Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs used to have what has been called a “reality distortion field” that he seemed to generate around him. In a nut shell, Jobs used to try to solve problems by confronting them with pure faith – a belief that he and others could overcome difficulties by simply ignoring the fact that they were impossible. This was both a good and a bad thing but most believe it ultimately is what killed him.
In much the same way, Devin Hester continues to talk up the Bears wide receiver group. From Vaughn McClure at the Chicago Tribune:
“‘I’m always looking forward to a Monday night game, point blank,’ Hester said Friday. ‘Who knows how this game is going to fall this week, whether or not it will be Eric Weems‘ day to make plays, Brandon (Marshall), or myself, even Earl (Bennett).
“‘We don’t know how this game is going to swing, but we do know one guy is going to blow up this week. Whoever that might be, I pray they do good.'”
Hester’s comments are a continuation of those made in the preseason about opponents were going to have to pick their poison in deciding which wide receiver to cover on the field. I think pretty much everyone knew even then who they were going to pick. They remind me a great deal of comments made by former Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie. When Jay Cutler went down last season and Hanie had to start, Hanie rattled off a list of “strengths” that were, to say the least, not reality. They were, in fact, all of the weaknesses which observers had identified in him in his previous (but limited) playing time. It seemed to me that Hanie was trying to convince himself that these problems didn’t exist – as if simply by saying so, they would disappear.
Much to every Bear fan’s annoyance, they didn’t.
There is one receiver on the Bears that has shown me the ability to “blow up”. Its not Hester. It’s not Weems. Its not even the usually solid but unspectacular Bennett. Its Brandon Marshall. Until someone shows me otherwise, the rest of the unit as a whole is a liability. Simply believing that’s not true isn’t enough and no amount of words to the contrary are going to fix the problem.