I hereby plant myself firmly in Devin Hester's camp as he engages in a training camp holdout that has the distinction of being completely valid. Here's how Hester puts it:
"You should pay me like I'm one of a kind,'' Hester said. "It's like dating a girl. When you find somebody who is real special, you're going to do whatever it takes to keep her. You might cut back on what you're giving your mom to give to her. And that's how I feel they should treat me.''
Jerry Angelo didn't a brilliant job selecting Hester two years ago but with a great draft pick comes the great responsibility of paying them shitloads of money. Here's a fact: without Devin Hester on the roster this season, the Chicago Bears have no chance of making it into the postseason.
Pay him.
#2 animal said . . .Pay him now!
July 24, 2008
#3 Duff Diggler said . . .pay the man his fucking money. period.
I could never, ever forgive this franchise if they fuck this up.July 24, 2008
#4 animal said . . .Wow. This surprised me, until i thought about it. but i agree, it is legitamite. We keep talking as though he should develope into a #1 receiver, we all know his homerun threat, and what he does for field possition. Honestly, I think he should be the highest paid receiver in the NFL. His value and effect on a game is invaluable. There really isn't too much $ you couldn't pay this guy....
....excluding the personality traits, and focusing strictly on the on-field performance.....
....would you rather have devin hester on your team or randy moss?
....T.O?
....Ocho Cinco?
i'm going with Sir Devin the Ridiculous on all of those....
...factor in his age, and you may have the most powerful weapon in the NFL...
....he has adrian peterson/L.T. value....
.....why wouldn't you pay him that way....
....I understand his gripe too. Although i'm ecstatic that the bears locked everyone else up already, i think the most important two bears needing some love ($) this offseason were tommie and devin.
.....don't be surprised if this gets ugly. as this man's endorsments, on-the-field-jobs, and star-status continue to stack up, it is my opinion that you can forget jeff's forecast of:
"5 years - 20 million - 12.5 guaranteed
1 million bonus for catching 50+ balls
1 million for scoring 6+ touchdowns
1 million for 500+ receiving yardsso the deal could be worth as much as 5 years, 35 million"
It wouldn't shock me to see him get nearly one and a half times that. The whole "we're going to pay him as the highest paid special teamer" bullshit is exactly that, and a cop-out.
JA- pay this man. pay him well. keep him happy. i'm sure there are about 31 teams other than ours who would love the opportunity to give this record shatterer a record contract.
July 24, 2008
#5 Rancid said . . .college returns, all of his pro returns the last two years, and the long td catchs vs. minny and the aints. enjoy.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rqHwlzxdEH0&feature=related
July 24, 2008
#6 Shady said . . .Damn, I've been on a camping trip the last three days and did I ever miss a ton! I got into a place where I can use the internet for tonight. I go back tomorrow and when I get home Saturday I better hear that Devin Fucking Hester has a raise and is catching 80 yard bombs in practice. Don't be stupid. You have to pay him.
July 24, 2008
#7 AfroCelt said . . .Devin and I are on the same page with these courting metaphors.
I had one back in the day about Grossman... bad breath, shitting the bed etc. remember?
July 24, 2008
#8 Viva said . . .I can see where he's coming from, but I just can't support anyone sitting out training camp. If a player does nothing this next season (a la Cedric Benson), can the management come to him and renegotiate him down by holding out on his paychecks? You are financially obligated to be there just as they are obligated to pay you. Contracts....
Again, he'll get his money and he does deserve it...I just wish it didn't come down to this.
July 24, 2008
#9 Anytime said . . .How many times do you think Virginia has said, in her really old person voice, "what", to Jerry Angelo on the phone tonight?
"How much did you say? What? Urlacher?"
"No, Mrs. McCaskey, Hester."
July 24, 2008
#10 said . . .Virginia still try's to take out her pocketbook and give the kids a nickel when they ask for money.
July 24, 2008
#11 Z said . . .Want to feel worse - in the 2000 NFL draft we were so enamored with Placekicker Paul Edinger that we selected him with the 174th pick in the draft.
Tom Brady was taken 25 picks later (199).
July 24, 2008
#12 Z said . . .When you have 8 minutes and 33 seconds available I hope every person that reads this blog will watch that video before even trying to give #23 a hard time at all.
Your rookie year you haven't proven shit, you take what your contract says. Even your second year, maybe what you did as a rookie was somewhat of a fluke. You take what your contract says.
When you are about to start your third year and you are indisputably the greatest return man in NFL history and teams are game planning around your ridiculous ability to run any kick back for a TD at anytime and you are basically annointed a starter at WR after almost never playing it in your career (college or pro) and being often discussed as likely to be the #1 receiver (even if he didn't know where to line up or what route to run all year and just heads towards the correct endzone when the ball snaps he will stretch the D and make life better for everyone on O) and have 14 TD's in those 1st two years with hardly being used at all on O then yes $440,000 for doing those things in the NFL is an insult and he has every right to make this stand.
July 24, 2008
#13 shonbear said . . .If JA manges somehow to lose this once in a lifetime talent, it will go down as the worst personnel decision in NFL history and he should be fired the second after it happens.
Animal if it has to go down that way, I'll help with the getaway/disposal/bail $$/ trial lawyer, whatever. He can not be allowed to stay the GM if we lost #23 someday because we insulted him year after year by being pathetically cheap.
Because the other teams have to say "Nyet" (No in Russian). "He beat me, straight up" (which #23 can do anytime the ball comes anywhere near him) after foolishly kicking to him (Thank goodness any coach is arrogant enough to do this, everytime I would demand my kicker kick out of bounds, punts kick offs whatever, he would never even get a finger on that football if I could help it from an opponents perspective), we have to say, "Pay that man his money." I love that movie. Completely bad ass.
Sometimes choices in life are complex and difficult. Sometimes they are real fucking easy. Don't fuckup an A offseason JA. Just please don't even fathom fucking it all up.
And trading him? Seriously, watch that video and then go look in a mirror and say out loud, "Yeah maybe it would be a good idea to trade that guy away." If you can do that and mean it, then there is no way that you want the Bears to win football games as badly as you think you do.
July 24, 2008
#14 said . . .re-post from previous string...
(and additional comments)
Hey! How much $$ do the Bears have left now anyways???
I'm in Hesters corner, but as much as he's helped us the last two years he's hurting us worse by holding out.
So yea, he's earned a hell of a lot more than he's gotten paid by the Bears (which shouldn't be his only source of income, ala endorsements), but remember the Bears have to live with the cap and anytime you pay these enormous amounts for all these players the team takes a gamble that they won't get hurt. The more snaps/kicks he's on the field for, the higher percentage of potential injury. They never said he was going to be a #1 receiver, they said he had "potential" to become a #1 receiver. So you pay him something larger than any ST player ever, but you don't pay him number one receiver pay and both sides should be able to agree to that. He outplays his contract like Urlacher's claim, then hold out/renegotiate your contract.
If they don't fix this Hester thing those lame ESPN rankings are not so lame anymore.
This situation is very stressful on the heels of all the positive stuff that's trickled out so slowly over the off season. We've got enough to worry about with this so called QB competition, unknown receiver corps potential, the running game and the offensive line.
This just sucks the air out of my excitement for the season. If there's any truth about Dusty D being truly down again that's a major downer too. What the fuck man!!!
July 24, 2008
#15 RandomName said . . .He is not a #1 WR and should not be paid like 1 but he is an impact player that has 15 TD's in the last 2 years (tops on the team) and was hardly used on O.
This is just cap #'s but manually scroll down this list for awhile and see all the players before our golden ticket to field position and TD's
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/salaries/2008/all.html
And he is making $300 k less than where he is on this list. If you can fight off your carpo tunnel after scrolling to write your opinion, what do you think?
He will be the most underpaid player in all of professional sports. Why would we want to alienate him with that distinction all season?
July 24, 2008
#16 Anytime said . . .Hester's underpaid, true... But I'm shakey on the hold out only because I doubt I'd do such a thing, but of course two-time pro bowler Hester has the talent and can be stolen by another team for a big bear letdown . so
SO the kid has talent, Give him what he deserves, a raise.
July 24, 2008
#17 beardown1982 said . . .I am not a good writer so I will just copy some other persons good shit:
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — He didn’t posture and break off talks, as Tommie Harris did. He didn’t hiss and moan like a child and threaten to blow off training camp, as Brian Urlacher did. Even on the spring day when Robbie Gould — a terrific kicker but, still, a kicker — cashed in for a cool $15.5 million, Devin Hester didn’t whine publicly about the farcical injustice that his own contract had become.
No, he simply caught the football, studied the defense, waited for the perfect opportunity, faded left, spun right, scud-missiled through the hole, raced to the end zone, did his Soulja Boy routine and then, upon seeing Ted Phillips and Jerry Angelo cheering and figuring he’d report to camp without his desired new deal, proceeded to stare down his bosses and flip them the bird.July 24, 2008
#18 mikebdot said . . .Hold out seems like a bit much...but should it really be a surprise? In today's NFL, there really isn't any option that is off limits for the most part. That said...the Bears have to get this done and quickly. In the end, we may end up vastly overpaying for Hester, but it is a risk quite worth it in my opinion. I'm still skeptical of how good a receiver he can be...but the guy is a superstar so I wouldn't put it past him.
Also, this is one reason I wasn't content with giving Briggs his money. We still have Tommie Harris to think about as well...
July 24, 2008
#19 Anytime said . . ."I outplayed my contract"...waaaaaah. waaaaah. All this crap makes me want to stop watching football. What about all those people UNDERplaying their contracts? You see them giving money back? This system just plain sucks. Let's given the top 10 picks, 8 of which will be genuine busts, $20M in guaranteed money. Great freaking idea.
So, let's say we sign him now as a all-world return man and a starting wide receiver to a 3-4 year extension. What happens if he becomes an all-world receiver? Do we extend him again with more new money prior to the end of his contract again?
And, there is no way they'll fuck this up. They'll get a deal done.
The '05 Bears had no business making it the playoffs. They didn't have Devin Hester. Just sayin'.
July 24, 2008
#20 Phil from SATX said . . .I think with his unusual situtation all they can do is give him more guarenteed money and a shit load of incentives.
If only we had some way of communicating all of our genious ideas with management..Right?
July 24, 2008
#21 Phil from SATX said . . .This is probably our best shot, right now, at keeping Hester. I'm actually glad he's holding out, because it will absolutely force a deal. I'm a little worried about his role as receiver if it becomes a drawn out affair, but frankly I've never been one who cares about him receiving, it just worries me that he'll get injured. And I don't want him returning one freaking kick in a preseason game anyway. Save that juice!
So this is actually good news - Jerry'll get it done - HE HAS TO, and he knows it - and we'll have the kid for at least another year, maybe until next year when he holds out again because he makes the Pro Bowl IN TWO POSITIONS (maybe not possible by the rules, I don't know).
Tell me about Dusty - what's this? I'll hold my reaction til I know more.
July 24, 2008
#22 Phillip L said . . .Just read the rest of yesterday's thread - Animal you were killing it! Loved the Darren Sharper destruction and
"Pay the mee-an hiss money!"
The most over-the-top accent in movie history, so bad it's good.
Besides Twitter which I don't use, is there any real time camp updates? Did I read that all practices start really late in the day? Why is there not more in the papers about first day of camp - or am I just not finding it? Speak to me people ! I expected to see an article about a bunch of injuries but didn't see it.
July 24, 2008
#23 shonbear said . . .Are the Bears so cash-strapped after completely selling out every game at Soldier that they can't afford an extra couple mil?
Is it possible for everybody to pass around a hat to collect money to help them out?
I'll donate my paycheck for a month if it means getting him signed.
Do it bitches.
July 24, 2008
#24 Anytime said . . .you know when they were negotiating Briggs contract the first time they made him an offer that he turned down before he got tagged. I wonder how much Devin was offered during these so called `ongoing` negotiations. If he was made an offer and he turned it down because he thinks he is supposed to get number one receiver money what are we supposed to think. He definitely needs ore money, but what number is he looking for? It would help me with my opinion about whether he is a team guy or a me guy. Just because he is awesome and helps us astronomically does not mean that he should feel that he is important enough to break the bank and the back of the team. Is he another me guy? I like the point that the bears made the playoffs in 2005. maybe it would be better for the bears to be forced to not have to depend on Devin to win games.??The Bears should have been working on getting a well oiled useful offense rather than expect Special Teams (and defense) to win all their games for them. Maybe, just maybe cutting Ron Turner and the offense off from their DH drug could be helpful in the long run. Either way, hope its only temporary and that it will make the rest of the team better while it works itself out. Now the other players are getting his reps and getting better because of it. On the return side he wouldnt need as many reps to maintain that skill, its just the receiver side that will suffer, the route running, timing with the QB (whoever that is).
Heres something to consider. Should the rest of the special teams hold out too for their part in all of is touchdowns, or did he get all of his 14 touchdowns singlehandely?
standing by?for the flame shot...
July 24, 2008
#25 mikebdot said . . .shonbear,
You have really set yourself up from attacks from all different angles. Hope your prepared for the retaliation of those comments.July 24, 2008
#26 Anytime said . . .Didn't really read the quote the first time:
"You might cut back on what you're giving your mom to give to her. And that's how I feel they should treat me.''
That's pretty gross.
And, to be clear, he is in fact saying he's worth more than his teammates.
Hester is a stupid human being, but he's a hell of a football player. They'll pay him. JA is not stupid.
July 24, 2008
#27 Wayne Scott said . . .Funny:
http://chethondo.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/fat-kid-slaps-mom-on-dr-phil/July 24, 2008
#28 Wayne Scott said . . .Do we even need to discuss this one? It's a no brainer. Devin kept quiet, let Brian get his due, and then the Bears just ignore him. It should have never come to this. In fact they should have done the opposite! They should have thrown him a friggin party! With balloons and a big check like the ones you get from Publisher's Clearing House! Celebrate and reward your best players! Why on earth wouldn't you want to do that? It's not like he's asking the Bears for Bill Gates money. Briggs, Brian, Dev? Get it together JA.
July 24, 2008
#29 Max said . . .Do we even need to discuss this one? It's a no brainer. Devin kept quiet, let Brian get his due, and then the Bears just ignore him. It should have never come to this. In fact they should have done the opposite! They should have thrown him a friggin party! With balloons and a big check like the ones you get from Publisher's Clearing House! Celebrate and reward your best players! Why on earth wouldn't you want to do that? It's not like he's asking the Bears for Bill Gates money. Briggs, Brian, Dev? Get it together JA.
July 24, 2008
#30 Phil from SATX said . . .I dont think DH is worth #1 receiver money but he does deserve a raise. In reference to being a team player, I am gonna hold back on judgement. At least til i see how long he hold out for . . . but thats just me.
p.s. Favre is still the ultimate selfish player
July 24, 2008
#31 Shady said . . .Here's real skinny on Dusty, from Brad Biggs' blog:
Dusty Dvoracek was upbeat Thursday morning while discussing his latest setback--a calf injury he suffered two weeks ago working out with teammate Tommie Harris.
The former teammates at Oklahoma were getting ready for training camp doing some defensive line drills, including resistance training with bungee cords. Dvoracek was placed on the non-football injury list Wednesday and will not be eligible to practice until he passes a physical.
A sprained left hand prevented him from participating in a good portion of the offseason workout program, and he needs to be on the field coming off the torn ACL he suffered in the season opener last September at San Diego.
"I knew I was questionable,'' he said. "If it was the regular season, they wouldn't [place me on NFI]. Right now, they don't want to push it too quick."I don't see myself missing more than a week. I'm hoping to be out there next week for sure. It's kind of just day-to-day and we're monitoring it."
In his absence, veteran Anthony Adams was with the first team at nose tackle. It could be a job Adams secures. He started eight games last season after Dvoracek and the departed Darwin Walker went down with injuries.
End of story.
Is it meaningful? Hopefully not. The next season ending injury for Dusty should mean an immediate cut by the Bears. He's operating on very thin ice here. I realize it's not his fault, but it's not ours or the Bears either. Show some durability Dusty! I don't want to rely on Anthony Adams this year! Maybe undersized Bazuin can play inside?
July 24, 2008
#32 Pissed Off said . . .I bet Izzy could play inside too if need be. Apparently he's bulked up this offseason.
Regarding that video, that kid is gonna beat the shit outta his kids one day. No doubt.
July 24, 2008
#33 mikebdot said . . .I want Dusty to get healthy. I feel like I know that he's a great player and all I've seen is part of that one game. He's going to be a force but he needs to stay healthy.
Regarding Hester, some of the stories I've seen say that talks between the Bears and hester have been ongoing and that a deal will get done. Angelo was surprised that Hester didnt show because he made it sound like a deal was going to get done soon. Anyway I dont think he's worth #1 WR money cuz he's probably about the 50th best WR in the NFL at this point if that. I realize that #1 special teams player in the NFL money is not enough so it needs to be more than that. I do hope they find that middle ground that keeps him happy. Anyway I wonder if he inks a deal now and then becomes a stud #1 WR in the NFL, like top 15 or 20, pro bowl or near pro bowl caliber (I realize he's a probowler already but not as a WR) then what. Does he ask for more money again next year, does he ask to be paid like a great WR and not like a mediocre WR and a great special teams guy?
I just think it would behoove Hester to play this year with his normal scheduled pay and then proove he can be an awesome WR (or not) this season and then get the huge payday next year with one year left on his contract. So now if he becomes a great WR is he going to be an asshole and ask for more money again next year. The butthole factor could be high here and fans may turn on him....next year.
July 24, 2008
#34 Z said . . .PO'd: I agree.
The only devil's advocate argument I can see is that he is afraid he will become injured at WR this season and therefore wants insurance against injury with a huge new contract. Can't say that I can blame him if that is in fact the case.
The thing is, special teams injuries are fairly frequent as well and he hasn't been hurt doing that either. Being left out to dry over the middle by Orton or Grossman isn't necessarily a great option while getting paid $445k, or whatever it is.
I say, yes, we pay him. We should extend one season, give him $15M in new money, $8M guaranteed. However much we have left under the cap should go to this year's signing bonus (which is presumably less than $8M, but I have no idea where we sit right now). Then, if he has a stellar season at receiver, we can talk in two years again. If he has a mediocre year at WR this year and then again next year, we are not locked into a long term deal and can pay him "world class special teams talent" money when the contract expires.
Or, we can break the bank and extend him long term to avoid free agent issues that might come up, but present the same exact situation that we just got over with Urlacher, where Hester could argue his contract is outdated, etc. Especially if the league has an uncapped year.
July 24, 2008
#35 DTB said . . .Oh is Dan Bazuin still on the team. That's cool. Yeah Dusty looked nasty for the 1st few plays of the season but gotta be on the field to be nasty.
#23 does not deserve close to #1 WR $$. I wish we knew more about the negotiations so we would know who is being unreasonable. While showing up for OTA's does look like a good teammate thing to do, he should have skipped those to send a message that he was serious, might have sped up the process and we wouldn't be having this conversation now. Maybe the media attention to the possibility that he would holdout this whole time would have lit a fire under JA to get it done. Definitely sucks he isn't getting those WR reps.
I can't imagine he would turn down a reasonable bonus put into a new contract but maybe I am wrong.
And if we give him more and he drastically outplays that contract they should give him more again in a few years. Only when it is an absurd production vs. pay differential should they even consider it. Why not reward your overperforming players. It's just good business. A rep for being cheap is not going to make people want to consider you 1st in free agency.
And yes in a perfect world they would just play for their contract till it is up. They signed it. They should honor it. But that is not the beast we are dealing with. Other players their contracts re-negotiated, he definitely is as deserving as they are.
And owners can cut underperforming players anytime they want. After the guaranteed $$, they are at the owner's mercy, even if their only sin is getting hurt in a violent sport for our entertainment. (and glory and victory, blah blah, oh and millions of dollars per year, except #23). Just pay him and make him feel appreciated and let's see what he's got. JA you are so close.
July 24, 2008
#36 Pissed Off said . . .I checked out that player salary link and I think Devin should slot in right about where Plax is. Just under 5 mil. That is perfectly reasonable and should seal the deal. If not, we may be looking at a serious holdout.
July 24, 2008
#37 DTB said . . .I get your point, he could be worried about injuries, or that maybe he wont be a very good WR and he wants insurance, or maybe he doesnt think he can keep up with this ridiculous pace of Kick and Punt return TDs every year and needs that guaranteed money. I bet he's sweatting losing Brendan A right now, maybe he was the special teams catalyst that sprang Hester seveal times and now Devin is concerend he wont be scoring on returns as much without him. You know Dante Hall has gone down the toilet too. He did nothing his first two years in the league then he had 3 combined returns in 02, then 4 in 03, then 2 in 04, and one each in the last 3 years. I know comparing Hall to Devin is crazy but he's the closest comparision you can make. Devin too might taper off but it shouldnt be for a few years yet, he's still very young and in his prime.
July 24, 2008
#38 BRH said . . .I checked out that player salary link and I think Devin should slot in right about where Plax is. Just under 5 mil. That is perfectly reasonable and should seal the deal. If not, we may be looking at a serious holdout.
July 24, 2008
#39 Brad said . . .Hester is being a complete idiot for holding out. Sure he deserves more money, but he's picked the stupidest possible way of trying to get it. The Bears aren't even disputing that he deserves a new contract. They've been negotiating with his agent for months about it. Your statement that they tried to pay him "like he was an average-to-good special teams player" is just flat out wrong from every report I've read. Everything I've seen says they offered him a contract that would make him the highest paid return specialist in NFL history and contained additional incentives based on how he performs as a WR. How is that unreasonable on their part? If Hester wants to be paid like a top WR, he needs to get his dumb ass into camp and prove that he can play like one. All he's doing by holding out is making it less likely that he'll succeed as a WR which of course diminishes his value and makes it less likely he'll ever get that contract he wants. It's an amazingly stupid move on his part.
July 24, 2008
#40 DTB said . . .His pay should equal a number 3 reciever + 5% more than the current highest paid return man. I would assume this would be an average of 3-4 million a year, including a bonus. I believe a number three receivers gets an average of 1.5 mil a year and same with the highest paid return man. This issue is probably more about the bonus and length of the contract. He doesn't deserve number 1 receiver type money, but he does deserve much more the current highest paid return man.
July 24, 2008
#41 jeff said . . .Reality is that Devin realizes his value relative to the Bears, right now. It is impartitive that we pay him well now, preventing this issue comming up again in another 2 years. I'm telling you, if we are paying Gould 3 mil/yr how unreasonable is Hester for 5 mil/yr? Pony up and fork it out, Jerry.
July 24, 2008
#42 DTB said . . .anybody on this site who argues against giving devin hester whatever he wants has not watched the team play the last two seasons - simple as that. he's the most exciting player IN THE SPORT.
July 24, 2008
#43 Z said . . .AMEN
July 24, 2008
#44 Z said . . .Good point about Gould, if he is worth 3 mil what is #23 worth?
July 24, 2008
#45 Brad said . . .Seriously does anyone have a problem with Hester getting 5 Mil for the next 2 or 3 years with like 7-10 guaranteed?
July 24, 2008
#46 Anytime said . . .Why did we give a guy who can't kick a 50 yard field goal 3 mil a year? Just because you over pay one guy doesn't mean you over pay everyone. I would have no problem paying Hester 5 mil. I just don't think they should give number 1 receiver money. The guy can't remember a damn play. Plus, I am concerned about the fact that kick returners typically are in their prime for a very short period. Is Devin any different? I hope so, but am not sure.
I do agree we need him on our team this year. Without him, we have no chance of going to the playoffs. He does have the Bears under the gun.
July 24, 2008
#47 Nick said . . .So its nice to hear that Chris Williams has already gone down in the second day here of training camp.
Could be just cramps but with our luck......July 24, 2008
What happened to Chris Williams?
I agree that Devin should get paid, but I think his timing is very poor. I don't care who you are, if your Tom Brady, Ernst Graham or Deving Hester. A selfish move like this is really hurting the team. Hester is using his possible #1 WR status as leverage, he knows the Bears need him and in turn he is using that against his own team. In my eyes it isn't very professional.
I hated his quote too. Lack of class.
July 24, 2008
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.