Windy City Gridiron
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.
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...
