Seeing all these people talk about how the “jury is still out” on Devin Hester is pretty funny cuz here we are years later and people are pretty much in unanimous agreement he is probably gonna be the first return specialist to make the Hall of Fame.
Remember this list was from like 2009. After a lot of people trash talked Hester not being the best, he had 2 straight seasons with 3 return TD's in 2010-11. Finished in 2016 with 19 Career Return TD's and was taking kicks to the house into his 30's. He lasted 11 years.
I wish they would get Jeff Joniak's calls together, make a recording lasting 15-20 minutes of all of Hester's returns, not just TDs but anything over 35 yards, and I would buy it and listen to it. BEAUTIFUL
I remember him being described as not the fastest by some reports coming out of college. The insanity of what I just wrote, for a guy they gave a 100 stat in the Madden series. I don't care what his actual 40 speed or split was, or his cone time. That dude was football fast and that's what really matters.
@@Gungho73exactly he had practical speed not testing speed that's a core factor that creates sleeper Hof'ers in the low draft rounds is looking good but average on paper but those x factors can't be measured at something shorter than Coachella
Hester "Lost" his job as a returner because the Bears were stupid and took him off returns when they messed with him at receiver. His whole career should have been returns and the occasional bubble screen.
Yeah.. in the video they literally say the 2 greatest season in NFL history as a return: 2006 and 2007. You're telling me he got benched half way through 2008 because he suddenly wasn't a good returner? C'mon man!!
Veteran Washington fans like me were fortunate to have Darrell Green and Brian Mitchell. Darrell's raw speed was breathtaking and B Mitch's fearless straight-ahead power and toughness were fantastic. And don't forget Mike Nelms - fearless, slinky and smooth with just enough speed and power.
Metcalf deserves honorable mention, and was a stud return specialist in the 90's and provided an offensive spark at the same time. He is the only player in NFL history to record over 7,000 yards from scrimmage and 7,000 return yards.
Honorable mention: Lesley "Speedy" Duncan. Had the longest punt return in AFL history against the Jets in 1968. He was so good that the Redskins' head coach, George Allen, traded for him with draft picks he didn't have and Duncan then led the NFC in both punt and kickoff returns in one season.
C S Yes you’re correct. Tomlin slowed down Jacoby Jones while looking at the teleprompter. I’m a Steelers fan but I think Tomlin should’ve conceded a TD to Ravens out of sportsmanship. The refs should’ve awarded a TD like the 1954 Cotton Bowl “12th man tackle” en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Cotton_Bowl_Classic
@@r.williamcomm7693 Agreed 100%. That kind of interference cannot be tolerated and even if you believed Tomlin made a mistake, it still should've been rewarded to insure that people don't benefit from their mistakes.
Josh Cribbs really ought to be higher on this list he has the most Kickoff returns for touchdowns, Also Eric Metcalf has the second most punt return touchdowns yet he isn’t even mentioned.
Cribbs is incredibly unique. No other successful returners were as big and built as him . It's amazing he's done what he has without being s small speedster like the rest, except maybe Mitchell.
Prime time had a lot of bravado but the thing that really elevated him in my eyes is his acumen. He worked hard to shape his craft and he studied hard too. He may have a mouth...but man does he deserve it.
Alittle context. This came out in 2009. Guy said that Hester "didnt last" and that he "lost his job." He then went on to return 8 more Kick & Punt returns over the next 6 years.
At the time, the comment was fair to make, but Hester proved to have more longevity than most returners. Not as good as Mitchell at two, but above average in that regard.
@@fortynights151312 return tds in 2 years, NFL record for kickoff TDs in a single year and someone said he shouldn't even be on the list - I get not being #1 but they were ham fisted about it
Mel Gray at #5 is a solid choice. Fearless yet consistently effective for a long time. He was going to catch it on the run and go north-south, daring the first guy to make the tackle. If he couldn't, Gray was through like a needle piercing a balloon.
I remember this list being done in 09. It look very different today. Jacoby Jones i think has since earned himself at the very least an honorable mention for this list. His post season in 2012 is a big reason for the ravens ring that year
Maybe I’m crazy, but I remember Jacoby Jones was a beast for a couple years. I wonder if he woulda made the list, if this was made just a few years later after he won the super bowl.
It’s hysterical seeing all these people saying Devin Hester doesn’t belong on the list and now they’re all saying that he’s going to be the first return man to be inducted in the hall of fame
Mike Tomlin segment on Cribbs becomes even more hilarious post his interference with Jones on the Ravens return. Fantastic contrast and unintentionally showed his respect for one of the best returners ever. Leon Washington would be in that Dante Hall lower top 10 or just out of top 10 discussion I feel. He did it with 2 teams, was a very consistent unflashy returner. His game against San Diego arguably sealed the fate of one of the better offense/defensive unit combinations to not get to the postseason. And their special teams is primarily why. And was arguably the game they stole in order for Seattle to go to the postseason with a losing record, ruining the Saints title defense and I hate to say it again, but arguably was the moment that first Seattle spark under Carroll was born with the famous Lynch TD run. That's how much Leon meant to the SEA team at that time.
1:59 Dante Hall 6:43 Super Bowl XXXI MVP, Desmond Howard. 10:10 Josh Cribbs. #PayDaMan! 14:51 The Great, Gale Sayers. 17:40 Rick Upchurch. 21:46 Mel Gray. 24:16 Prime Time! Deion Sanders. 29:23 White Shoes Johnson! 34:09 Brian Mitchell. 39:26 Devin Hester.
I'm pretty sure the Deion return in Buffalo was a game they lost by around 30 points. That seems like it should count against him, but I'm willing to give him points for being consistent.
@@eugenefoels8407 Yep; thanks. I *want* to say that the guys patting him on the back pointed out the scoreboard a second later, but it's been a long time since I watched the play, so I wouldn't swear to it.
Yeh mel grey should have been a spot or two higher it wasn't just his speed and quickness but he had this ability to set up people 10+ yards away getting them to open their hips the wrong way etc and boom he'd switch direction and be gone
I don't know how Eric Metcalf isn't on here. I thought Corradelle Patterson and Desean Jackson had a shot at making it but I penciled in Metcalf as a Top 3 return specialist of all time.
MICHAEL BATES is on the 1990s All-Decade Team as the kick returner. He finished with 9,154 career kick return yards, taking five back for TDs. If he's not on this list then he absolutely should at least be mentioned by name as Best of the Rest.
He partially contributed to ST rule changes because teams were already taking great efforts to not kick to him. I remember up in PHI a radio call yelling DO NOT KICK IT TO DEVIN HESTER like he got more amped then usual. Like it became second nature, don't do it or he will hurt you.
It's funny to hear the reactions of when Hester was made #1 on this list, people saying things like he ain't that dangerous anymore, the jury is still out, etc. Wonder what they're saying now 🤣 GOAT Returner hands down 💯💯
I think Jacoby Jones could be in that conversation if you look at how good of returner he was in Houston, but then the three years he was in Baltimore he had the best return yard average in the NFL by a good amount and is the only player in NFL History to return a kickoff for a touchdown 108+ yards three times.
Why is Jack Christiansen not listed? One of the greatest returners ever. He returned 4 Punt Returns for TDs in 1951. Teams changed their Punt and Kick strategies because of him. The saying was "You don't kick to him and you don't throw to him." Jack would pick you off in a heart beat and was one of the greatest returners ever.
It's so shitty the NFL has basically eliminated a significant part of football games. No real kickoff or punt returns is one of a few reasons I generally don't watch NFL football anymore.
Let's be honest about this: Devin Hester is what you get when you take Deion Sanders, restrict him to 1 sport, and make him primarily a returner instead of a corner. He's the only player I've ever seen that never looked like he was running as fast as HE could, yet still outpaced the rest of the league. Remember the Usain Bolt '08 Olympic 100m race? Showboating faster than everyone else was sprinting? THAT was Primetime.
When you said he never looked he was running as fast as he could, it gave me memories of Mike Haynes that New England/Raiders cornerback back in the day just making it look effortless like he was never really going full bore. I don't know how players can make it look that effortless in a game with some of the best athletes in the world giving it their all breath visible on the wind.
As an Aussie my opinion and understanding of American football is limited and while I understand Brady has the rings and Jerry Rice is beyond great but am I wrong for thinking Prime Time Dion Sanders is the all time GOAT? Literally everything he done on the field he did at a pro bowl level, even off the field he was still Prime Time.
He and Bo Jackson were probably the two greatest athletes to ever play professional sports in America. Both of them played at All Pro/All Star level in their prime. Nobody else was even close to their level at their best.
A Returner is the equivalent of "RUNNING WITH THE BULLS" in Spain, BY YOURSELF, with the fans either cheering for you or against you. All those eyes who are gunning for you. Here's another way to look at it: you're the only lemur surrounded by a pack of foosas and your name isn't King Julian.
This list represents something that isn’t in the game anymore. There’s no hedge, kickoffs are almost all touchbacks and kneels. Kickoff returners are like fullbacks, went from almost a glamor role to rarely thought about. Edit: Maybe the new rules will bring ‘em back
Hester was the first kick returner i remember fans constantly saying, "no matter what, don't kick it to him" No body could change a game in an instant like Hester could. You know if he had the ball in his hands, you held your breath.
Something that's very sad about this video is that three Detroit sports reporters they have on have all since passed away (Drew Sharp, Tom Kowalski, and Jamie Samuelsen)
I don't think he ever made a fair catch; he always took those first few steps straight ahead 'blind' without any consideration who might be two steps away from just blowing him up. He was fearless... or he hid it damn well!
I'll go the other way - if Deion wasn't Deion, if he wasn't Primetime, if he wasn't in the Hall of Fame as a cornerback - I'm not sure he even makes this list. We remember him as a flashy guy, but his stats aren't all that spectacular. Sure, he didn't do as many returns as the pure specialists (though he still racked up as many punt returns as Dante Hall) - but if we look at his return average, it doesn't really put him near the top. He did get 9 return TDs over his career, but that still ranks him behind a bunch of other guys. You could argue that if Deion had been a pure returner, dedicated himself to that role, then he totally would've become #1 on this list - and I would support that. But this is a list of return aces - and in terms of just looking at their returns, I don't think Deion belongs at #4. He's kind of like Adam Vinatieri - he's a guy who did it in big spots when the nation was watching, so that's what we remember; but if you look at their actual career numbers, he's not all that spectacular.
DJacks, I guess, doesn't exactly qualify as a proper punt returner but his Nr. 2. "Miracle at The Meadowlands", is one of the great historic plays and Giants fans are still hurting..! 🤣 ♥🦅♥
What year was this? I didn't know there were doubts about Hester. He's unequivocally the best return specialist ever. Side note im shocked Darrell Green isn't on here.
Chiefs #44 blocked Broncos #27 IN THE BACK on Dante Hall's "pinball return". It should have been Chiefs ball, 1st & 10 at their own 4 yard line after the "half the distance to the goal line" penalty. Dante had plenty of amazing returns, but at least show some that didn't require help from the officials.
@Harry Engel You're right. Beebe probably returned more than Tasker did, now that I think about it. Still, a "game-changer" type of player that was easy to overlook and underestimate. He made a lot of teams pay for it, too.
