Each day in the month of June, we’ll roll out a fresh topic to get Chicago Bears fans thinking. Be sure to chime in with your answer in the comments so we can all get to know our WCG members a bit better.
Hello, Chicago Bears fans! Today I’m going to talk about my favorite special-teams player for the Chicago Bears. Now, look, Bears fans, I know who you think I’m going to pick. But I’m here to tell you that just because something is the expected thing to do, don’t count on me to deliver expectations.
I am here to subvert your expectations, just like Ryne Johnson did with The Last Jedi.
So, prepare to be surprised.
This player was an undervalued asset in the draft when he came out of college. He struggled to find a position on the field outside of special teams, bouncing from defense to offense, as coaches struggled to find a true position for him. And yet, he is the most special of special-teamers.
My favorite special teamer is, and take a deep breath in now, and can we get a drum roll please…it is…Devin Hester. Ok, yeah, you got me. I picked the super-obvious, how-could-you-possibly-pick-anyone-else, choice.
But stick with me here, because I suspect a number of you grew up as Bears fans after the Devin Hester era. You have endured the NFL absolutely neutering the kickoff and reducing the importance of special teams. Sure, you’ve heard stories about Devin’s greatness – but these are stories like those that feature Butkus, Singletary, Sayers, and Payton. They warm the heart, but they don’t set it racing – because you weren’t there for it. Well, my friends, I was there for Devin Hester’s career from start to finish. So let me take you back to a time when special teams was…well…special. And the most special of special teamers was a dadgum Chicago Bear.
Devin Hester – God of Special Teams
It is difficult to express the threat that Devin Hester presented to NFL special teams coaches during the height of his career as a Chicago Bear. Teams knew early on the threat that Hester presented in both the kick return and punt return phases of the game. And…it didn’t matter. They could try to scheme against him. They could have their kickers kick away from him. And still, Devin Hester would repeatedly find a way to take over a game and put points on the board for the Chicago Bears. He was an unstoppable force. In fact, the only thing that kept Hester from dominating the NFL was the fact that kickoffs and punt returns only happen a few times every game. There are a number of highlights down the years. I’m going to focus on two that cemented Devin in my heart as the greatest special teams player for the Chicago Bears of all time:
Devin takes it to the House in the “Bears are who we thought they were” Game
You had to be there to truly appreciate how much the Arizona Cardinals had dominated the Chicago Bears in a Monday night matchup where the Bears had come into the game as the bell of the ball, undefeated and 6-0 on the season. The Cardinals, who up to that point had only won one game, had, with the help of rookie quarterback Matt Leinart, in only his second career start, had led the Cardinals to a 20-0 lead at halftime. The third quarter wasn’t much better, and the Sunday night crew of Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann, and Tony Kornheiser was busily writing the Bears’ epitaph and painting the Bears as, perhaps, a paper tiger.
And then the game flipped on a dime. First one turn over and then the next – the Chicago Bears defense, led by Mike Brown and Brian Urlacher, was not only turning the ball over -they were scoring. But it would all have been for naught if not for Devin Hester. With 2 minutes and 58 seconds remaining in the game, the Cardinals punted to the Bears, and Devin Hester returned a punt for 83 yards that would seal the improbable 24-23 comeback victory and, in my opinion, was integral to spurring the Bears’ run to the Super Bowl. And speaking of that Super Bowl…
Devin opens the Super Bowl with a Kick Six
The return itself is amazing, and I encourage you to watch it from bang to bullets. But you really need to understand the context to realize just how amazing it really was. It wasn’t just that the Colts knew that Hester was a threat – by that point every fan, player, and coach mildly associated with the NFL knew that Hester was a major factor in the return game. No – it was the fact that the Colts knew that their own coverage team had leaks.
And. They. Were. Terrified. Of. Devin. Hester.
But despite having all that time to prepare, and the knowledge they needed to limit his touches, and with the ability to attempt a directional kick, they still put the ball in Devin Hester’s hands in the opening play of Super Bowl XLI. And for just a brief moment, we as Bears fans believed that we were finally going to summit the mountain we had left behind in 1985. And as sad as the ultimate outcome was, that moment, that kick-off return, that absolute demonstration of athletic dominance, it remains prominent in my memory to this very day. It is as close as I have gotten to that summit since I was ten years old and barely cognizant enough to appreciate the 85 Bears Super Bowl season. And it is why I will always remember Devin Hester, not merely as a dominant kick returner, but as the most impactful special teamer in my time as a Bears fan. And I doubt I will ever see his like again.
But who is your favorite special team player? Tell us in the comments below!
