Chicago Bears wide receiver/returner Devin Hester is, to put it mildly, dangerous.
The sixth-year pro is second in NFL history with 18 total return touchdowns, including 12 punt returns, 5 kickoff returns and one missed field goal return.
Champ Bailey is plenty familiar with the way Hester can change a game, as Hester returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns en route to a 37-34 Bears victory in Denver the last time the two teams faced off.
“We know what type of player he is,” Bailey said, adding that he wouldn’t kick to Hester “in a million years.” “You don’t take any chances with the guy. He’s the best in the game, the best ever in my book.”
When asked whether he would kick to Hester, Brian Dawkins seemed to have a different view.
“Oh yeah,” he said, pausing. “Out of bounds. Straight out of bounds.”
After drawing a laugh from the media, the veteran safety elaborated.
“He’s a huge, tremendous weapon,” he said. “This cat is gifted to do things that, obviously, no one’s been able to do the way he’s done it in a short period of time. You can have coaches that beat their chests, ‘We’re going to kick it to him; we’re going have coverage behind, though.’ If you ask me, if I’m the coach, I’m kicking it straight out of bounds — right toward him — but out of bounds, so if he does catch it, he’s going to be tiptoeing the sideline as he falls out of bounds.”
Head Coach John Fox said on Wednesday that he doesn’t want to give away the team’s plans regarding Hester, only that “we are aware of him and he’s a great player.”
Britton Colquitt, the punter potentially tasked with avoiding the league’s most dangerous returner, said there are a variety of ways to accomplish that task.
“I’d love to say I could do what [Oakland P Shane] Lechler did and kick it over his head 80 yards, but it’s not easy,” he said. “It just depends on where we are on the field. He’s a great returner, but we have a great coverage unit. Sometimes, when you try to go out of bounds, you don’t have as good of a hit, and sometimes you just hit a good 35- or 40-yard fair catch ball. He’ll still try to fair catch it, too, if you hit it high enough.”
In the end, Colquitt said he’ll look to do his job the way he has done it the previous 12 games. He currently ranks third in the league in net punting average with 41.6 yards per kick. At his current pace, he would set a new franchise record.
He doesn’t want to adjust his style too much just because of the returner he’s facing.
“He’s waiting for that,” Colquitt said. “He wants guys to be like, ‘I’m going to kick away from you.’”
“You’ve just got to be on your game all the time.”
Below are photos from Thursday’s practice.
-Gray Caldwell
Tags: Brian Dawkins, Britton Colquitt, Champ Bailey, Chicago Bears, Devin Hester, Week 14
Nah…..i said i enjoynthe wins….how many times do i have to repeat that…and you said love you some Tebow…i dont…but i love the Broncos as a whole
ILMSDB&T!!!!!
Tebow is part of the Broncos… Last I checked he is on the roster…
I think sometimes people forget Tebow IS a Bronco……
Whats the problem???
carnage drink some orange koolaid, and join in on some of the fun its the holidays, we look good to go to the playoffs so sit back and enjoy the ride. and dont worry are qb is one of the most argubaly controversial qbs ever, he’s on the cover of the nfls first magazine, his jersey sells like crazy, people want to just talk about him, hate or love him just like me and u, and oh yea he has been winning. Love me some Tim Tebow. lol. good night. Peace.
Carnage, you bring up good points almost every time you post, but to me it always seems like you have some negative connotation. We get it. You don’t like Tebow. You don’t think this success will last.
I have never questioned you being a fan. I just think that you are too quick to predict failure, because you are used to being disappointed as a Bronco fan in recent years. There are good things happening on this team that you have pointed out, and a lot of us believe Tebow is in that “good things” category. He looked awful in his first couple of starts this season with the exception of some 4th quarter comebacks. I get that. The defense and McGahee have bailed him and this team out countless times. I get that. But Tebow has been improving. And last weekend, he deserved as much credit as all those other guys.
But as long as you are a Broncos fan, I suppose I shouldn’t care. But perhaps you should look into showing more of that excitement you say you have and stick with that, as opposed to just signing in to tell the Tebow fans they are cheering for a lost cause.
I am not asking you to be a cheerleader though. You have your opinions and you have the right to express them just like everybody else. If you don’t like Tebow, you should be able to express that. I just feel you can express it in a way thats less “in your face” lol. But you do it however you feel necessary. I respect you, but I will more than likely continue to disagree with your point of view haha.
The funny thing is wanting to give credit to the D and Run game and not Tim. Saying reason for victory is them. And that the D and Run game are the reason we win and makes him look good and bails him out and yadda yadda yadda … oh yes, I forgot, not unless u are doing it with a crap D and run game, you are not good. They run well, they defend well, I get that, last time I checked that is their job. And Tebows Job … so far … he is doing it well … well enough that this once bottom dwelling team is now aces. And sure, u can say its because the D is hitting a stride, or the oline is finally figuring out or that now we have a fully healthy D, and yadda yadda yadda, but at the end of the day, that all just sounds like excuses to me to mask that Tebow is getting the Job done. It goes without saying. Team sport. Everyone is contributing … yup even Tebow, and not just running, passing too, decision making, and intangibles.
We get your stance carnage:
1. Tebow isn’t good for this team in the long run.
2. Tebow runs well but sucks as a QB.
3. This team is winning because of the run game and D not Tebow.
4. Tebow only completes passes against prevent and blown coverages.
5. You are happy THIS TEAM is winning.
6. You think that people are more Tebow fans than bronco fans.
7. You believe always crediting everyone but Tebow means u support the team and not just tebow
Now I cannot say I agree with your assesments … but Ill defend to the death your right to say it LOL … just gets tiresome at times.
TRB
ps: I almost want Rahim Moore to play more this game … more of a ballhawk and Hanie will be chucking it up there once that pressure comes. Alas he sucks at tackling … maybe we can use him on third down situations when its going airborn … cuz as much as I love what carter is doing … I don’t believe he has the range of reaction time to snatch a ball away (watch this be the game he gets an INT and i look stupid for saying this lol) … but everything else … he does well … which is why I see him as more of a SS.
maybe calling us “aces” was a strong word but so far so good … 6-1. and most importantly … improving each game IMO.
Carnage should love this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRLuOVt5lk0
I got super excited last night thinking about our team. Still am. But woke up in the morning to see what was said, and Bay ripped me a new one.
For me, the ENTIRE reason to be a broncos fan is so that I can get SUPER pumped at times like this. Worst to first in 7 weeks, and the sky is the limit. Sure that comes with being super bummed when we lose, but that is just the other side of the coin.
So, right now, on a 5 game win streak and the entire team looking to get better every week. The clutch wins. Everything. You’re frackin right I am overdosing on the koolaid right now, and I want some more too boot.
So you bet your butt I’m getting high on some broncos right now. From Tebow and McG, From Franklin to clady, Decker DMT and crew, Von DOOM, and our HoFers on the backside. I am so excited about all of them right now I could bust.
Right now, as a broncos fan, I am trying to soak up as much of it as possible during these good times. Right now there is no ceiling. There is absolutely no reason we can’t make the playoffs, start playing our best ball, and surprise a lot of people.
I am having wet dreams of playing the role of the superbowl XLII giants in the SB rematch against the Packers. And for me that is the entire point and the entire reward of being a broncos fan. To get super pumped at times like these.
If we start losing and the wheels come off this thing, then sure I will be super bummed. But I’ll worry about that when the time comes. For now I am trying to consume enough Orange Koolaid for the stuff to start leaking out of my eyeballs, and then get some more, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I think certain fans are cowardly. Instead of getting pumped up and excited about wins, they tell themselves about how bad the team is so that if they lose it doesn’t hurt as much.
No matter what happens, in their minds the broncos are always on the verge of being exposed and losing the rest of their games. It protects them emotionally to believe that.
Just a guess.
Not talking about bay, in case that is what it seemed like.
If nothing else, at least you guys are entertaining!!!
These Broncos are not what we’ve come accustomed to in the decade since Elway left… Confidence is a hard thing to come by and that is something that almost every fan has lost in this franchise (and reasonably so).
People are so use to the Broncos of the last 10 years curling up in a ball and not fighting back that now when we start to fight back it comes as a surprise to most and it is hard for many to embrace as they take each loss very personal and the more we invest as fans the harder it is to have your team fail week after week…
The Leadership that has been lacking here for over 10 years has let people second guess every move the front office makes like they have the right to, like they the fan are bigger than the team and that in a time of instant gratification they the fan are the only thing that matters, and that is silly just because they spend a few dollars to entertain themselves with game of professional football…
The Leadership that Tebow brings is the one thing that cannot be disputed… As a person he brings a strength of character that people have the confidence to believe in and to try for… Even the biggest critics have to admit that as a leader of men, OUR Quarterback is as good as anyone… Regardless of how you personally view his skills and how he fits your view of a prototypical passer that the league covets as it helps to sell tickets to the average fan that doesn’t enjoy the beauty of 9-6 defensive slug fest, you have to acknowledge and respect Tebow for unique ability to inspire men and stay confident in all situations…
I believe in my Broncos… I believe that regardless of circumstance this team will come to play hard every snap of every game… I believe that in the end, our team will be overwhelmed in the playoffs by one of many teams in the AFC that have far superior depths of talent, but that will not diminish my confidence level in Tebow’s ability to lead this franchise long term to a championship…
This leads me to a question for all bronco fans, but the ardent Tebow detractor’s especially… What do you want from this team? Good stats and pretty wins? or the confidence in knowing that regardless of how the ball bounces our team will fight tooth and nail to put themselves in the best position to win? I know what I look for in a Championship level team, and Tebow brings this in abundance…
VON TEBOW FOOTBALL…
) Just Believe
Alex… I agree with your 1:30 am post 100%…
Say it LOUD, Say it PROUD… I LOVE THE DENVER BRONCOS!!!
There is no such thing as good stats in a loss, and all wins are pretty. And I have the confidence that regardless of how the ball bounces our team will fight tooth and nail to put themselves in the best position to win.
To me, the broncos are playing championship ball right now. A play-making defense, a number one run game, good receivers and a clutch QB. Any given sunday, baby!
Also, any ideas I had at the beginning of the season about Fox being an extremely conservative coach have gone out the window.
The radical change he implemented in week 7 was unlike any I have seen. That is gutsy.
I like that hashtag. Just believe.
Hey all you bronco fans. Just believe.
The question is often asked: What do you you look for in a QB? What is the most important attribute?
For me, the answer is the same as or any athlete in any sport at any position: Being clutch.
I consider Robert Horry to be among the all time great in Basketball simply due to the sheer number of times I watched him hit game-winning 3 point shots at the buzzer. And I don’t watch regular season basketball, so Horry was making these big time shots in big time games. His career 3 pt percentage was about 40 percent, and in his worst year year he averaged 3 percent. But, boy, in big time games with the game on the line it seemed like he shot 100 percent.
5 percent*
Well I won’t get to see the Broncos/Bears game(they are showing the Faders/Packers game in TN),so I’ll at least get to see the Faders get carved up by Rodgers,too bad the Pats game didn’t get moved to primetime,big bummer,but oh well maybe they’ll show it on CBS….NOT!!!!
You guys are lucky having a sports bar close to you,so you can go watch the games,the closest one to me is like 60 miles away,only local taverns here,and they only show Titans/Vols games.
I used to have NFL Sunday Ticket when it was like 150 bucks,but to pay over 300 bucks is freaking insane,and I refuse to pay that kinda money,Hell that’s like 20 bucks a game,too bad I wasn’t born rich,lol.
Well I’m going huntin’ have a good morning and thanks in advance bay,for your early morning posts,I’ll read them when I get back.
Oh yeah:
T.G.I.F.
It’s a good frosty 23 degrees here in TN this morning…great for hunting!
google first row sports.
On the whole you guys all had a bunch of good comments last night, all keeping in civility, nice read.
Man BFE, you must really live in a remote area, is it anything like deliverance, LOL.
Just like I said no need to remind the Broncos organization not to kick it to Hester after the two returns for TDs game in 2007, but just in case Fox please listen to Bailey since you weren’t here for that drubbing:
Asked Thursday whether he — had he the power — would kick to Hester, Bailey said: “Not in a million years. I’ve been around coaches that have. I know we did the last time we played them. I think we all know how that went.”
“We’ve talked about it a little bit,” Bailey said. “We know what type of player he is. Don’t take no chances with the guy; he’s the best in the game. The best ever in my book.”
The good thing too is Keith Burns was there in 2007:
Assistant special-teams coach Keith Burns was playing for the Broncos in that 2007 game, so he understands the potential impact if the coverage team doesn’t tie up all its loose ends.
Forget tying up the loose ends, kick it out of the end zone on KOs and out of bounds on punts would be my first two choices, period, ask Shanny how tying up the loose ends works out.
As a die hard fan, yes, these times are exciting. I don’t remember the last time I was this excited about our team post-Elway. The 05 season was awesome, but it ended with another seemingly sudden team collapse.
Something I overlooked about Rosario:
He leads the team in special-teams tackles with eight.
With his two clutch catches in the Jets and Chargers game he is one of the best cut/rehire guy I have ever seen.
Weird that Fox cut him in the first place since he knew all about him with the Panthers….
He must of really thought a whole bunch more about Julius and Virgil than he does now.
This is pretty good: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d824dfc6c/article/dont-doubt-tebow-you-might-end-up-with-an-absurd-tattoo?module=HP11_content_stream
Looking forward this weekend’s matchup although somewhat concerned for Clady as he doesn’t seem to be at 100%. I believe the knee he’s having trouble with may require additional surgery in the offseason… jmo.
Now with Peppers coming into town, he’ll need help with an extra TE or FB. Hope he’s feeling better.
Don’t go jinxing it now, haha.
Bottom line only two teams make it to the SB, meaning ten playoff teams don’t get there, those are not good odds. So many, many more teams get disappointed than not, hence my holding on to my conservative level grounded approach while making a run, it’s a ticker issue, LOL.
Running back Willis McGahee (knee) was held out of Thursday’s practice. He also missed Wednesday. McGahee continues to say the injury is “no big deal,” but the team’s leading rusher has missed extended practice time because of a fractured hand and a knee injury over the past seven weeks.
“It’s good, I’m good,” McGahee said Thursday. “Everything is good.”
Wide receiver Eddie Royal (concussion) also was held out of practice. Left tackle Ryan Clady (knee) practiced on a limited basis. Linebacker Von Miller (thumb) and safety David Bruton (Achilles) practiced on a limited basis.
For those keeping up with obscure stats:
According to league records, a victory Sunday would make the Broncos only the third team to win six consecutive games after starting a season 2-5 or worse. The Broncos were 2-5 after their Oct. 30 loss to Detroit.
The 1970 Bengals finished 8-6 after a 1-6 start. The 2005 Vikings were 9-7 after a 2-5 start.
rbf1
Someone stole your TNT, check out the title of the video in that article:
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_19502511
I can’t believe some of us are still talking about Orton… Or claim that fans are more of Tebow fans than Bronco fans.. For the record, I fully supported Orton when we got him, and the main reason for that support was b/c he was 21-12 as a starter at the time. I would tell people: “he may not be Elway, but you can’t argue that the man wins games”.. Now he is 12-21 as a Bronco starter, and sometimes you just got to know when to cut your losses… The main reason I support Tebow now is b/c of his 7-3 record as our starter, which is the same reason that I gave Orton my support when he had a winning record..
Chicago’s DE Melton thinks they have Tebow figured out just like the last 5 teasm we’ve played, LOL:
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago defensive tackle Henry Melton had some quick answers to the challenge facing the Bears on Sunday.
“We’ve got a couple things we’re working on to get him down. I’m not going to say too much. . . . I think we’re going to do something different than a lot of teams did. Tebow was running free on them.”
And Urlacher about Tebow:
“Whatever he’s doing, they’re winning games,” Urlacher said.
And for those who say Tebow’s style can be a bit ugly, his passes far from perfect, Urlacher responds with “Who cares?”
“I’ve never been part of an ugly win, I know that much,” Urlacher said. “I’ve been in some ugly losses, but ugly wins don’t exist.”
Amen to that!
If we kick to Hester we didn`t learn our lesson from back in 2007. We`ll do the right thing and play keep away.
Those are some scary injuries. I’m trying to find as much wood as possibly can to knock on.
One of my friends said that Clady was out for Sunday’s game, is that true?
No!
OrangeTsunami : well said at 7:34
I agree not kicking to Hester, but I also think our S/T is much improved from those Shanny days.. I would hold my breath on each kick off & punt, regardless of who we were kicking to… Our coverage team was awful back then…
Rick Gano of the AP calls us “a formidable Denver defense”.
Who would of thunked that after finishing dead last in many categories on D last season.
Yea I actually noticed alot of Rosarios tackles on ST … none last game I don’t believe, but 2 or so game ago he was flying man … for a second I though tit was Mays. I thought it said 51 … come to find out it said 81. I was like WOW. Cuz im not a fan of the guy … when I thought Julius Thomas was back I was like … ok so we can cut Rosario and get more defensive depth right? lol … but it would appear Julius is not fully recovered or soemthign … and Rosario ain’t doing bad at all … earlier in the year tho … he had the case of stone hands. TRB
I didn’t think so and I couldn’t find anything that said he was. Probably just blowing smoke…he’s a Bills fan LOL!
Urlacher is smarter than some of these sports analysts, kinda funny. LOL
Clady practiced on limited basis.
I hope Clady is Ok.. We need to draft an OL in the draft, b/c while our O-Line is playing well, we do lack lack depth there…
Lol at stealing TNT … I believe we talked about it at length when DT was first drafted almost 2 years ago with Tebow lol. Either they read the blogs or great minds think alike …. 2 years later … lol … but ill go with the former over the latter
.
Hi Lindsey! lol
Glad Bay Bay got some confidence now … to the coaches credit … when Tebow first came in … they tried to give DT some opportunities with deep balls but the 2 were not on the same page … glad some chemistry is being built between QB and Recieving corps
TRB
Our December records the last few years:
-Last year, 1-4, finishing 4-12 second worse in the league.
-In 2009, they went 1-4 in their final five games, finishing 8-8 and out of the playoffs.
-In 2008, they went 1-3 in December, finishing 8-8 and out of the playoffs.
-In 2007, they went 2-3 in December, finishing 7-9 and out of the playoffs.
-In 2006, they went 2-3 in December, finishing 9-7 and out of the playoffs.
You have to go back to 2005 when they were 4-1 in December.
Meanwhile Fox rightfully keeps reminding the team that’s it’s all about how you play in December….