July 20, 2007
Hester looks to build on remarkable success
By Larry Mayer
In the final of nine position previews in advance of training camp, Dave Toub discusses the Bears special teams:
How special was what Devin Hester accomplished last season?
Hopefully we see something like that again. But even if we do half of what we accomplished last year, that would be a remarkable year. Going back and looking at it, it’s just amazing some of the things Devin accomplished. I actually should say what “we” accomplished because the blocking was there as well and those guys should be commended for that.
What was the key to Hester’s tremendous success?
He’s got a lot of great tools. He’s got great vision. He’s got an unbelievable first step and he’s got the top-end speed to boot. We’ve got a good bunch of guys blocking for him, so it makes for a good combination. The thing that’s going to happen this year is we’re not going to catch anybody by surprise. Teams are spending the offseason looking at ways to stop Devin. Anybody that’s going to play us, talking to a bunch of guys, that’s what they’re planning on doing. We have to anticipate that and know that he has an “X” marked on him now. Teams are going to be judging themselves on if they stop Devin. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge for us this year.
How challenging will it be to get the ball in his hands?
That’s a good thing about the offseason. You spend a lot of time watching tape and then you get on the field and you practice different things. We worked on different type kicks. We worked on different schemes that we’re experimenting with right now. We’re trying to design different ways to get Devin the ball in his hands as well as develop other players because other guys are going to get the ball in their hands. They have to be just as effective as Devin, and we feel like we’re moving in the right direction there.
Does Devin still have areas where he can improve?
He can improve a lot of ways. He’ll be the first one to tell you that he can improve by not putting the ball on the ground. We had a number of turnovers last year. You take those away, and those could all end up being very position plays for us. You never know with Devin. If he doesn’t fumble, he may take it the distance. If we have to eliminate those turnovers and some of the mental errors he made as far as when to field the ball and when not to field it. We have to continue to work on his ball reads. We’re just scratching the surface as far as his talent goes.
How concerned are you that playing on offense will adversely affect Devin’s performance as a return specialist?
We joked about that the other day. I was watching him go through some offensive plays. When he was done, he came over and said, “Coach, I’m still 75 percent special teams.” I think he’s just trying to tell me what I want to hear. I’m not concerned about it because we’re all on the same page with this thing. We understand how viable Devin is for us as a returner. We’re not going to make him a worse returner because of how much we’ve given him on offense.
What’s the key to Robbie Gould building on his success from last season?
We’re working on consistency with him in terms of where he’s hitting the ball. His technique is excellent. Last year we worked on his accuracy going into the year and we felt like we improved in that area. Now it’s just a matter of refining him and keeping his mind focused on the task.
How would you evaluate Robbie’s performance in offseason workouts?
He had a good offseason. I think his leg strength improved. [Strength and conditioning coordinator] Rusty Jones has helped him in that area. [Special teams assistant coach] Kevin O’Dea has done a lot with him as far as working on his kickoffs. He’s improved his kickoffs. He’s developed some different kicks as far as onside kicks that we’re going to use this year.
Brad Maynard crushed the ball in offseason workouts. How would you assess his performance?
Brad really had a great offseason. I think Brad realized that he can extend his career through weight training. He never lifted before this year. It’s unbelievable that he’s gone this far in his career without lifting. He’s got this far because of his technique. He’s getting a little up there in years now and he’s realizing that he needs to get stronger, so he spent a lot of time in the weight room and he’s kicked more over five-second hang-times than I’ve ever seen for him. He had a really good offseason. He attributes it a lot to Rusty Jones’ program and his leg strength that he improved. He’s gained about 10 or 15 pounds of muscle. He came up to my office the other day and put a sheet on my desk that showed his body fat percentage. Rusty’s got him believing in what he’s doing and it’s certainly showing on the field.
Who are you counting on to replace Todd Johnson and Cameron Worrell on your coverage teams?
There are a lot of young guys who are stepping up. The first one that comes to mind that I saw all through the OTAs is Kevin Payne because he plays the safety position. He’s a guy that I think can do it. We got Corey Graham late [because of a knee injury]. I think he’s got the potential, but we don’t know a lot about him yet. Drisan James, who has got the arrow pointing up as a wide receiver, may help us as a gunner. Brandon Rideau has got a chance. I know what Brandon McGowan can do; it’s just a matter of getting him healthy again. Tyler Everett is another guy who could help us.
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Hester looks to build on remarkable success - Chicago Bears
Hester looks to build on remarkable success
Hester looks to build on remarkable success
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