More Cowbell!! ....Devin Hester MVB

    Like Christopher Walken's take on the ultra successful record producer in the Blue Oyster Cult skit on SNL, Chicago Bear Devin Hester puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like you and me, the difference is after he does, he goes out and shatters NFL records!! Has there been a more electrifying player on the Bears roster in the last 40 years??  At least since Walter Payton retired??  Payton was and will always be in a league of his own. As was Gale Sayers. Payton amassed 125 career TDs with over 21,000 combined rushing and receiving yards. The "tragedy"  in Sayers case is he had his career cut short due to two consecutive vicious knee injuries forcing a very early retirement. As a return man,  Sayers compiled 8 returns for touchdowns over a 7 year span  (really only 5 full seasons) with 39 rushing TDs and another 9 receiving.  If Sayers, The Kansas Comet, had the benefit of modern medicine, Hester, The Windy City Flyer,  (I'm trying to help you out Jeff Joniak) might not hold the record today. The magic Devin Hester shares with these two Bears legends is every time he touches the ball there is an palpable buzz in the air that anything can happen. Hester doesn't get as many "touches" per game as Payton and Sayers did as he is not a running back but, he accounts for more "yards per touch" than anyone since Gale Sayers. To have your name on the same parallel as Payton and Sayers so early on is quite an accomplishment.

 Aside from being the most dynamic special teams scoring threat in the NFL, there is also the "Hester effect."  Opposing teams kick away from him on punts often yielding far better field position for the Bears offense than if they were kicking to someone else. And when they do kick to Hester they all know what can happen! Hester currently holds the NFL record for return TDs with 14 combined kick off and punt returns over a 5 year career. Stunning!! Especially when you consider the league doesn't add in the missed field goal return vs the Giants in '06 and or the kickoff return to start Superbowl XLI. (I was fortunate enough to be at the game with Hester scoring right in front of us!!) So it's really 16. Looking at his stats from 2010-11 he averaged an obscene 35.6 yards per return on 12 kickoffs nearly getting a score on a 79 yard return against Minnesota before being tripped up. He tallied 3 punt returns for touchdowns this years netting the all time record on a frozen University of Minnesota field as the Bears drubbed the Vikings 40-14. What a Monday night!
      Comparatively, Matt Forte, the Bears 3rd year running back out of Tulane, could be put forth as the Bears MVB this past season as well. Having struggled with the rest of the offense early on with a poor 'O' line to run behind and "Mad Mike" Martz going pass happy, Forte settled in and went on a tear late ending up with 1,069 yards rushing on 236 attempts and 547 receiving on 51 catches. He averaged 4.5 yards per rush and 10.7 per catch. He has turned into the dynamic offensive weapon Jerry Angelo hoped he would.
So, Forte accounted for 1,616 total yards of Chicago Bears offense in 2010 on a total of 287 "touches" with 9 total TDs  (I'm not counting dropped passes for either player) Devin Hester, in turn, racked up 427 yards on 12 kickoff returns, 564 yards on 33 punt returns and lest we forget, 475 yards and 4 TDs while making 40 receptions. He scored 7 total TDs. Hester's yardage total of 1,466 is amazing when you consider thats an average of 91.6 per game on just 85 touches!! (202 less touches than Matt Forte) Thats an astounding 17.5 yards per touch throughout the season. Add the aforementioned "effect" he has on opposing teams punting schemes, and the field position he nets the Bears offense as well as the electricity he generates for the fans, there is nobody on the Bears or the league in his position that is more valuable to his team. Devin Hester is truly the Bears MVB!! (Most Valuable Bear for those of you playing at home) If the best part of Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear The Reaper is the cowbell and Devin Hester is our cowbell, and you ask me what the Bears need for 2011, I'll shout, "More Cowbell!!!"    Dave Kuhlman   bullsbearscubssoxhoxx    dave@onyerleft.com