[CBFF] Hester vs. Cribbs

Sat Feb 9 16:51:33 MST 2008

I don’t see Cribbs scaring the shit out of ST coaches enough to kick it out
of bounds on purpose on kick offs or squibbing it to the 35-40. 

Or being so worried about a PR for a TD that they shank 5 yard punts or
worry about the coverage so the protection is hurt and a punt is blocked.

A stat I want to know is what is the average starting spot with Hester
taking KR and with Cribbs factoring every kick out of bounds, every squib
that Hester doesn’t touch and regular Kos.

I guarantee you that if Hester had the same opportunities to return a kick
like Cribbs, Hester would have had at least 3 more TDs.

-----Original Message-----
From: cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com
[mailto:cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com] On Behalf Of Jerry Madsen
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 3:33 PM
To: CBFF
Subject: [CBFF] Hester vs. Cribbs

Saturday, February 9, 2008
Battle of the return kings: Hester vs. Cribbs

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
By Mike McAllister
ESPN.com

KAPOLEI, Hawaii -- She was waiting patiently near the sidelines, but
she wasn't a member of the media, wasn't from the league office,
wasn't representing any particular team in an official capacity. She
was simply a fan, wearing a white tube top, tight blue jean shorts and
a golden tropic tan that reached from her manicured toenails to the
top of her forehead, just under her long, shimmering red hair.

As the NFC players spilled out of the team bus and onto the practice
field for a brief Pro Bowl workout, she preened her neck, obviously
looking for one particular player. She ignored Jessica Simpson's
boyfriend, ignored all the quarterbacks in fact. Ignored the running
backs and wide receivers, too. Ignored anybody who lines up in a
three-point stance.

She was there simply for No. 23. For Devin Hester. As he walked past,
she reached out to shake his hand. That's all she wanted to do, spend
five seconds with her hero.

"I love watching you play," she told him. "You're the only person I
wanted to meet out here."

Moral of this story: Chicks dig the long return.

Indeed, if there is a home run hitter in football, it's Hester, the
Chicago Bears' return specialist extraordinaire.

In his two NFL seasons, Hester has returned seven punts and four
kickoffs for touchdowns. Factoring in his 152 return attempts, Hester
scores slightly more than 7 percent of the time. That might not sound
like much -- until you realize there are usually 80 yards or more
between him and the end zone when he touches the ball. And this
doesn't even include the NFL record-tying 108-yard return off a missed
field goal against the Giants in 2006.

Opponents will go to great lengths to kick away from him, and those
teams that have the nerve to challenge him often are severely
punished. Ask the Denver Broncos, who saw Hester return a punt and a
kickoff for a touchdown on Nov. 25 in an ill-conceived display of
hubris.

It seems inconceivable that anybody but Hester is the league's best
return man. And yet, there is not 100 percent agreement on this. The
other return specialist who will play in Sunday's Pro Bowl is
Cleveland's Josh Cribbs, and a certain faction exists that thinks
Cribbs, while not as spectacular as Hester, actually might be better.

Cribbs, for one, does. So does Cribbs' teammate, Kellen Winslow Jr.

"He's the best return guy I've ever seen," Winslow said.

Just to be sure, the question is posed again. Cribbs, who has five
touchdown returns in three seasons, is better than Hester, who set an
NFL record with six returns for TDs as a rookie?

"You know what -- they're different," Winslow said. "Josh is just
reckless. He goes in the hole, breaks so many tackles. Yeah, I have to
say he's better -- and I've seen a lot of them. I've seen Roscoe
Parrish, I've seen Devin Hester, but Josh is the best."

OK, you can forgive Winslow for sticking up for his teammate. What
else would he say? But even Cribbs isn't willing to concede his
stature as the second-best return man in the league, and will try to
prove his point in Sunday's game at Aloha Stadium.

To be sure, he'll admit that Hester is better at punt returns -- for
now. That's because, as Cribbs quickly pointed out, he has only one
year of experience returning punts.

"The more punt returns I get, I'll be his rival," Cribbs said. "I'm
gonna get at Hester. I'm gonna start something with him, like, 'C'mon,
Hester, I'm catching you!'"

Make no mistake, though -- Cribbs has no doubts he is better at
returning kickoffs than Hester. Or, as Cribbs described it: "I've
pretty much got that one locked up."

One reason why is their differing styles.

The 5-foot-11, 186-pound Hester is the quick, shifty return guy, the
one who can stop on a dime, find space that seemingly doesn't exist,
and slip around the grasp of lunging opponents. That works best in
crowded situations, such as on punt returns, when players are right on
top of him as he fields the ball.

The 6-1, 215-pound Cribbs, meanwhile, is more physical and powerful.
When he sees a hole, he goes full throttle and he doesn't worry about
finding alternative routes. That works best on kickoffs, when he has
time to scan the field and pick his spot. And if the seam starts to
close, he'll gladly stick a forearm in your face if you get within
sniffing distance.

They also have opposing mentalities. Hester looks to break the big one
and go the distance. Cribbs is content with providing the Browns'
offense with solid field position. The way he sees it, if he can reach
the 40-yard line on a kickoff, then he just gave his offense two first
downs.

"What offense wouldn't love to start off at the 40-yard line every
single time?" Cribbs asked. "That's something to be proud of."

Because of this approach, Cribbs said he wins an important category
that can be overlooked when evaluating return specialists:
consistency.

"Hester has a big-play mentality," Cribbs said. "But he's not always
as consistent. He'll probably tell you that himself. He's the guy who
scores lots of TDs, the playmaker, know what I'm saying? I look for
more consistent productivity."

So we've heard from Cribbs. What does Hester say about this? Could it
be that there is a legitimate challenger to his throne as the league's
most lethal return man?

First of all, Hester would like to point out that Cribbs is more
productive as a kickoff returner -- a 26.6-yard career average to
Hester's 23.2 -- because teams simply don't kick off to Hester.

"Look at the film," he said. "I don't get the kicks like him. I get a
lot of squibs."

He then adds: "You can't compare us. You can't compare me and the
other return guys because they get more opportunities for returns.
They get real kicks."

So, Hester is asked, you're clearly No. 1 and Cribbs is No. 2, right?

Hester's reply is to let the question answer itself. He clearly
believes it, but he doesn't need to confirm it verbally. His look --
probably the same look he gives the last man he passes on the way to
the end zone -- is enough.

Still, he respects what Cribbs is doing in Cleveland.

"Don't get me wrong -- he's a great returner," Hester said. "There's a
reason for him being here. Best of the best, you know?"

But there's also a reason the girl in the white tube top, blue jean
shorts and ample tan is waiting on a high school football field in
Hawaii to meet him and not Cribbs. Hester hits home runs. Cribbs hits
for average.

And chicks don't dig the average.

"That's OK," Cribbs shrugged. "Anytime a guy gets individual attention
like that, it's good. It lets you know you've been doing a good job.
But it's a team sport, and I just need to do what's best for my
football team. Hey, I'm here, so I'm not doing a bad job. I won't
complain at all."

Even if nobody's waiting to shake his hand before practice.

Mike McAllister is a senior editor at ESPN.com.

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