Devin Hester is trying out...Hester Signed!!!

[cobrajet]

On the surface, I don't get super excited about this signing. However, when I start really thinking about it I start to realize:

1. I really don't want Webb or SSS back there in punt returns risking injury

2. Hester has a lot of experience in returns and he is less likely to make a bad decision which will give me a good comfort level, because I trust him. I was never completely trusting of Jacoby's hands and don't even get me started on David "Mr. Fumble" Reed. At least I will not have to keep my fingers crossed when Hester is fielding returns.

3. Field position is always important and if he can come back from his injury and still produce at a fairly high level, our field position on returns should be better this season. Every yard matters!

[allblackraven]

17 minutes ago, K-Dog said:

I feel like I should know what you are taking about. 

around 1:17 mark

 

[sflegend89]

Love this move. No more worrying about who's going to return week in and week out. No more risking valuable starters on return duty. Also no more worrying about muffed punts and bad decision making, Hester returns kicks in his sleep, it's natural to him.

Obviously this isn't vintage Bears-Era Hester but the guy can still make splash plays. Even though he's 33 he doesn't have a ton of mileage because he's never played major snaps on offense.

This year is going to be fun, I think the team is going to really get a kick out of having a legend like Hester on the squad. Hester thrives in big moments, if we can get into the playoffs it just might awake some magic.

Edited September 4, 2016 by sflegend89

[Filmstudy]

Hester has 19 career TDs and 36 career fumbles (16 of which he recovered himself).

There are 2 levels on which I don't like the move:

1. The team gets older, a trend that has been very strong over the last 2 days.

2. If it impedes the chance to sign Josh Sitton, it's a disservice to the team's chance to win this season.

[Moderator 3]

40 minutes ago, K-Dog said:

I feel like I should know what you are taking about. 

You should. You've been slacking off. 

[hawkprey]

I'd love to join in the excitement like we just signed 7 TDs to the roster but I don't think Hester will do much and he might not last half a season. Hopefully he does more but I just see him as a guy who won't fumble.

[sflegend89]

4 minutes ago, Filmstudy said:

Hester has 19 career TDs and 36 career fumbles (16 of which he recovered himself).

There are 2 levels on which I don't like the move:

1. The team gets older, a trend that has been very strong over the last 2 days.

2. If it impedes the chance to sign Josh Sitton, it's a disservice to the team's chance to win this season.

We're not getting older in any tangible way, he's going to be almost exclusively a ST player. Not to mention he still runs better than many young guys in the league, even if he's lost a step he's still a burner. We tend to play tight, field position battle type of games, especially in-division. Sometimes a big return is the difference maker, Jacoby has done just that for us in close games in the past.

[ALPHA]

15 minutes ago, Filmstudy said:

Hester has 19 career TDs and 36 career fumbles (16 of which he recovered himself).

There are 2 levels on which I don't like the move:

1. The team gets older, a trend that has been very strong over the last 2 days.

2. If it impedes the chance to sign Josh Sitton, it's a disservice to the team's chance to win this season.

Sitton is 30, signing him would also make the team older.

[Maryland]

1 hour ago, allblackraven said:

 

4 million? Must be huge incentives in that deal... Seemed like he could have gotten the vet min. with how few teams were interested

This team needs to draft Will Likely next year  

[sflegend89]

4 hours ago, Ravenseconbeast said:

scratching my head...Butler is out but 33year old punt returner is in after a terrible year with Falcons.   

Hester will unfoubtedly contribute more THIS year. Butler was promising but you can't use every roster spot for potential. Some of those spots do need to go to guys who can contribute right away.. Hester can do just that as a dynamic return man. One that can make potential game changing plays even at this stage of his career.

We have plenty of WR's this year, Butler isn't better than Wallace, SSS, Aiken, Perriman and he can't return kicks. Even Chris Moore is of similar skill level as a rookie. Butler didn't fit our needs as well as Hester based on who we already have at the position.

 

Edited September 4, 2016 by sflegend89

[RaineV1]

23 minutes ago, sflegend89 said:

Hester will unfoubtedly contribute more THIS year. Butler was promising but you can't use every roster spot for potential. Some of those spots do need to go to guys who can contribute right away.. Hester can do just that as a dynamic return man. One that can make potential game changing plays even at this stage of his career.

We have plenty of WR's this year, Butler isn't better than Wallace, SSS, Aiken, Perriman and he can't return kicks. Even Chris Moore is of similar skill level as a rookie. Butler didn't fit our needs as well as Hester based on who we already have at the position.

 

Yeah, this is what it comes down to. A starting returner is worth more than having a 6th receiver on the team.

[edthehead]

4 mil, 

seems a bit much and factor in butler cut

I trust the FO and their choice,

ST is a vital role and often can make or break a game.

Our HC is a ST coach so I get it, 

but I rather have an offense or defense ranked in the top 5 

as oppose to a ST unit ranked in the top 5,

haven't our ST been rated the last couple yrs in the top 5? 

Edited September 4, 2016 by edthehead

[BSHU_Miami]

We sign the greatest of all time at a position we need help in and people complain.....I don't understand.

[kiwi_raven]

Who did we cut to fit him in the final 53?

[allblackraven]

1 minute ago, kiwi_raven said:

Who did we cut to fit him in the final 53?

Hasn't been announced yet

[Ravensfan23]

1 hour ago, Filmstudy said:

Hester has 19 career TDs and 36 career fumbles (16 of which he recovered himself).

There are 2 levels on which I don't like the move:

1. The team gets older, a trend that has been very strong over the last 2 days.

2. If it impedes the chance to sign Josh Sitton, it's a disservice to the team's chance to win this season.

Would 64rec 745yds 4TD, 4 catches of 20+ yds and 2 catches of 40+ yds averaged a career low 11.6ypc coming from a 35 year old WR excite you?

1. This signing might drive up the overall age of the team, but the team doesn't get older in the sense that Hester is taking snap away from a younger player. Hester actually helps to continue to develop the youth at the position he'll be playing. Reynolds is the guy the Ravens will look to take over that RS role at some point very soon. If Hester can help in his development and provide a reliable option as a returner I don't see the harm. What better option would you suggest?

2. Not sure why everyone feels the Ravens are in hot pursuit of Sitton, I'd think a veteran swing OT would be more desirable, but even if they were, how does Hester impede that? His contract is not big enough to take up that much cap space that the Ravens wouldn't be able to sign both. What Sitton will come down to is if he fits what the Ravens want to do and is he willing to accept what the Ravens are offering despite being a hot commodity right now.  

[rmw10]

7 minutes ago, kiwi_raven said:

Who did we cut to fit him in the final 53?

Don't think he technically becomes a part of the roster until Tuesday since he officially signed after 4pm today and league offices are closed tomorrow for the holiday.

Edited September 4, 2016 by rmw10

[K-Dog]

I can't imagine a reason he would not play week one.
I don't think there is that much game planning that could not be tied up in the next five to seven days.

[rmw10]

5 minutes ago, K-Dog said:

I can't imagine a reason he would not play week one.
I don't think there is that much game planning that could not be tied up in the next five to seven days.

Oh yeah he'll be out there.  He likely won't play on offense anyways so no real need for game planning or truly learning the playbook before then.

[RaineV1]

8 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

Oh yeah he'll be out there.  He likely won't play on offense anyways so no real need for game planning or truly learning the playbook before then.

Yeah. I'm thinking that Hester is just a returner and that's it for the Ravens. Only way he goes out on offense is if a couple WRs get hurt.

39 minutes ago, BSHU_Miami said:

We sign the greatest of all time at a position we need help in and people complain.....I don't understand.

Greatest, but way past his prime. That said, he must have impressed Harbaugh, who was a ST's coach. So I'll trust his judgement. Even if he's not getting return touchdowns anymore, Hester can have a good average to help out the offense.

[HomeoftheBRAVENS]

Not trying to be a downer,but I can't believe we spent 4 million of what could have been roll over cap space for next year on a 33 year old return specialist.I haven't agreed with 90 percent of the things this organization has done since winning the superbowl and trading Boldin away.

[sflegend89]

The 4 mil isn't Hester's base salary, it's the max he can earn by reaching all incentives in the contract. While we don't know what those incentives are I would imagine they are both playing time and production related. If he can achieve every incentive laid out for him he's worth it. If not his compensation will more or less reflect his contribution.

 

I'm all for an incentive laden contract for a vet on a 1 yr deal. Hester wants to cash out as his career winds down and having financial incentives is going to keep him locked in on delivering on the field. Remember, with the kickoff rule change returners are more valuable than they've been in the last few seasons. 

We're either getting the ball at the 25 or putting the ball in the hands of the most prolific kick returner in NFL history, sounds good to me.

Edited September 5, 2016 by sflegend89

[kjbmore]

40 minutes ago, HomeoftheBRAVENS said:

Not trying to be a downer,but I can't believe we spent 4 million of what could have been roll over cap space for next year on a 33 year old return specialist.I haven't agreed with 90 percent of the things this organization has done since winning the superbowl and trading Boldin away.

COULD EARN - max $4 mil - i presume in order to earn that much he'll be getting into the end zone and in the top handful of return guys in the league at which point we'll probably say it was money well spent, otherwise i cant imagine its more than a couple mil.

We have a huge hole at the position - its def stop gap and last minute - fingers crossed it works,

the whole situation seems a bit desperate for me, but let it play out

so many balls in the air for this team going into this season - injured guys coming back, rookies, free agents - prob a huge reason we kept pees - bringing in a new coordinator would have just been too much

[Sami84]

10 minutes ago, sflegend89 said:

The 4 mil isn't Hester's base salary, it's the max he can earn by reaching all incentives in the contract. While we don't know what those incentives are I would imagine they are both playing time and production related. If he can achieve every incentive laid out for him he's worth it. If not his compensation will more or less reflect his contribution.

 

I'm all for an incentive laden contract for a vet on a 1 yr deal. Hester wants to cash out as his career winds down and having financial incentives is going to keep him locked in on delivering on the field. Remember, with the kickoff rule change returners are more valuable than they've been in the last few seasons. 

We're either getting the ball at the 25 or putting the ball in the hands of the most prolific kick returner in NFL history, sounds good to me.

 

let bring back rod woodson and he'll get 9 interceptions for sure. :/ He had 9 in 2003 and he was already ancient then!

[Inqui]

2 hours ago, BSHU_Miami said:

We sign the greatest of all time at a position we need help in and people complain.....I don't understand.

It's because he's not the greatest anymore. Chances are we're not getting anything close to what we saw in 2007 or any other of his great years, in the same way that Texans or Jets fans getting excited about landing Ed Reed were always on a road to disappointment. He's always been one of my favourite non-Ravens players, but even one large return or one TD would pretty much exceed my expectations.

With that said, I can't say I hate the signing. I mostly agree with @cobrajet's points about keeping Webb and Sr off the field for anything other than defensive or offensive downs respectively, and at least having a steady presence back there is something people really underrate. I actually don't think I find anything more gut-wrenching in a game than being down by three or four in a close-fought game that's still hanging in the balance - only to watch someone bottle a punt at the 15-yard line. And while I'm not expecting big things, his vision should still be just as sharp and even if all he does is add 10 more yards here and there from just finding a crease, then that can have a seriously underrated effect on a game. It's basically a free first down.

[rmw10]

1 minute ago, Inqui said:

It's because he's not the greatest anymore. Chances are we're not getting anything close to what we saw in 2007 or any other of his great years, in the same way that Texans or Jets fans getting excited about landing Ed Reed were always on a road to disappointment. He's always been one of my favourite non-Ravens players, but even one large return or one TD would pretty much exceed my expectations.

With that said, I can't say I hate the signing. I mostly agree with @cobrajet's points about keeping Webb and Sr off the field for anything other than defensive or offensive downs respectively, and at least having a steady presence back there is something people really underrate. I actually don't think I find anything more gut-wrenching in a game than being down by three or four in a close-fought game that's still hanging in the balance - only to watch someone bottle a punt at the 15-yard line. And while I'm not expecting big things, his vision should still be just as sharp and even if all he does is add 10 more yards here and there from just finding a crease, then that can have a seriously underrated effect on a game. It's basically a free first down.

The punt game is where I think he'll really stand out.  Although kick returns are slowly becoming less and less important, the punting game still remains as a key cog in the game.  We've seen so many guys go back there and not hang onto the ball.  That's not to say Hester is without his fumbles, but I'd much rather have him back there come January than the other options we've cycled through over the last 2 years.  I trust him to make smart decisions.

[allblackraven]

Just now, rmw10 said:

The punt game is where I think he'll really stand out.  Although kick returns are slowly becoming less and less important, the punting game still remains as a key cog in the game.  We've seen so many guys go back there and not hang onto the ball.  That's not to say Hester is without his fumbles, but I'd much rather have him back there come January than the other options we've cycled through over the last 2 years.  I trust him to make smart decisions.

I admire your positive attitude.

[edthehead]

3 hours ago, BSHU_Miami said:

We sign the greatest of all time at a position we need help in and people complain.....I don't understand.

He used to be great and yes his stats are well known

chicago let him go along with atlanta(live here)

he isn't what he used to be,

and  for me 

I rather have a top 5 rated offense or defense

not ST,

but being our HC is a ST coach, guess we pay older players 

the only good from this is mentor to Reynolds

[rmw10]

3 minutes ago, allblackraven said:

I admire your positive attitude.

I figured someone would catch onto that lol

[Inqui]

Just now, rmw10 said:

The punt game is where I think he'll really stand out.  Although kick returns are slowly becoming less and less important, the punting game still remains as a key cog in the game.  We've seen so many guys go back there and not hang onto the ball.  That's not to say Hester is without his fumbles, but I'd much rather have him back there come January than the other options we've cycled through over the last 2 years.  I trust him to make smart decisions.

Yeah, that's how I see it. I felt like my post was starting to get bloated enough so I didn't delve into returning kicks and punts (not that I expect our opponents to punt an awful lot........), but if the game's in the balance or we're trying to mount a comeback or something, I'd rather have someone who's 1) less likely to fumble the game away (literally) and; 2) still has the experience to know when to cut his losses and take a fair catch, when to make a small gain on the return or finding the right lane and being more likely to turn that small gain into something more respectable.

That kinda thing won't make the SportsCenter Top 10 and simply making the right decision won't win him plaudits in the post-game threads here in RT, but it can still have a big impact on the game.