders, wearing them out for Kevin Jones and allowing Cutler to have more room to throw!

[Guest TerraTor]

whats he supposed to say... "these guys are horrible" even tho its more accurate

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

whats he supposed to say... "these guys are horrible" even tho its more accurate

Let's see here- didn't you say you hated Benson, Grossman, and the Bears WR corps, and didn't you also say that we gave up too much for Cutler? Are you sure you're a Bears fan? You're Bears88 Jr. Just stop. Nobody thinks your little one liners ripping the Bears organization are funny or intelligent.

 

I can't freaking wait until the first preseason game! I want to see Cutler to Hester for TD's! Forte dashing through the holes bruising defenders, wearing them out for Kevin Jones and allowing Cutler to have more room to throw!

F*** the preseason. I can't wait for the first snap of Bears/Packers on SNF.

[Mongo3451]

Let's see here- didn't you say you hated Benson, Grossman, and the Bears WR corps, and didn't you also say that we gave up too much for Cutler? Are you sure you're a Bears fan? You're Bears88 Jr. Just stop. Nobody thinks your little one liners ripping the Bears organization are funny or intelligent.

Let's see... He was right about Grossman and Benson. Every other analyst and NFL expert says our WR's are inadequate and you ripping him for that comment? Do you need another 88?

 

Cutler is not going to magically make our WR's starting caliber. It's going to take time and a few heartaches before this recieving corps is considered decent.

[nfoligno]

Let's see... He was right about Grossman and Benson. Every other analyst and NFL expert says our WR's are inadequate and you ripping him for that comment? Do you need another 88?

 

I think the point is, when you are negative 100% of the time, you are going to be right X%, and further, when you only right negative one liners, the value decreases to the point of oblivian.

 

Cutler is not going to magically make our WR's starting caliber. It's going to take time and a few heartaches before this recieving corps is considered decent.

 

There is nothing magic about it. I realize that for a Bears fan, the idea of a franchise QB is about as mythical as a dragon, unicorn or similar, but other teams realize there is such a thing, and magic is not part of the equation.

 

Yes, a franchise QB can make starting WRs out of WRs who were once considered less. Cutler had a rookie last year in Royal, and made him look pro bowl. You look around the league at the franchise QBs, and you will find many examples of average WRs who are made to look far better than average.

 

Hester is already a starting caliber WR. There can be plenty of debate whether he is a #1 or a #2, but less argument of his being a starting caliber. That means we need to find only one more starter, and I think we have a pretty solid group for Cutler to work from.

 

There's nothing magic about it. I think it very reasonable to believe Cutler will find Hester and one other WR to be starting caliber, and do so sooner rather than later.

[adam]

Cutler is not going to magically make our WR's starting caliber. It's going to take time and a few heartaches before this recieving corps is considered decent.

QB's have a huge impact on the success of receivers. Look what Marshall did before Cutler became the starting QB. There are so many examples of this. I actually think the quality of the QB is under-rated in terms of the performance of other players.

[nfoligno]

I don't think it is under-rated. I think most in the league understand the connect, but as bears fans, it is simply something we are not used to.

 

QB's have a huge impact on the success of receivers. Look what Marshall did before Cutler became the starting QB. There are so many examples of this. I actually think the quality of the QB is under-rated in terms of the performance of other players.

[adam]

I don't think it is under-rated. I think most in the league understand the connect, but as bears fans, it is simply something we are not used to.

Yeah from our perspective, we don't have much exposure to it.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Let's see... He was right about Grossman and Benson. Every other analyst and NFL expert says our WR's are inadequate and you ripping him for that comment? Do you need another 88?

 

Cutler is not going to magically make our WR's starting caliber. It's going to take time and a few heartaches before this recieving corps is considered decent.

Really? Because Benson had a pretty good year last year with Cincinnati. Also, that's not the point. The point is, he's never positive. If we win the Super Bowl, make sure it's by 3 TD's, or it might not be good enough...right?

 

And yes, a great QB makes average WR's good. So..

[defiantgiant]

Really? Because Benson had a pretty good year last year with Cincinnati. Also, that's not the point. The point is, he's never positive. If we win the Super Bowl, make sure it's by 3 TD's, or it might not be good enough...right?

 

And yes, a great QB makes average WR's good. So..

 

I think the Bengals are a good fit for Benson. He's not going to be a great back anywhere he goes - he's too slow to be any kind of breakaway threat, and he's not a pure bulldozer like Brandon Jacobs or Marion Barber. On the Bengals, though, I think he could be sort of a poor-man's Jamal Lewis and be decently productive. If Bernard Scott is as good as I think he will be, he and Benson could be a mid-pack backfield tandem.

 

Plus Cincinnati just seems like the team he should have been on all along. As soon as they signed him, I thought, "oh, that makes sense."

[Mongo3451]

I think the point is, when you are negative 100% of the time, you are going to be right X%, and further, when you only right negative one liners, the value decreases to the point of oblivian.I'd say he's 90% negative, not always. Matter of fact, I think he's been generally happy this off-season.

 

 

There is nothing magic about it. I realize that for a Bears fan, the idea of a franchise QB is about as mythical as a dragon, unicorn or similar, but other teams realize there is such a thing, and magic is not part of the equation.

 

Yes, a franchise QB can make starting WRs out of WRs who were once considered less. Cutler had a rookie last year in Royal, and made him look pro bowl. You look around the league at the franchise QBs, and you will find many examples of average WRs who are made to look far better than average. What is your timeframe for Cutler to make the WR's we have average to above average? IMO - it's not going to be right out of the gate.

 

Hester is already a starting caliber WR. There can be plenty of debate whether he is a #1 or a #2, but less argument of his being a starting caliber. That means we need to find only one more starter, and I think we have a pretty solid group for Cutler to work from. Starting caliber as a #1 receiver?? I don't think there are a handfull of teams that would consider him a #1 at this point in time. Can he be, YES. But that is up in the air.

 

There's nothing magic about it. I think it very reasonable to believe Cutler will find Hester and one other WR to be starting caliber, and do so sooner rather than later.Again, what's the timeframe, you are eluding to? Day one? Mid-season? Next year?

[Guest TerraTor]

EDITED BY ADMIN

['TD']

Really? Because Benson had a pretty good year last year with Cincinnati. Also, that's not the point. The point is, he's never positive. If we win the Super Bowl, make sure it's by 3 TD's, or it might not be good enough...right?

 

And yes, a great QB makes average WR's good. So..

 

Brady doesn't even make average WR's good. See the year before they added Moss, Welker and guy I don't think is worth naming due to what he did.

 

Benson averaged like 3.5 yards a carry last year. He had 2 good games to end the season against bad defenses, but he didn't have a goo year last year. This is coming from a guy who thinks he will end up a good RB.

 

Name me 5 teams or less in the last 20 years that have only 2 WR's with a catch the year prior less. I can't name one. I really want the Bears to kick ass this year because i'm a big fan, but still you have to be realistic. Until Bennet, Knox, and Iglesias show something in a real game, you can't count on them. Hester couldn't catch last year and other then Camp Fodder, I have no clue why Davis is even still on the team.

[GrizzlyBear]

Ok Lets be realistic. Will marshall or Royal have the year they had last year with Orton? Did any WR have a great year when the starting QB goes down? It goes either way really, A great QB will make average WR's look Good, And Great Wr's make a average QB look good. Look at Carolina and Dallas. But with the bears it has always been a after thought of having either. We have not had Descent QB since the Ditka era and WR's we let go that go and star at other teams. Marcus Robinson, Bobby Wade, Bernard Berrian to mention a few. But now its whole lot different, With a QB Hester will shine and the rest will be good. At least thats the way I look at it.

['TD']

Ok Lets be realistic. Will marshall or Royal have the year they had last year with Orton? Did any WR have a great year when the starting QB goes down? It goes either way really, A great QB will make average WR's look Good, And Great Wr's make a average QB look good. Look at Carolina and Dallas. But with the bears it has always been a after thought of having either. We have not had Descent QB since the Ditka era and WR's we let go that go and star at other teams. Marcus Robinson, Bobby Wade, Bernard Berrian to mention a few. But now its whole lot different, With a QB Hester will shine and the rest will be good. At least thats the way I look at it.

 

It was just drunken frustration with the team. There were a lot of WR's available this year, probably the best class available through FA or trade in recent history. I still think the team would strongly benifit from the addition of Burress or even a Darrel Jackson.

 

Sticking with the Patriots, they probably wouldn't have the same year, ie. Moss with Cassell but still possible to have a good year Welker making the Pro Bowl. If you want to go really extreme TJ Who's your momma with Fitzpatrick last year, but obviously the exception to the rule as Ochocinco really suffered.

[nfoligno]

Disagree Hester couldn't catch last year. He had a couple drops, but I do not recall him having so many that you would claim he couldn't catch. In fact, I remember more passes that were off the mark when he was open than I do actual drops. IMHO, Hester took big strides last year, which was essentially his first as a full time WR.

 

As for Davis, while I would not want him as a starter, he previously showed to be a solid slot WR. I do not know what happened last year, but so long as he is not in the starting lineup, I see no reason he can't be decent again.

 

While there is no question we lack experience at WR, I still think there is reason to be optimistic.

 

One thing I truly believe simply gets too over-looked. We have two very solid TEs, each of which have plenty of experience, to go along w/ our WRs. Especially as often as we used two TE sets, or split Olsen out wide, I think that very much is a factor.

 

Look at Miami last year, who didn't even have a QB as good as ours. No one receiver had big numbers, but they spread the ball around a lot. I would argue their WRs were no more talent or experienced than ours.

 

How about Phily? They had minimal experience at the WR position, and even less when you factor injuries. Their top WR was a rookie (Jackson). In fact, I think it could be argued we enter this year in a better situation, as I am not sure any of their receivers heading into the season were as good as Hester.

 

Are we counting on a player w/o experience stepping up? Yes. At the same time, I think Hester, Olsen, Clark and Forte offer a solid base, and as good as other teams that have done well.

 

Brady doesn't even make average WR's good. See the year before they added Moss, Welker and guy I don't think is worth naming due to what he did.

 

Benson averaged like 3.5 yards a carry last year. He had 2 good games to end the season against bad defenses, but he didn't have a goo year last year. This is coming from a guy who thinks he will end up a good RB.

 

Name me 5 teams or less in the last 20 years that have only 2 WR's with a catch the year prior less. I can't name one. I really want the Bears to kick ass this year because i'm a big fan, but still you have to be realistic. Until Bennet, Knox, and Iglesias show something in a real game, you can't count on them. Hester couldn't catch last year and other then Camp Fodder, I have no clue why Davis is even still on the team.

[nfoligno]

Heading into the season, are we in any worse of a situation than Phily was last year?

 

Last year, McNabb had just under 4,000 yards, which I would consider pretty damn solid. Who did he have to throw to?

 

His top WR was Jackson, a rookie. What other WRs did he have that we would point to as being so much better than ours?

 

They have Westbrook, but Forte had more catches and yards than West last year.

 

Further, I would argue we have two TEs better than any of theirs.

 

If you put an average QB in that offense, I would argue they would have had FAR fewer than 4,000 yards, and further, Jackson would not have broken out the way you did. But you add an upper tier QB, and suddenly they have a productive offense.

 

IMHO, we have more weapons than Phily, and now that we have a stud QB, lets see what he can do with those weapons.

 

It was just drunken frustration with the team. There were a lot of WR's available this year, probably the best class available through FA or trade in recent history. I still think the team would strongly benifit from the addition of Burress or even a Darrel Jackson.

 

Sticking with the Patriots, they probably wouldn't have the same year, ie. Moss with Cassell but still possible to have a good year Welker making the Pro Bowl. If you want to go really extreme TJ Who's your momma with Fitzpatrick last year, but obviously the exception to the rule as Ochocinco really suffered.

[nfoligno]

What is your timeframe for Cutler to make the WR's we have average to above average? IMO - it's not going to be right out of the gate.

 

I think this year, one of the rookies (Bennett counted in this category) will look good. Maybe that means 50-600, but when I count that w/ what else I think is very realistic, that is more than good enough.

 

- I think Hester is primed for a very nice season. Hester jumped from 20-300 to 51-650. That is a nice bounce, and even better when you factor how weak our offense overall was. I think 70-900 is VERY realistic. I think he could very well get more, but that would be a 20 catch and 250 yard bounce, which is not huge, but would make him a very productive piece of the offense.

 

- Olsen is another I think absolutely must be factored into the equation. He had 39-390 as a rookie, and then 54-574 last year. Key, IMHO, is that w/ Orton and our offense, we were not able to utilize Olsen in the ways he was drafted for. I think Olsen will become a more central piece of the offense, and used downfield more. I think we could see similar bumps for Olsen as we will Hester. Olsen too could have 70-900, which like Hester, is a fairly modest and realistic bump, but would at the end of the day, provide very solid numbers.

 

- Forte showed, in his rookie season, how solid of a receiver he is. I see no reason that shouldn't continue. In fact, I think he could have more yards on fewer catches. Lets say 55 catches for 500 yards, which is very similar to what he had last year.

 

Right there, in just those three, you have 190 catches for 2,300 yards. I think those three give us a solid base, making life for other potential receivers much easier.

 

Frankly, am not sure I expect any one of our inexperienced receivers to break out like Royal, Deshaun Jackson or the like. What I think we may see is something more similar to Miami last year, w/ multiple inexperienced receivers contributing. I can see Bennett and Iglesias both have 40+ catches. I think Knox will have a lower catch total, but could provide bigger yardage numbers due to solid YPC average. Now throw in D.Clark, who is not going to simply be written out of the offense.

 

Point is, I think Hester and Olsen will each see solid jumps THIS YEAR. As for the young WRs, I think we will see numerous provide nice production, w/o leveling some huge expectation for breakout seasons from any one guy. So when you ask when Cutler will make our weapons avg to above avg, I would say.

 

This year Olsen goes to well above average, while hester takes on more of a solid/average tier. I think other young receivers put up some nice production, but I would be looking at 2010 for any of them to step up to the more legit #2 production range.

 

Starting caliber as a #1 receiver?? I don't think there are a handfull of teams that would consider him a #1 at this point in time. Can he be, YES. But that is up in the air.

 

I would argue that plenty often a team finishes the year w/ a #1 that wasn't a #1 going in. How many thought Lance Moore would be NO's #1? Deshaun Jackson? Hester enters the season as a default #1 for us, as there is no other WR we could even call a #1, but that doesn't mean much to me. When you have a stud QB, he can develop a WR into a #1.

 

Again, what's the timeframe, you are eluding to? Day one? Mid-season? Next year?

 

See original answer. I think Hester and Olsen develop quickly under Cutler. I think we basically see a group of young Wrs after that which contribute, but give them each another year to develop into what most would call legit starting caliber.

 

Honestly, there is just so much talk about the WR position, I just think our TE setup gets overlooked. I think Olsen has a very good shot to develop into an upper tier TE, and most teams w/ an upper tier TE do not have a stable of stud WRs.

 

SD may be a good offense to compare against. While I am not saying Olsen will be as dominating as Gates, I do think the set up could be similar.

 

Gates - Olsen

V.Jackson - Hester

Tomlinson - Forte

 

Rivers had 4,000 yards and 34 TDs. Look at their roster and let me know why that isn't a realistic expectation for us.

['TD']

Disagree Hester couldn't catch last year. He had a couple drops, but I do not recall him having so many that you would claim he couldn't catch. In fact, I remember more passes that were off the mark when he was open than I do actual drops. IMHO, Hester took big strides last year, which was essentially his first as a full time WR.

 

Hester did make strides last year compared to the year before last. I think you are giving him a little bit too much credit tho IMO.

 

 

 

We have two very solid TEs, each of which have plenty of experience, to go along w/ our WRs. Especially as often as we used two TE sets, or split Olsen out wide, I think that very much is a factor.

 

They are good tight ends, but I didn't over look it, I'm talking about the WR's. How many TE's actually put up WR numbers tho?

 

Look at Miami last year, who didn't even have a QB as good as ours. No one receiver had big numbers, but they spread the ball around a lot. I would argue their WRs were no more talent or experienced than ours.

 

Pennington isn't exactly chopped liver tho. He is the kind of QB that can excel at spreading the ball around like that. No doubt Cutler definitely can throw the ball alot farther, but Pennington is a very efficient QB. I'd rather have Cutler of course.

 

Miami's WR's had more experience, and you can't really judge talent if you've never seen it on the field. The Bears have 2 WR's that have ever caught the ball in an NFL game. While Miami's WR's were young and may not be big names or extremely talented, only one was a rookie and most had atleast minimal experience in the league. That year or 2 experience tends to have a big impact on a WR's ability to succeed in the NFL, even tho there are some exceptions.

 

How about Phily? They had minimal experience at the WR position, and even less when you factor injuries. Their top WR was a rookie (Jackson). In fact, I think it could be argued we enter this year in a better situation, as I am not sure any of their receivers heading into the season were as good as Hester.

 

Once again, outside of Jackson, their WR's had experience. Baskett 2 years, Curtis 5 years, Avant 2 years, and so on. Is it alot of experience? no, it's not. WR's usally need time to develop in the NFL, Jackson himself should be better this year. You can pick one or 2 rookies that made a significant contribution and expect it out of the Bears, but that is usually the exception and not the rule.

 

What has Hester exactly done to make you feel he is better then anyone on their team? I seriously think you give him too much credit at the position. I'm not saying he is or will be horrible, but the statement has no basis, just opinion.

 

Are we counting on a player w/o experience stepping up? Yes. At the same time, I think Hester, Olsen, Clark and Forte offer a solid base, and as good as other teams that have done well.

 

Once again, I am talking about the WR's on team and not the TE's, RB's, MLB's, kickers or anything else. It's nice to have players at other positions, and I'm not saying the Bears are doomed to failure. KC had a good offense with Priest Holmes/Larry Johnson and Gonzalez during the Trent Green years even without a big named WR, The Chargers have did it and so on, but this year the Bears are the most unprepared I've ever seen a team at WR.