October 14, 2007
Hester shines on offense, special teams in defeat
By Larry Mayer
CHICAGO – Devin Hester continued to display his remarkable ability Sunday at Soldier Field. But two more spectacular touchdowns by the dynamic second-year pro weren’t enough to prevent the Vikings from escaping with a 34-31 victory.
After returning a punt 89 yards for a TD to give the Bears a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter, Hester produced another electrifying play when he hauled in an 81-yard TD reception to tie the game with 1:38 remaining.
Devin Hester's 81-yard TD reception knotted Sunday's game 31-31 with 1:38 remaining.
“Devin Hester does what he normally does; keeps us in the football game,” said coach Lovie Smith. “It was good to see him get involved on the offensive side of the ball.”
Though he routinely produced big plays on offense throughout training camp, Hester entered Sunday’s game with just one reception for three yards this season.
But with the Bears trailing 31-24 late, Hester raced past safety Dwight Smith and caught Brian Griese’s perfectly thrown pass in stride down the right sideline.
“We had a couple guys that were nicked up at the receiver spot, so they gave me an opportunity to go out and try to make a play,” Hester said. “It seemed like cover-two and the safety bit on the out route. It let me get open. Griese threw the ball up and I tried to make a play on it.
“It was great to contribute to the offense. But at the end of the day, you don’t really feel good when you don’t come up with the ‘W.’”
Earlier in the game, Hester tied Gale Sayers’ club record with his eighth career return TD. But that total doesn’t include two other scores: Hester’s 108-yard return of a missed field goal last season against the Giants and his 92-yard kickoff return in Super Bowl XLI.
No regrets: Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson not only rushed for 224 yards Sunday, but the first-round pick set up Ryan Longwell’s game-winning 55-yard field goal with a 53-yard kickoff return to the Chicago 38.
Asked if the Bears had considered not kicking to Peterson, Smith said: “Not really. We haven’t gone into many games where we don’t kick the ball to a player. I thought we would go down and get good field position and go from there. You have to play football and you need to get him down in those situations.”
After Hester’s TD return, the Vikings squibbed their kickoffs and punted the ball out of bounds in an effort to keep the ball out of his hands. But Peterson had averaged just 25 yards on three kickoff returns before his 53-yarder.
“Kicking away from someone is not something we do,” said Pro Bowl special teams performer Brendon Ayanbadejo. “We’re the best special teams unit in the league. We’re not going to be like the Minnesota Vikings and kick the ball out of bounds.”
LINK
Hester shines on offense, special teams in defeat - Chicago Bears
Hester’s brilliance wasted in losing effort
Hester’s brilliance wasted in losing effort
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