Hester: Lockout Hurting Bears Offense
CHICAGO (WSCR) It's no secret the Bears struggled to grasp Mike Martz's offense last season.
Statistically, the Bears' offense ranked second to last in the NFL, despite the team going all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
Still, most players will tell you that the players really started to understand the offense towards the end of the season. And that's why wide receiver Devin Hester thinks the lockout could prove costly.
"It's hard, especially with us coming off a new system, a new offense," Hester said on The Laurence Holmes Show Wednesday on 670 The Score. "You feel like you are really starting to understand the offense and then to have this downfall it kind of sets you back a little bit."
LISTEN: Devin Hester on The Laurence Holmes Show
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Bears players have not been able to visit Halas Hall or have contact with coaches since the lockout started in March. Given the complexity of Martz's system, the lack of contact with the coaching staff may hurt the Bears more than most teams.
"Everybody started to understand the offense (at the end of the season)," Hester said. "Any offense you go into -- it's a new year -- you're not going to get it on the first day regardless of how hard it is. You know how big the playbook is. Nobody is going to step in the door in the first week and say they learned a new offense.
"This lockout is kind of hurting us a little bit, but at the same time, the fact that we pretty much learned the whole playbook, now it's just refreshing our memory and that's what we are losing. We are losing the physical reps out there and I would say that is what is hurting us."
