They are saying Father Time catches as much as all people.
Possibly so. However when Devin Hester was launched on the sector earlier than Thursday’s Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame Recreation in Canton, Ohio, I swear I heard Father Time wheezing far behind and swearing to himself as he struggled to maintain tempo.
Hester, the most dynamic kick returner within the historical past of the NFL, is now 41 years previous. However as he took the sector in a white polo shirt with the Corridor of Fame emblem on the chest, he appeared like he was nonetheless in his 20s.
He gave a salute that reworked right into a peace signal. He pumped his proper arm, and his gold bracelet glistened. He appeared to not have a single grey hair on his head or his beard.
Would anybody have been stunned if he took the opening kickoff to the home?
When Hester is formally inducted into the Corridor of Fame this weekend, he shall be one in every of one. There isn’t a different inductee fairly like him.
The ex-Miami Hurricanes standout actually modified the sport. Sure, he performed huge receiver and cornerback in faculty, however on particular groups is the place he shined.
Bears followers will always remember his tenure with the staff from 2006–13. He performed just a few extra seasons after that with Atlanta and Baltimore, however he’ll ceaselessly be related along with his electrifying returns in Chicago orange and blue.
Subsequent time you hit that afternoon lull, simply search for some Hester video highlights. It’s cheaper than espresso, and it received’t depart you with caffeine jitters.
All advised, he racked up 20 return touchdowns to set the NFL’s all-time report. That included 14 punt return touchdowns, 5 kickoff return touchdowns and an particularly dazzling profession spotlight through which he caught a missed subject purpose at the back of the top zone and returned it 108 yards for a landing as a rookie.
These had been simply his regular-season accomplishments. He additionally returned the opening kickoff of Tremendous Bowl XLI for a 92-yard landing that turned everybody watching the sport in Chicago right into a “Tremendous Followers” character from Saturday Night time Reside.
Bears 77, Colts 2.
The ultimate rating didn’t prove that approach, as Peyton Manning and the Colts got here again to win the Tremendous Bowl. And Hester’s profession didn’t prove precisely the way in which he needed, because the staff tried and failed to show him right into a No. 1 huge receiver.
However when he fielded a return, you involuntarily held your breath. Something might occur within the subsequent few seconds as he raced ahead, modified course, looped backward and ultimately discovered daylight and hit an inner turbo button.
Keep in mind how I stated there isn’t any different Corridor of Fame participant fairly like Hester?
There’ll by no means be one other one like him, both, because the NFL now treats its kick return sport like some type of unusual science experiment.
The primary play of Thursday’s sport between the Bears and Houston Texans made that a lot clear.
Bears kicker Cairo Santos stood all by himself behind the ball on a tee on the Chicago 35-yard line.
The Bears’ different 10 gamers stood on the other facet of midfield, on the Texans’ 40-yard line. 5 yards away, on the Texans’ 35-yard line, Houston had 9 blockers going through the Bears’ kickoff unit.
Houston had two return males close to the purpose line, and Steven Sims was the one to subject the opening kickoff. Each different participant on the Bears and Texans stood immobile, like a baseball participant standing on third base ready for a sacrifice fly to be caught, they usually sprang to life the second Sims caught the ball.
There have been plenty of rapid one-on-one blocks—image a thin model of linemen locking one another up—as Sims surged ahead and received tripped up close to the 25.
It appeared like a gimmicky XFL play.
Oh, hey, what are you aware? The NFL copied a lot of the idea from the XFL.
What precisely was occurring right here? Is the kickoff sport so damaged that the league ought to simply abandon it completely and have groups begin each drive on their 25?
One can solely marvel what Hester thought as he watched the play in entrance of him.
Possibly, simply possibly, it led to his first grey hair.
