Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Throw Hester Under the Bus Some Passes*

If you're a Bears fan, you're as disappointed as I am about the Bears first preseason game. Some of you are panicking, some of you have brushed it off, but I can't believe anyone isn't disappointed. We all wanted to witness Cutler firing missiles around the field, hitting his receivers, giving us confidence in them. Instead, we saw a few nice completions and a whole bunch of passes to Hester. (And let's not get all excited about the 30-yarder to Dez Clark. That's what Dez brings to the team. I've seen Grossman and Orton make nearly the same throw with the same result.)

And that's where it gets confusing to me. Why Hester? If there wasn't really a gameplan, why focus so much on him? Cutler believes in Earl Bennett. Why not try and convey some of that confidence to the fans? Well, I don't think Jay feels beholden to the fans. I do think the very fact that he trusts Bennett is the reason he didn't look to him. And conversely, he looked to Hester so much because he doesn't trust him.

At its best, this means Cutler was trying to establish a bond with his #1 receiver in a game situation. At its worst, Cutler was pointing out to the coaches he can't work with this guy and here's why. The truth? Who knows. What do I think? I think it's somewhere in the middle.

Cutler and Hester looked off in their communication. Cutler oftentimes seemed to want to throw sooner but wasn't sure his receiver was ready. Or he'd throw to a spot he thought Hester was supposed to be in.

And then the interception. Yes, it was a horrible pass. It was classic Grossman (except Jay stepped up...before he threw off his back foot). But as that ball sailed away from him, I'll bet Cutler's thought was, "Come on, Hester. Fight for it." I imagine it's what Brandon Marshall would have done in Denver. I imagine it's what Cutler feels Bennett or Aromashodu or Rideau would have done, those receivers Cutler mentions the most. I saw it with my own eyes in camp: they go up for the ball.

What did Hester do? He watched with all the excitement I had sitting on the couch.

No, Hester's not a huge guy. But if you want to play receiver, you've got to give your quarterback...and the fans...more.

* A little Amish syntax humor.

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