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(SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Bears never quite figured out how to best use the explosive Devin Hester in their offense. The Atlanta Falcons are making it work. Hester gets his first crack at his former team on Sunday as the Falcons host the Bears in a matchup of 2-3 teams at the Georgia Dome. Hester was a second round pick of Chicago in 2006 and set a number of records during his stay with the Bears. That includes 18 kick return touchdowns and 13 punt return touchdowns and he also set franchise marks with 3,241 punt return yards and 5,504 kickoff return yards. Of course, that doesnt include his 92-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI in an eventual loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Hester added 217 catches for 2,807 yards and 14 touchdowns with Chicago, but asked not to play offense last season under new head coach Marc Trestman. He then wasnt offered a contract this past offseason by the Bears and inked a three-year, $9 million deal with Atlanta in March. Its going to be fun, kind of exciting, Hester told the Falcons website of the matchup. Im so used to going against those guys in practice; itll be the first time for me to go against them live. (Ive) been around those guys for a long time; so, its kind of like playing against your brother. Hester was held to just two catches for 16 yards and ran once for another three yards in last Sundays 30-20 loss to the New York Giants. The Falcons led by 10 late in the third quarter before New York reeled off 20 straight points, 13 in the fourth frame. Matt Ryan threw for 316 yards and a touchdown with one interception, while Julio Jones caught 11 passes for 105 yards. Running back Antone Smith added a 74-yard touchdown catch as the Falcons fell to 0-3 on the road this season compared to 2-0 at home. We couldnt get anything going offensively there in the second half and we couldnt get the stops that we needed, Falcons head coach Mike Smith remarked. We are extremely disappointed in the way that the game finished. The same could be said for the Bears in their 31-21 loss to the Carolina Panthers last weekend. Turnovers doomed Chicago as it failed to hold three-point lead with six minutes with less than five minutes to play. Quarterback Jay Cutler was intercepted and the pick was returned 35 yards to the Chicago 32. That set up a game-tying field goal by the Panthers Graham Gano with 4:29 to go and Matt Forte fumbled on the first snap of the resulting possession. Carolina recovered at the Chicago 23, setting up a six-yard go-ahead TD pass for the Panthers with 2:18 to go. Ive got to take accountability for our failure to get things done in the second half, said Chicago head coach Marc Trestman. We didnt have any significant drives and failed to convert third downs. We just didnt get it done. Cutler passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score, but was also picked off twice. Forte ran for 61 yards and added 105 receiving on 12 catches. Following their second straight setback, the Bears will play their fourth road game in five weeks. They have won four of six and nine of their last 12 against the Falcons, including a 30-12 win at home in the last meeting in 2011. Cutler threw for 312 yards and two scores, including a 56-yard touchdown pass to Forte, who ended with 158 yards from scrimmage. Ryan had 319 yards passing, but was sacked five times. Chicago remains one victory shy of becoming the first team in NFL history to reach 750 wins. WHAT TO WATCH FOR All eyes will be on Hester and how he torments his former team. He comes in as the only player in the league to post a rushing, receiving and return touchdown this season. While never fully breaking out on offense in Chicago, Hester is third on Atlanta with 14 catches behind only standouts Jones and Roddy White and is also averaging 24.2 yards per kickoff return and 14.4 yards on eight punt returns. I think everybody knows how great a player he is. I dont think theres any question about that. I think the biggest thing is we just have to have a good plan going in for him, said Bears special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis. A lot of people say you cant punt it to him. ... There are a lot of things that go into that. Otherwise, everybody would do it. Hester did not practice on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury, but expects to play in this game. Im sure itll be different for Dev this week, said Ryan. Obviously, played a long time in Chicago and has a lot of friends and former teammates that he played with up there, and Im sure thatll probably be on his mind a little bit, but Im think once the ball kicks off and you start playing I think hes such a competitor week-to-week hes going to give you his best regardless. Ryans counterpart, Cutler, will try to shake off another costly turnover. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes on the year, but has been picked off six times and lost a pair of fumbles. Cutler and Trestman know they need to get wide receiver Brandon Marshall involved along with Forte and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Marshall has five touchdown receptions, but only one in the past three games since hauling in three versus San Francisco in Week 2 despite an ankle injury. He has made just six catches in the past three games, three of those coming versus Carolina for 44 yards. Hes been targeted certainly. But were going to go back and do some work on that to make sure were doing all the right things in that regard, noted Trestman. We targeted him (Sunday). He had a lot of calls and they took it away and Jay did the right thing by going other places. But we want (Marshall) to have more productivity. When he touches the ball good things happen and over the last couple of weeks we havent been able to get that done. Its certainly something we have to continue to work on to get him back involved where he can get more touches that will result in bigger plays. The Falcons have countered a defense that ranks 29th in both total and scoring defense by posting the leagues third-ranked offense at 434.6 yards per game and 30.2 points. Antone Smith has become a big play threat with four touchdowns on the year. He has caught a 54-yard score in addition to his recent 74-yarder and has also found the end zone on the ground from 38 and 48 yards out. Now the back and the rest of the Falcons need to figure out how to translate their home success to road games, but that is a problem best saved for next Sunday in Baltimore. I wish we could figure it out to be more consistent week-to-week, but I think when youre at home, obviously from a communications standpoint its a little bit easier, noted Ryan. Its not quite as loud, and that helps us to a certain extent, but across the board I think home or away we need to be more consistent. OVERALL ANALYSIS The Bears will certainly need to be focused on an energized Hester, but he isnt the biggest concern on the Falcons offense. Smith and Jones have big- play potential and Chicago is giving up 26.2 points and 262.4 yards per game. Atlanta has had its own struggles playing defense, but the secondary needs to only sit back and wait for Cutler to make a mistake in a tough Georgia Dome environment. I think every week is important, certainly when we get back at home I think thats a good thing for us, said Ryan. (Coach Smith) talks about it all the time, we want to be tough and defend the dome every chance that we get. Dont be surprised to see Hester bring the crowd to its feet with some big plays and leave Cutler and company again searching for answers. Sports Network predicted outcome: Falcons 34, Bears 27 Custom San Diego Padres Jerseys . Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres came to an agreement on a big trade that may only offer incremental improvement to the Blues in their quest for a Stanley Cup. Cheap Padres Jerseys . Not sure yet. #livetweetingthegreatuntangle — Strombone (@strombone1) April 17, 2014 Stage three, coping: I feel like I could use a cigarette or something. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/ .com) - Jahlil Okafor had 21 points, Tyus Jones scored 16 with 10 assists and No. San Diego Padres Shirts .com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No. San Diego Padres Gear . New York Red Bulls. TSN primes Vancouver fans for the start of the 2014 season with MLS on TSN: Season Preview Special airing tonight at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN2 (encore Friday at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt on TSN2).SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Zito has known for months he would be leaving the Giants after seven up-and-down years in San Francisco. The sides formally parted ways Saturday, when the Giants declined to exercise Zitos $18 million contract option for next season and instead owe the left-hander a $7 million buyout. Also Saturday, San Francisco declined its $3 million mutual option for outfielder Andres Torres and must pay him a $500,000 buyout. The biggest decision still facing general manager Brian Sabean and assistant GM Bobby Evans is due by Monday: Whether to exercise right-hander Ryan Vogelsongs $6.5 million club option that includes a $300,000 buyout. Because the 35-year-old Zito realized this moment was coming, he recently took out a full-page newspaper ad to thank the fans for standing by him through a tough tenure on this side of San Francisco Bay. The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner across the water for the Oakland Athletics, Zito just completed a $126 million, seven-year contract with the Giants. Zito pitched Game 5 of the NL championship series at St. Louis last year with his team facing elimination as the Giants rallied to win the series in seven games, then won Game 1 in a surprising World Series sweep of the Tigers — after he was left off the post-season roster for all three rounds in 2010. Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy each has credited Zito for his work to find his rhythm again despite the struggles, not to mention his class during difficult situations on and off the field. Both of his parents died in recent years, including his father, Joe, this past season. "On the field and off the field, a lot of things happened in these years," Zito said. "I got married and became a Christian, lost both my parents. Just sso much.dddddddddddd And on the field, obviously had some lows there for a while and also this year, and then the World Series in 2012 for me was such an incredible experience. Im so grateful I got to experience that and be a part of it and help bring it home for San Francisco. The way it worked, Zito was replaced in his final start and didnt get a curtain call or chance to tip his cap to the crowd at AT&T Park on Sept. 25. "Theres not a lot of chance for closure, I think, in sports," he said. "Guys sign contracts, they come to cities, theyre kind of like the citys own. And theres never really goodbyes. But thats National League baseball. Youve got to pinch hit." Zito had a 63-80 record with a 4.62 ERA in 197 starts and 208 appearances for the Giants. His buyout is payable in installments with 1 per cent interest each Jan. 15 from 2014 through 2020. "Theres lots of stuff that he could complain about. Ive never heard him say a negative word about anything," fellow lefty starter Madison Bumgarner said. "Hes a lot tougher than people realize. Hes a gentleman in the game and hes a competitor. Hes truly a good teammate, one of the best teammates Ive had in my short career so far. It would definitely be hard to top him." Zito and Torres, another member of the 2010 World Series team, now become free agents. Torres, 35, batted .250 with two homers and 21 RBIs in 103 games this past season. Zito has said he still wants to pitch next season somewhere. "Just going to go home this off-season, take a few weeks off and see what my heart tells me," he said. "My bodys still healthy and my minds fairly healthy. Its been injured here and there along the way, but I think I can manage." ' ' '