They are saying Father Time catches as much as all people.
Perhaps so. However when Devin Hester was launched on the sphere earlier than Thursday’s Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame Sport 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 sphere in a white polo shirt with the Corridor of Fame emblem on the chest, he regarded 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 shocked if he took the opening kickoff to the home?
When Hester is formally inducted into the Corridor of Fame this weekend, he might be certainly one of one. There isn’t any different inductee fairly like him.
The ex-Miami Hurricanes standout actually modified the sport. Sure, he performed large receiver and cornerback in school, however on particular groups is the place he shined.
Bears followers will always remember his tenure with the group from 2006–13. He performed just a few extra seasons after that with Atlanta and Baltimore, however he’ll perpetually 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 gained’t go away you with caffeine jitters.
All informed, 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 by which he caught a missed area purpose at the back of the tip zone and returned it 108 yards for a landing as a rookie.
These have 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 Dwell.
Bears 77, Colts 2.
The ultimate rating didn’t end up that means, as Peyton Manning and the Colts got here again to win the Tremendous Bowl. And Hester’s profession didn’t end up precisely the way in which he wished, because the group tried and failed to show him right into a No. 1 large 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 finally discovered daylight and hit an inner turbo button.
Keep in mind how I stated there is no such thing as a 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 recreation like some sort of unusual science experiment.
The primary play of Thursday’s recreation 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 dealing with the Bears’ kickoff unit.
Houston had two return males close to the purpose line, and Steven Sims was the one to area 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, and so they sprang to life the second Sims caught the ball.
There have been a whole lot of quick 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 regarded like a gimmicky XFL play.
Oh, hey, what have you learnt? The NFL copied a lot of the idea from the XFL.
What precisely was occurring right here? Is the kickoff recreation so damaged that the league ought to simply abandon it fully 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.
Perhaps, simply perhaps, it led to his first grey hair.
