A Fresh Start In Atlanta

 

By: Nick Kapetan (@KapN93)

Devin Hester caught a touchdown pass for the second straight week. That is so surprising that it bears repeating; Devin Hester caught a touchdown pass for the second straight week. The biggest take-away from the Atlanta Falcons’ loss last night was the fact that their experiment to transform Hester into a productive receiver, is working so far.

For the better part of his eight years with his former team the Chicago Bears, Hester was the most explosive returner in the NFL. Teams would instruct their kickers and punters to boot the ball away from Hester. They felt more comfortable sailing the ball out of bounds, then allowing Hester to have the ball in his hands.

The product of The U was, for some seasons, the best “offensive” threat the Bears had on their roster even though he never played a down with the actual offense. Then, the coaching staff, pressured by members of the front office, attempted to turn the speedster into a wide receiver. In the end, that plan blew up in the organization’s face.

The thought process behind lining up Hester at receiver was that he could utilize his speed to beat any defender downfield. No matter how athletic the guy covering receiver was, the belief was that Hester could beat him off the line, leading to an easy touchdown.

Lovie Smith and the array of offensive coordinators that he had underneath him over the years, did not understand receivers. Granted they never had a premiere talent until Brandon Marshall came around, but the coaching staff never could utilize the bodies they had on the roster in a productive manner, including Hester.

Looking back on it, Hester as a wide receiver in Chicago was doomed from the start. He would complain about the complexity of the playbook and on Sundays it was clear, while watching him consistently run the wrong route, that he was lost from the start. Hester's dynamic speed carrying over to the offensive side of the ball did not go as smoothly as planned.

Hester could get past a corner without a problem, but failed to break the next level and elude the safety that was on his side of the field. Having him run straight down the field, only leads to successful once in a great while. In his six years as a receiver Hester only recorded 14 touchdowns and his season high of receptions of 20 yards or more was 12.

With Hester failing to provide anything on offense or special teams the last two seasons, the Bears decided to not offer the former returner a contract, prompting the Falcons to swoop in and take a chance on the 31 year old.

While it has only been three preseason games, Hester appears more comfortable being a part of an offense where he does not have to be “the guy”. With proven receivers in Roddy White and Julio Jones ahead of him on the depth chart, Hester only has to be a secondary piece, while focusing mostly on special teams.

There is already evidence that the lack of pressure and being placed in an offense run by quarterback Matt Ryan, will allow Hester to be more successful in his second go-round as a receiver. In their attempt to place their horrendous 2013 in the rearview mirror, the Falcons need as many weapons as possible.

Nick Kapetan hosts The Sports ReKap with his co-host DJ Vogt. The show will begin airing again in September on MarquetteWire.org.

Follow Us On Twitter:

Nick- @KapN93

DJ- @DvJ14

Like Us On Facebook

Be sure to visit Sobelman's this summer, the official sponsor of The Sports ReKap, and try their array of mouthwatering burgers. Visit their website: http://www.milwaukeesbestburgers.com/

It is still over 8 months away but please start considering joining a Relay For Life team at your school next year. For more information on how to join a team at Marquette please contact Kristen Krawczyk at kristen.krawczyk@marquette.edu

The Sports ReKap is happy to announce the additions of Nate Craft, Kevin Saad, Michael Felish, Chris Linskens, Matt Barbato, Kevin Clancy, and Brendan Garrity as full-time contributors to the show. If you want to be a part of the show this year email Nick at nicholas.kapetan@marquette.edu.