Tag: devin hester

Cordarrelle Patterson has no doubt Devin Hester is a Hall of Famer

There is no doubt that Bears’ kick returner Devin Hester was the NFL has ever seen. The eye test shows it, and the stats prove it.

There is no doubt that Devin Hester was the greatest kick returner the NFL has ever seen. The eye test shows it, and the stats prove it.

Many believe that makes Hester a sure-fire Hall of Famer, including Bears kick returner specialist Cordarrelle Patterson.

“Without a doubt,” Patterson said at the Pro Bowl. “That’s a no-brainer. You just turn on the tape, you see Devin Hester. There’s nothing else to be said.”

Hester holds the NFL record with 19 kick-return touchdowns, 14 punt-return touchdowns and 20 return touchdowns, which includes punts, kickoffs, missed field goals, interceptions and fumbles.

The odds aren’t in Hester’s favor when it comes to Hall of Fame induction. But if elected, Hester would become the first kick returner inducted. There are only three specialists enshrined: Punter Ray Guy and kickers Morten Andersen and Jan Stenerud.

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Hester changed the return game as we know it. Teams were urged to kick the ball out of bounds rather than kick to Hester, who was always a threat to take it all the way for a game-changing score.

“Do I think Devin Hester is a Hall of Famer? Without question,” said Patriots’ special-teams ace Matthew Slater. “He changed the game. We have never seen a player in this league do the things that he did, and to me that’s what it means to be a Hall of Famer. When you think about return men, the first name that comes to mind is Devin Hester. If there was ever a guy as a returner to be in the Hall of Fame, it’s him without question.”

Slater said there are two players, involved in the kicking game, that he believes belong in the Hall of Fame, and Hester is certainly one of them.

“Guys like Devin Hester are the reason I have a job because you’ve got to hire guys to try to stop that guy,” he said. “I hope he gets a chance to get in there. I’m a huge fan. He’s a Hall of Famer, no question.”

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Cordarrelle Patterson talks Bears kick-returner legacy at Pro Bowl

The Bears have a rich legacy of kick returners in their 100-year history, and Cordarrelle Patterson is the latest.

For a franchise known for its linebackers and running backs, the Chicago Bears have a rich legacy of kick returners in their 100-year history. From George McAfee to Gale Sayers to Walter Payton to Jerry Azumah to Danieal Manning to Devin Hester, there is no NFL team with a richer history of kick returners.

Cordarrelle Patterson is the latest in a long line of successful kick returners in Chicago. But Patterson doesn’t consider himself up there with two of the greatest returners of all-time: Hester or Sayers.

“It’s a blessing, but I’m just trying to do my job,” Patterson said. “I would never be as great as Devin Hester or Gale Sayers. I just try to do my job each and every day, and it’s just an honor to play on the same field those guys played on.”

Hester and Sayers are two of the best returners in NFL history — and Hester is the greatest ever. But still, Patterson’s career as a kick returner isn’t something to turn your head at.

Patterson, who has earned three Pro Bowl nods, ranks second all-time with a 29.9-yard kickoff return average. He has seven career kick return touchdowns, which is the third most in NFL history, just one behind co-leaders Leon Washington and Josh Cribbs.

Patterson was one of the few bright spots in the Bears’ disappointing 2019 season. In his first year in Chicago, Patterson finished second in the NFL with a 29.5-yard average on 28 kickoff returns, one of which was a 102-yard touchdown against the Saints. He also led the league with 825 kick-return yards.

“There aren’t many guys who are 6-2, 6-3, 220 [pounds], run 4.3 and can cut on a dime,” Patriots special-teams standout Matthew Slater said. “God didn’t make too many of those guys.

“I think you couple that with the fact that he’s so aggressive when he gets out of there with the ball in his hands. He wants to make plays. He loves the game. He’s there for his teammates. I can’t say enough good things about him. His skillset and who he is as a person I think has led him to being arguably one of the best returners in the 100-year history of the game. I sure wish he was still with us and not with [the Bears].”

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4 Bears that could be next in line for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Jim Covert and Ed Sprinkle are the latest Bears to be named to the Hall of Fame. But who will be the next? We take a look.

The Chicago Bears have a rich history of talent in their 100-year history, which is epitomized by their NFL-most 28 Hall of Famers. That number increased to 30 following the additions of two more Bears to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Offensive lineman Jim Covert and defensive end/linebacker Ed Sprinkle will be the latest Bears inducted into the Hall of Fame, as they were voted to the 2020 centennial class as part of the senior inductees.

But who will be the next Bears inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Here are four Bears players that could be the next to be enshrined:

1. Devin Hester

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

When you’re the best to ever play your position, that should be an automatic bid to the Hall of Fame. Devin Hester was the best kick returner to ever play the game. Not only does he have the stats, he affected the game in a significant way.

Hester, who was a three-time first-team All Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, has an impressive resume. He has more punt returns (14) than anyone in NFL history with 14; his 20 total non-offensive touchdowns are also the most in league history; and he has the highest average yards per punt return among those with at least 300 returns in NFL history.

The only problem is special teamers rarely get inducted into the Hall of Fame. In fact, there are only three: kickers Morten Andersen and Jan Stenerud and punter Ray Guy.

Will Hester be one of the exceptions? Guess we’ll have to wait and see starting as early as 2022, when Hester is first eligible for the Hall of Fame.

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Bears return specialist legend Devin Hester named to NFL All-Time Team

Devin Hester was the latest Bear named to the NFL’s All-Time Team as a kick returner, which makes sense for the game’s best returner.

When discussing the greatest return specialists in NFL history, the conversation begins and ends with Devin Hester.

He really was, as Bears announcer Jeff Joniak dubbed him, “Ridiculous.”

So as the NFL continued its rollout of their NFL 100 All-Time Team with special teams, it wasn’t a question of whether or not Hester was going to make the list. It was a forgone conclusion.

In his eight seasons with the Bears from 2006-13, Hester became the NFL’s all-time leading returner with 19 kick return touchdowns (14 punt return TDs and 5 kick return TDs). Hester was voted to four Pro Bowls, a three-time All-Pro and named to the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2000s.

Hester was drafted by the Bears in 2006 and made an immediate impact as a rookie in the league, where he set the NFL single-season record with five kick return touchdowns. The following season, he beat his own record with six kick return touchdowns.