(Photo: Windy City Gridiron)
There’s always that one player in a sport that will stick with you forever. I think that can be said for many athletes and many sports. Do you remember the other day I mentioned the term blue blood and who would be the blue bloods in the NFL. I immediately said the 49ers that day. Let’s list some of the others. The Packers for sure, the Cowboys and the Chicago Bears. Some legends have played for this iconic franchise. Gale Sayers, Walter Payton, Mike Singletary, Richard Dent and Brian Urlacher to name a few. In the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, the Bears took a chance on a young man at the time named Devin Hester. He played his college ball for the Miami Hurricanes (The U!) Devin will join his fellow Bears and Hurricanes in Canton this Summer. He’s finally in the Hall on his third chance!
When the Bears drafted him in 2006, they had plans to play him at Cornerback. Jerry Azumah would end up retiring and Bobby Wade was released late in the 2005 season. I remember many fans and analysts consistently criticizing the Bears for drafting Devin and not spending their early picks on offensive weapons. All these years later, I’d love to learn and know what those who bashed the move think now. The Bears making the decision to put him on Special Teams was the best thing they could’ve done. Devin Hester is the greatest return man in the history of our game. His 2006 season is one for the ages. Through the first 13 games of his NFL career, Devin recorded six touchdowns as a kick returner. His field vision was absolutely remarkable which allowed him to move up the field. Of course, the speed was the next thing you noticed when it came to his game as Devin just knew how to turn the wheels on the minute the ball hit his hands. He was electric and always had the football world buzzing. Of course, he made his name as a return man, but he was also a solid Wide Receiver when packages were built for him on the offense. Devin was a master at reading the fields and anticipating movements. The football IQ was absolutely brilliant as well because he knew how to position himself in order to operate in space. The most impressive part of his game was how he was able to cut on a dime and the minute he did that, there was no catching him. Devin had such a flare for the theatrics and would single handedly either keep the Bears ahead in football games or he would get them back in the game with just one return. That’s how impactful he was.
His 2006 season is one to remember and I remember it very well. He scored his first touchdown in a shutout victory against the Green Bay Packers. I remember his clutch score on a Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals which prompted the late Dennis Green to go on his epic rant after the game stating they are who we thought they were! My personal favorite touchdown of his came on a Sunday night in East Rutherford against the New York Giants. Eight yards deep in the end zone, the Field Goal attempt was missed and Devin caught the ball and appeared to just kneel, but instead, he took the ball and did what he did best which was take it all the way for a 108-yard touchdown return. Of course, his most memorable one came in Super Bowl XLI against the Indianapolis Colts. The opening kickoff and he scores! For the remainder of the game, the Colts elected not to kick the ball to Devin. People can say he didn’t deserve to get in, but when you changed the way a certain aspect of the game is played, you are legendary. The phrase was simple: Don’t kick the ball to Devin Hester! He was that much of a threat in open space with the ball in his hands. Devin has the most return touchdowns with 19 (14 punt & 5 kickoff). Salute to the greatest to play his position.
