Botta e risposta con il coach Drake sul reparto WRs di Chicago
Coach Darryl Drake discusses the Bears wide receivers.
How did Devin Hester perform in OTAs and how pleased are you with his development this offseason?
Devin Hester caught 51 passes for 665 yards and 3 touchdowns last season.
He performed just like I thought he would. He continues to make strides. He’s playing with so much more confidence in everything he’s doing. We’re playing him at every spot. We’re moving him around; he’s doing a lot of different things. The biggest thing you see is the plays that he makes. He and Jay [Cutler] have gotten on the same page with a lot of things. I’m really pleased with his development. Hopefully it will continue and we’ll see what we hope we’re going to see.
What are your expectations in terms of the type of player Devin can become this year?
I think he can be the best, and my expectations are just that. His expectations are just that. We’re not trying to sell ourselves short. We’re trying to reach for the stars. He’s got that kind of ability and that kind of mindset, so we’re going to go for it. We’ve got some goals we want to attain and he’s got some goals he wants to attain, so we’ll see what happens.
What are Devin’s strengths as a receiver and what does he need to work on in training camp?
His strengths are his quickness, his ability to get in and out of cuts, and his hands. The thing that we need to continue to improve on is reading coverages; understanding what’s happening to you because things change after the snap. Learning to react and adjust consistently takes a period of time. It takes time for guys to totally understand the inner-workings of secondary play and how the secondary rotates and what the defense is going to be in just by looking at a linebacker’s alignment. That just comes from continuing to play and it takes guys years before they’re able to understand that.
Everyone who watched OTA practices seemingly named Earl Bennett as one of the most impressive players on the field. What were your impressions of him in offseason workouts?
He performed really well. He was very consistent, which we knew Earl would be. He’s not thinking now. He’s playing fast. He understands what we’re trying to do in the offseason. He understands where he is in formations, and he knows what to do. I’ve been very pleased with his ability to make plays. We need to get out there and see how all these things go when the lights come on, but I’ve been very pleased with how all of our receivers have done up until this point.
What’s the biggest factor in Earl’s improvement, just his familiarity with the offense?
There’s no question about it. He’s just so much more comfortable. He’s heard things over and over again, and right now he’s playing with a lot of confidence. When a guy’s thinking, he’s not confident. And when he’s not confident, he can’t perform up as well as he needs to perform. But right now he understands, he’s confident, and he knows what he’s doing. Even if he does make a mistake, he knows to make a mistake full speed, and that’s the difference; it’s just another year of maturity, another year in the system, and he’s playing uninhibited.
Who do you think will have the best chance of challenging Hester and Bennett for a starting position in training camp and the preseason?
Well, Brandon Rideau and Rashied Davis have both been [occasionally] working with the first team. The young guys are starting to come on. Devin Aromashodu did some really good things in the OTAs. I’m really excited about him. He’s another guy. But it still all remains to be seen. We’ve got a long way to go. When we get to training camp and we start getting into games, then we’ll have a better feel when we see how guys react in those situations against other people.
It seems that Rideau really stepped up and made some plays in the OTAs. How do you think he performed and what type of opportunity will he have in training camp?
Right now it’s up to him. That opportunity is there for him. He’s done some good things, but he needs to continue to work and improve if he’s going to be out there and have a chance to help us. But I’ve been pleased with his progress. He’s a guy who has been in this system for a while. You can line him up in any position. He knows what to do. The biggest thing for him is that every chance he gets to make a play, he’s got to make it.
What role do you envision Rashied Davis filling this season?
The role that Rashied had a couple years ago; being a third-down guy, coming in and helping us in certain situations. That’s where he really performed at his best, when he was doing those things. Last year he got thrust into some situations and had to be a starter because of injuries and things like that, but those things happen in the NFL and you’ve got to be able to handle them. Things probably didn’t go as well as I would have liked them to go for him or as well as he would have liked them to go. He needs to do continue to work and be consistent. That’s the thing you want. He works extremely hard. He understands the offense. The biggest thing for him is when he gets the opportunity to make plays.
Is it fair to say that Johnny Knox has been more impressive in offseason workouts than fellow rookie receivers Juaquin Iglesias and Derek Kinder?
Johnny Knox started off that way, but in the last week or so of OTAs, Juaquin Iglesias really came on. I’ve been real excited about both of those guys; they’ve done some good things. Johnny leveled off a little bit, but we know what he’s got. Iglesias rose up a little bit more. Both of them have a tremendous amount of ability and I look forward to seeing what happens when we get to training camp and we start getting into preseason games. We’ll see how they react then.
What do the three rookie draft picks do well, and what do they need to work on?
All of them have to learn the offense because once they learn the offense they can play uninhibited without thinking. That’s going to take some time, though. What Juaquin does well is route-running and getting in and out of his breaks. Johnny’s route-running techniques are really good. He can sink his hips and get in and out of breaks as well as anybody. His biggest deal is just being able to learn it and know what’s going on in every situation; understanding coverages and those things. Kinder also needs to just continue to work. He’s still developing. He’s still getting himself back healthy from the injury he had in college. But he’s very smart and does a good job of picking things up.
