LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -Devin Hester is sure of this much after the Chicago Bears end this dismal season and miss the playoffs for a third straight year: The team won’t look the same next season.
“It’s been what, three seasons like this? It’s tough,” Hester said. “There will be a lot of changes, I know that for a fact, and I hope it’s for the better. … Everybody sees it. There are going to be a lot of new players in probably, and some other things change around here.”
Hester, once an electrifying kick returner and now Chicago’s leading receiver this season with 54 catches, missed last week’s loss to Green Bay with a calf injury. It’s not clear if he will play at Baltimore this weekend.
But with Chicago taking a 5-8 record into the game against the Ravens, a shake-up seems a sure thing for the Bears once the season ends.
Offensive coordinator Ron Turner and quarterback Jay Cutler, who’s pitched 22 interceptions during his first disappointing season with Chicago, are getting most of the criticism for the team’s dismal offensive performance.
Cutler said Wednesday he and Turner have had an open line of communication and expressed their views with one another.
“Any time you struggle offensively the offensive coordinator and the quarterback are going to take the blame, as it should be,” Cutler said. “It’s just as tough on him, I think, as it on me.”
Asked if he would give input on Turner’s future to the front office, Cutler said he would, if asked. But he wasn’t ready Wednesday to say what that opinion would be.
For his part, Turner said Cutler is in a tough spot. He also said the two have a “good relationship. … I have a lot of confidence in him and hopefully he feels the same way.”
Whether it’s play calling, the lack of a running game, the receivers not running precise routes or Cutler making bad throws, the numerous mistakes and lack of consistency have been glaring. Sometimes the Bears will move the ball efficiently and then follow that with what Cutler says are spurts of “some horrible, horrible football.”
And it’s making him think about what he’s doing, instead of just playing.
“As many struggles, as many interceptions, it’s tough to go out there and throw the ball 20, 30, 40 times and be confident on every one,” Cutler said.
ittle bit and trying to be more careful. In the flow of the game, I mean, I am still going to take shots at some of the chances.”
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said he is surprised by Cutler’s rash of interceptions, especially after they played on the AFC Pro Bowl team together last February.
“We saw how he can make every throw. I just think as an identity for this team, they’re kind of up and down, what they’re going through, but I never expected Jay to have games like that because I always respected his talent,” Lewis said.
Hester, meanwhile, had 12 touchdowns as a returner in 2006 and 2007, not including the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl that he took for a score. He has eight TDs as a receiver over the last three seasons.
“Watching other teams, other offenses, they find ways for other guys to get their hands on the ball better,” said Hester, adding that some plays put in during the week are not called during the game.
“They have good plays designed for myself and the other receivers. …You’ve got to call them in certain situations,” he said. “Good field position is the key to allowing some of the plays we want to call. Certain situations, we just weren’t able to make the call.”
Coach Lovie Smith, who is answering questions of his own about his future with the Bears, said Hester’s just dealing with the disappointment of the season.
“When you are 5-8, guys are frustrated, like we all are,” Smith said. “Devin, along with the rest of the guys, we all need to just focus on Baltimore.”
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