To answer the question about him returning to the Bears. I'm pretty sure he signed like a one day contract specifically so he could retire as a Bear. Respect.
I grew up idolizing Devin Hester. It's funny how you brought up his speed because I believe he was the first ever player to have a 100 speed rating in Madden.
Same. When he was in the open he just had another gear and nobody in the league could catch him. For two years in his prime EVERY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE REFUSED TO KICK HIM THE BALL AND WOULD JUST TAKE THE BAD STARTING POSITION FOR FEAR OF A RETURN TD. I've never seen something like that before or since.
@@schadestreams8068 There's also a difference in combine speed and pad speed. No one is running their 40 time in full pads. Devin seemed to be able to. I'd actually like to see how much time is added on average when someone's in full pads. Not to mention, most runs (especially returns) are not done in a straight line like a 40 yard dash. You need the combination of speed, vision, balance, shiftiness and the ability to maintain speed when going around the edge. Things that a simple 40 will never measure. So even if there were a handful of guys with a 0.2 faster 40 yard dash, I doubt anyone was actually faster than him on the field with a ball in hand maneuvering through defenders. Barry Sanders is a great example of a guy who was actually easier to catch if he were running down the sideline than if you were staring him in the face from 2 feet away, his shiftiness made up for any lack of speed and then some.
Hester is the best returner in the NFL, ever, hands down. Not just from all the records he broke, not just from all the touchdowns he scored. Devin Hester was directly responsible for the rule changes that basically eliminated kickoff returns in the NFL. Most teams in the NFL have an average starting position of somewhere between the 20 and 30 yard line on their side of the field. When Hester came into the league, the Bears' average starting field position jumped to their own 40 yard line. By far the best in the league. His play directly led to glut of players, including Ted Ginn Jr., being drafted in the first or second round specifically as kick returners, because no other team could even come close to that. Within three years the NFL was working on the rules that they claim were for "player safety", which basically made the kickoff returner position obsolete. Hence why after his second season, all of Hester's kick return TDs were on punts. The competition committee destroyed the special teams aspect of the NFL specifically because Hester was so good at returning kicks that teams were *kicking the ball out of bounds on kickoffs* and giving the Bears the ball on their own 40 yard line rather than give Hester a chance to return a kickoff. Other teams couldn't stop him. The only thing that stopped Hester from setting the record even higher than he did was the NFL rulebook. *THAT* is why Hester is great... because he literally forced the league to change the rules because no one else could stop him.
@@DaBears08 People forget how good Cribbs was. He wasn't on Hester's level as a punt retunrer but he he was arguably just as good a kick returner. Special player.
The truth is that most teams with an ST unit would be confident that even the greatest returner can't beat a well executed defense. And there's some truth to that; Hester may have the most return TDs ever, but they still account for a very small number of his total returns. My pet theory, however, is that the league as a whole wanted to give him the chance. It's good for a sport's progression to have records broken. I think some teams would sometimes give him kicks out of respect for what he'd already accomplished, of course then making him earn every yard he'd get with that chance.
DEVIN HESTER. When I was young and not fully into the sport of football it didnt take me long to get completely hooked on the nfl and the chicago bears who is my dads team and now mine since 06 . I remember being 12-13 years old and watching the whole season. Then in the superbowl he returned the opening kickoff and cemented my love for it all ten fold and the rest as they say is history . I feel honored to say I watched every single one of these returns in the actual game live . Devin “ the punter to beat “ Hester baby....
Bear down, mate! React to "the human joystick" Tarik Cohen highlights..hes 5'6!! amazing player SN: usually when a player spends most of his best years with a team and gets moved around to other teams..the team he spend more time with usually sign them to a 1-day contract just so they can retire as a member of that team
Hester is just a specialist at returning. He was butterfingers as a receiver. For him to make a top list tells you just what a great returnee he was. Very special indeed.
I'm a Bears fan, so I love Hester. When he was really good at the beginning of his career it really saved the team because we had a horrible offense, so our awesome defense and special teams being able to score touchdowns was basically how we were able to win games. There were games where our defense and special teams scored more points than our offense. Our offense was so bad at points that an actual debate raged among fans whether it would be better to just line Hester up as QB and snap it to him 10 yards back and just let him run around.
so here's a thing about the 40 time you might not know about. A lot of football players, don't practice it, the ones who do well on their 40 times tend to have a background in track running. The start off the line makes such a huge difference between an amazing 40 and a sub par one. When I was a freshman in high school I had around a 5.4 40 and by my freshmen year in college it was down to 4.6. I would say a good .5 or so of that time was shaved off by simply improving my start. Next time you watch 40's from a combine look at the start and see how many are driving off the line with their head and shoulders low and looking like they're about to fall on their face they're leaning so far forward and then look at the guys who stand straight up off the line. That's a difference of like .2 or .3 alone.
What's interesting in response to this comment, is Usain Bolt is NOT a good technical runner... he's upright almost immediately. But his top speed is just INSANE
@@Xzei oh yeah, dude was just a beast, I honestly believe he could of still be the best in the world [not breaking records] but still the best if he wsa forced to start from a standing position when he was at his peak. His turn over for his stride lenght was almost other worldly.
@@ginzingtonschnizer2330 It's that big ass frame of his. I still remember watching his WR 200m run. Just... insane. Imagine shaving .5 seconds off of his 100 and 1 second off of his 200 from better form giving him a better (more elite-sprinter quality) starts.
Devin Hester was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year 2024. There's a video of 15-20 "Almost" touchdowns he scored. Even some of his normal returns for 20-40 yards were electric. So much fun watching him back them. The world stopped and watched every time they were about to kick to him.
The Arizona Cardinals game the Bears were behind 23-3 and came back to win with Devin Hester's 74 yard Punt return for a Touchdown Monday Night Football to win 24-23
You have shown the best of the best in your videos. But for the record I have seen a few of these guys play in person and the guy that floored me the most was Randy Moss. That guy was truly in a league by himself. Effortless, blazing speed, and could out jump anybody in the game. I would have been terrified to line up against him and try to cover him. The best DB's in the game were powerless against him. I love Devin, but Randy was the best of them all. If he had not been so moody and temperamental he would have been even greater because his coaches and teammates would have featured him even more. And obviously he was a great decoy because he commanded so much attention and was always double covered. The other wide receivers on his team were always single covered and owe a lot of their success to the Moss Threat. Great video again Mr. Rugby Fan.
I will pass this to his family... I really appreciate you looking at my friend 1st cousin. Also Primetime was his mentor and trainer in highschool thru nfl. They both are from the same area of Florida. This was awesome to watch all over again
I couldn’t agree more with him being respectful and kind, I had the pleasure of meeting him and he was the most humble and nice guy I’ve ever met, on top of being one of the greatest kick returners of all time
What I love about each of the legendary return men is that they all have something different about them which makes them so good at returning. With hester it's his straight line speed, hall has the Barry Sanders-like jukes, cribbs has the power just in general amazing to watch
So glad I found this channel. It’s been wonderful to watch your evolution from the basics of American football to a seasoned knowledgeable fan (and player). Would love to see you come to the States and go for your dream of playing pro. Also looking forward to your future experiences at a college or NFL game (let us know when, do a live chat to raise the cash, bring the family, and we subscribers will show you proper hospitality - and tailgating). Haven’t seen all the vids yet and not requesting a “react”, but I’d like to hear your take on American sports films (e.g. Invincible, Rudy, The Blindside, Invictus, Miracle, etc, or maybe something like the recent Super Bowl ad with the “Legends” at the awards dinner). Thank you for the entertainment, your great attitude, your adorable family, and your mad skills. BTW - the All Blacks have always been my favorite rugby team.
Thanks Grant - just been binge watching his channel and it’s refreshing to see someone from another country not only, not hacking on our sport for once,, but embracing it on a higher level (and giving us Rugby insights). Digging supporting him. BTW - loved your thread too .
Hester was my favorite player as a kid. I remember watching that super bowl opening kickoff vs the colts and calling it that he would run it back for a TD such an amazing moment.
Yes! Hester is the GOAT returner! So happy to finally see your reaction to him, keep up all the awesome work and I like how you look at multiple highlight videos definitely gives you more to the story, can't wait to see who you bring next but I'm sure it'll be as great as always! Much love from Canada!
Deion ran down the sideline barefoot trying to meet him in the tunnel when he broke his record in ATL. He also called the TD to boot. Told I wanna say rich Eisen that he’s gonna take this one and then did. Deion also mentored Devin his whole career that’s why he was so emotional about the whole thing.
That record will probably never be broken. The NFL has changed the rules to wear it's nearly impossible to return any kicks for a touchdown anymore,. That's not to take anything away from Devin Hester. He was truly the best return man ever.
Devin Hester was a defensive back and kick returner at the University of Miami. He led the NCAA in return yardage, and when drafted by the Bears, was immediately their kick return specialist. He wasn't that good as a defensive back in the NFL, so the only time he was really on the field was for kick returns. Then after a couple years, and with his speed, Chicago tried to turn him into a wide receiver. During that time, he was replaced as a returner because Chicago wanted him to focus on learning the new position. He never turned out to be good, just average. So there was about two years where he didn't return any kicks. So he went to the coaches and said he wanted to return kicks again. And No he didn't win a Super Bowl. He and the Bears lost to the Colts leading to Payton Manning's first Super Bowl win. Oh yeah, he was also the first player to get a 100 for speed in Madden.
He and Deon formed a great friendship early in Hester's career as a mentor - also, he would've had more returns, but starting his second year, 3/4 of all kicks were kicked out of bounds so he couldn't return it - and lastly, starting after the draft (and several offseasons after) he went to speed training clinics, so he did get faster after he entered the league
Percy Harvin (Vikings) might be worth checking out. Similar style player to Hester I feel like, though not quite at Hester's level. He was also a return specialist and was nasty for a seemingly shorter guy. Love the channel dude, especially the consistency of video uploads, I feel like there is always something new to watch. Been a long time NFL fan but I've managed to learn a thing or two following your NFL (and now other sports) adventure. Keep it up man, you seem to really love the sport and it's great to see!
You never fully appreciate the value of someone like Devin Hester until you look back on Chicago's 2006 season - Hester's rookie year. The Bears rode their defense and special teams to the Super Bowl damn near unlike any team ever. That team had an offense that was middle of the pack yardage-wise and committed a ton of turnovers (so much so that their defense forced the most turnovers in the league but they were still only +8 in turnover differential), but the team still managed to score the 2nd-most points in the league - all because of field position football and Hester's absolutely ridiculous 5 special teams TDs. Their defense would force short drives, the opposing team's punter would have to kick to Hester and if he didn't want to risk a long return then he'd risk a bad short kick out of bounds, putting the Bears offense in a position to only need 1 or 2 first downs before they're in field goal range for their All-Pro kicker. If you want to make it to the Super Bowl with a barely-above-subpar offense and horrendous QB that throws a lot of interceptions? Get a defense that forces short drives and turnovers, get an accurate field goal kicker, and get Devin Hester. There are a lot of defensive pieces that can be compensated for, and there are at least a handful of excellent kickers - but there's simply just one Devin Hester, and you won't make it to the Super Bowl without *him*.
Never made a suggestion before, been subbed for a good bit, so I’m gonna throw one out there. My favorite player of all time and the reason I’m still a diehard Dolphins fan to this day, Dan Marino. He was the greatest pure passer in NFL history.
YES! Been waiting for this one! Great video as always. This one was probably my favorite you've done so far. You've got awesome sports insight. Cheers man.
I remember one game the other coach said they were gonna kick it into Lake Michigan to avoid Hester. Every commercial break FOX played a kick of someone pointing into the lake
Since most of his playing was done as a Bears and that is where he felt the biggest connection, he wanted or retire as one. Whatever team you last play far is the team you retire from. This is common, he signed a one day contracts. Jerry Rice last played for Seattle but wanted to retire a 49er and Michael Vick last played for Pittsburgh, I think, but he wanted to retire a Falcons. Unfortunately, when he played for us (Seahawks) he didn’t even play a full season. We brought him in to finish the season because Tyler Lockette, our return man, got injured (broke his leg in two places.. gruesome) and he retired after.
You picked a good one today I say he was the best open field Runner to ever hold a football and turn nothing into something special. he could slip through a crack and use his Defenders like he controlled them amazing man. If he had been born in New Zealand what a rugby player he would have been he had all the tools..
I got very emotional watching this. As a long time Bears fan, I couldn't have been prouder of this guy. I mean, what a weapon!!! But I've always wondered something. Why in the hell did they continue to kick it to him? Pride? Unwilling to admit that one guy could change a game so quickly? Didn't they realize that fat meat is greasy? Definition of the GOAT at his position
Yeah, the guy pretty much rewrote how special teams were played. In my memory, he was the first to popularize the failed FG return (Halloween game against SF, extremely windy, then again I might be confusing him with Nathan Vasher...). Either way, having the chance to see him live and see his returns were indeed a treat. My brother was a fan since his days at University of Miami and full on cheered the moment Chicago drafted him. I didn't know he signed the one day contract to retire a Bear.
What people dont realize. There was 2 seasons where teams refused to kick to him. That’s why there was such a gap between kicks. Devin Hester changed the game of football.
Great video! For clarification, the all-time return TD record previously held by Prime Time includes interceptions returned for TDs. Sanders was on the defensive side of the ball, while Hester (drafted as a DB but didn’t end up on defense) was not, so the gap in combined kick and punt return touchdowns is actually much larger between the two. There will never be another returner like Hester. #GOAT
The one thing that people 'overlook' at what made him great was his insane balance and acceleration. A lot of guys get tripped up on some of those holes he ran through but even as small as he was he just kind of brushed off the contact and stayed on his feet and then he was at full speed again in a matter of about a second and a half. His second gear was also incredible. You couldn't give him any daylight with open field because it was over at that point lol.
Have you seen Jason Wittens highlights yet? Hes a tight end and he isnt Gronkowski but he is a machine who only missed 1 game due to injury his whole career and played through the rest. No player in the NFL has played as many games as Jason witten.. and nobody has played in more consecutive games. Hes the guy who gets his helmet knocked off and runs for 30 more yards with no headgear. They made a rule after that happened that the ball is dead but Jason Witten retired and tried to do Monday night football announcing but is now coming back to play another year for the Dallas Cowboys on the 2019 season. People underestimate him and dont talk about him enough but hey lowkey holds all the records that Gronkowski doesnt
You have to remember too is that Deion played on defense so 10 of his 19 returns were interception or fumble returns. He had a lot more opportunities for return td's.
Another good returner to watch is Josh Cribbs. He holds the record for kick return touchdowns at 8. He was a quarterback in college and when he came to the NFL they moved him to special teams and the rest is history.
great video K.K.. the Bears gave him a 1day contract to retire with them.. wow that brought me back in time.. no one will brake that record for awhile..
That was the opening kick of the Superbowl. interesting fact, the Bears ended up losing that game. The College championship game someone opened up w/a kick return for a TD and that team also lost that game. A lot of teams did kick it out of bounds on punts or tried to kick it out of the back of the endzone, a few kickers/punters muffed them and they got burned. They actually changed the kickoff rules b/c of Hester and how much of an impact he was making on the game; along w/a few others but mostly Hester.
The record he broke was Deon's all time return td's..but Deon's included interception returns as well where as Hester didnt have any Int. returns...his was all punt and kickoff returns
@@Max-wd6og a punt return only occurs after a ball has been punted. A field goal is not a punt. Said play is listed as a defensive touchdown, which a punt return is not. It may look similar once the ball is in the air, however the intent and strategy of the play is different on both sides of the ball.
I remember when they came out with Madden football because of Hester they made the speed and Accell 100 instead of 99. Hester was awesome to watch. I couldn't wait until Sunday games to watch him play along with the other greats like Urlacher, Briggs, Tillman and many more.
You hear them mention it once in one of the videos, the reason he was so dangerous as a returner was because of his ability to cut on a dime without losing speed. He just seemed to glide through defenders. Pairing that with his great vision and you have a hall of famer
Its the record combined between kick return, punt return, field goal return( yes you can return a field goal and he did it in this video) fumble return, and interception returns count too, any return touchdown and its still the record
Devin Hester came into the NFL as a rookie from Miami at the age of 22. And in his rookie season he took the opening kickoff of the Superbowl back for a touchdown which has never been done ever
With how the league is now, no one will ever beat that record. His vision was unreal, he knew where every one was and would be before he even got the ball
A kick returning savant! Yes he was blazing fast and he had excellent acceleration and de-acceleration, but he also was able to see the formations and how everything was going to unfold before anyone else could. He just had this incredibly intuitive sense of where to go, even when it looked to everyone else like he was making a wrong turn. Just remarkable vision. He was pure magic out there and I can't wait for him to be inducted into the HoF which better happen SOON! Also, the fact that this man broke the single season record with 6 return touchdowns in his rookie season and then became the first (and to this day, only) player to ever open the Super Bowl with a return touchdown is something that will never, ever, ever, EVER happen again! What is even more ridiculous is that his second season was pretty much identical to his first. He holds the two top spots for most return touchdowns in a single season and they both happened in his first two seasons.
Many contextual things that must be added. 1. No, he did not win a superbowl his rookie year, even after returning for a touchdown the opening play of it. The Bears offense threw that game away in the end. 2. It was 3 years before a team would even KICK to Hester again after his rookie season, which is why it took until 2011 to get another kick return TD. In the interim, he was made a wide reciever, as he was too talented at seeing routes and bursting through. He wasn't quite as good as a reciever, but it kept him IN thr game. 3. He not only set records for kickoff returns, but punt returns as well, two separately tracked stats and positions. 4. Devin Hester was SO good at his craft that he literally changed the rules of the game. When his play rippled through the league, not only did his presence as a returner result in a record number of touchback kicks for the Bears, when other teams started looking for their own Hesters, the league as a whole became so addicted to avoiding returners that 5 yards was added to the touchback penalty... they literally changed the rules of the game BECAUSE of how Hester changed it. No modern single player can say that.
Check out Alvin Kamara, he's one of the current young stars in the NFL. He's a running back but is extremely versatile in his skill set. He doesn't have blazing speed but he's very elusive and makes so many people miss tackles on him. He was rookie of the year two seasons ago.
Yes!!! The Goat. BearDown! Great Vid Kiwi, please check out Charles Tillman, an amazing Chicago corner he invented punching the ball out kown as the peanut punch!
Funny how peanut didn’t even start the season as a starter. Dante Wesley and Ricky Manning Jr were higher on the depth chart but he got his chance after Wesley got hurt in preseason
Been subbed for a while, watched a good portion of your videos. Unless I'm mistaking you haven't done many TE's besides Gronk. If you want to see more I suggest Mark Bavaro, Jimmy Graham, Jeremy Shockey, Antonio Gates, Heath Miller and Jason Witten. Loving your content, keep it up!
I dont think people appreciate how difficult it is to return punts and kickoffs in the NFL. To get to 20 in 10 years and for 3 of those he didnt even return kicks because they tried to convert him into a full time reciever is truly special and hall of fame worthy
What the video didn’t show is that teams didn’t kick to him. In his prime teams would accept horrible field position instead of even trying to kick to him. He would have had so much more kick return touchdowns if teams actually did kick to him
Kiwi Kicker, a man to check out for running backs and pure toughness running through men is Earl Campbell. The guy was like a clydesdale that could move like a quarter horse. He played for the Oilers and Saints in the late 70's to mid 80's. Check him out. Great content.
He was the BEST👊 His Record still stands till this DAY. And he went back to DA BEARS and signed a one day contract and Retired as A BEAR 🏈🏈🐻⬇🐻4 LIFE 🏈🏈
I was at that New York Giants game where Hester set the record for yards returned. I see NY kick to one end of the field, next thing you know, he's running back toward the end zone I was sitting in. NY has issues in primetime games often and it was only fitting that that would happen to the Giants. But at least I got to see some history.
@@electricskillet7648 He probably won't see this because it's in my comment thread but if you copy this comment and create your own thread I think he'd appreciate it
The things that lined up for him to break the record is remarkable...traded to deons team, home game, and room enough to highstep on the way in in honor of the former record holder...👏
If you look at the score and the clock many of his touchdowns came late in the game when it mattered most. Im a lifelong bears fan and hester single handedly won a lot of games for us. CLUTCH!!
“Did he win the super bowl in his rookie season” that one hit me hard man - a sad bears fan
I know that really sucked but I have great feelings about this year brother
Hurts big time
19bearsfansince79 lol maybe
Yep real painful.
I had the same feeling lol. Bear Down!!
To answer the question about him returning to the Bears. I'm pretty sure he signed like a one day contract specifically so he could retire as a Bear. Respect.
I grew up idolizing Devin Hester. It's funny how you brought up his speed because I believe he was the first ever player to have a 100 speed rating in Madden.
Same. When he was in the open he just had another gear and nobody in the league could catch him. For two years in his prime EVERY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE REFUSED TO KICK HIM THE BALL AND WOULD JUST TAKE THE BAD STARTING POSITION FOR FEAR OF A RETURN TD. I've never seen something like that before or since.
Yeah that was what always made him so special. He had good 40 speed but it was the next 60 yards where hopeless to catch this guy
@@schadestreams8068 There's also a difference in combine speed and pad speed. No one is running their 40 time in full pads. Devin seemed to be able to. I'd actually like to see how much time is added on average when someone's in full pads. Not to mention, most runs (especially returns) are not done in a straight line like a 40 yard dash. You need the combination of speed, vision, balance, shiftiness and the ability to maintain speed when going around the edge. Things that a simple 40 will never measure. So even if there were a handful of guys with a 0.2 faster 40 yard dash, I doubt anyone was actually faster than him on the field with a ball in hand maneuvering through defenders. Barry Sanders is a great example of a guy who was actually easier to catch if he were running down the sideline than if you were staring him in the face from 2 feet away, his shiftiness made up for any lack of speed and then some.
💯🎯
Didn't Chris Johnson have 100 speed in one of Madden before?
Hester is the best returner in the NFL, ever, hands down. Not just from all the records he broke, not just from all the touchdowns he scored. Devin Hester was directly responsible for the rule changes that basically eliminated kickoff returns in the NFL.
Most teams in the NFL have an average starting position of somewhere between the 20 and 30 yard line on their side of the field. When Hester came into the league, the Bears' average starting field position jumped to their own 40 yard line. By far the best in the league. His play directly led to glut of players, including Ted Ginn Jr., being drafted in the first or second round specifically as kick returners, because no other team could even come close to that. Within three years the NFL was working on the rules that they claim were for "player safety", which basically made the kickoff returner position obsolete. Hence why after his second season, all of Hester's kick return TDs were on punts.
The competition committee destroyed the special teams aspect of the NFL specifically because Hester was so good at returning kicks that teams were *kicking the ball out of bounds on kickoffs* and giving the Bears the ball on their own 40 yard line rather than give Hester a chance to return a kickoff. Other teams couldn't stop him. The only thing that stopped Hester from setting the record even higher than he did was the NFL rulebook.
*THAT* is why Hester is great... because he literally forced the league to change the rules because no one else could stop him.
I agree Hester was the greatest but Josh Cribbs isn't far behind
@@DaBears08 People forget how good Cribbs was. He wasn't on Hester's level as a punt retunrer but he he was arguably just as good a kick returner. Special player.
Nah I ABSOLUTELY LOVE devin and I want to be just like him but dante hall is better
Im a huge hester fan but lets be honest the rule changes were completely for player saftey and not because of hester😂
I love how in less than 5 minutes, a foreigner to football figured out what NFL head coaches never could.
DO NOT KICK TO DEVIN HESTER
I never understood why they risked that lol
The truth is that most teams with an ST unit would be confident that even the greatest returner can't beat a well executed defense. And there's some truth to that; Hester may have the most return TDs ever, but they still account for a very small number of his total returns.
My pet theory, however, is that the league as a whole wanted to give him the chance. It's good for a sport's progression to have records broken. I think some teams would sometimes give him kicks out of respect for what he'd already accomplished, of course then making him earn every yard he'd get with that chance.
Greatest Kick returner in history
truth. not even a debate.
Its between him and Dante Hall
@@Skeeterman778 Na, its not. #23
@@jonrussell3905 its my opinion
Skeeterman778 yea but this is more than just opinion. its not even debatable
Devin's 4.41 at the combine was on a badly sprained ankle. Those in the know said he was actually a 4.20 guy. His speed was just unreal in his prime.
He made me fall in love with football as a kid growing up watching him play ever Sunday with my pops is one of my favorite memories to look back on.
DEVIN HESTER. When I was young and not fully into the sport of football it didnt take me long to get completely hooked on the nfl and the chicago bears who is my dads team and now mine since 06 . I remember being 12-13 years old and watching the whole season. Then in the superbowl he returned the opening kickoff and cemented my love for it all ten fold and the rest as they say is history . I feel honored to say I watched every single one of these returns in the actual game live . Devin “ the punter to beat “ Hester baby....
Bear down, mate! React to "the human joystick" Tarik Cohen highlights..hes 5'6!! amazing player
SN: usually when a player spends most of his best years with a team and gets moved around to other teams..the team he spend more time with usually sign them to a 1-day contract just so they can retire as a member of that team
Devin Hester's return records will never ever be reached especially with the new kickoff changes. His records are now untouchable
I’m gonna break his record
Hester is just a specialist at returning. He was butterfingers as a receiver. For him to make a top list tells you just what a great returnee he was. Very special indeed.
Maurice Harris glad I’m not the only one to mention that.
Are you in Texas, Maurice?
He should’ve played corner back
Or Jay cutler can't throw.
I'm a Bears fan, so I love Hester. When he was really good at the beginning of his career it really saved the team because we had a horrible offense, so our awesome defense and special teams being able to score touchdowns was basically how we were able to win games. There were games where our defense and special teams scored more points than our offense. Our offense was so bad at points that an actual debate raged among fans whether it would be better to just line Hester up as QB and snap it to him 10 yards back and just let him run around.
Fucking lovie smith and his unadulterated love for Rex "3 or more Interceptions a game" Grossman.
That would be so fun to watch hester play QB
Thats the whole reason Bears even want to the Superbowl
so here's a thing about the 40 time you might not know about. A lot of football players, don't practice it, the ones who do well on their 40 times tend to have a background in track running. The start off the line makes such a huge difference between an amazing 40 and a sub par one. When I was a freshman in high school I had around a 5.4 40 and by my freshmen year in college it was down to 4.6. I would say a good .5 or so of that time was shaved off by simply improving my start. Next time you watch 40's from a combine look at the start and see how many are driving off the line with their head and shoulders low and looking like they're about to fall on their face they're leaning so far forward and then look at the guys who stand straight up off the line. That's a difference of like .2 or .3 alone.
What's interesting in response to this comment, is Usain Bolt is NOT a good technical runner... he's upright almost immediately. But his top speed is just INSANE
@@Xzei oh yeah, dude was just a beast, I honestly believe he could of still be the best in the world [not breaking records] but still the best if he wsa forced to start from a standing position when he was at his peak. His turn over for his stride lenght was almost other worldly.
@@ginzingtonschnizer2330 It's that big ass frame of his. I still remember watching his WR 200m run. Just... insane. Imagine shaving .5 seconds off of his 100 and 1 second off of his 200 from better form giving him a better (more elite-sprinter quality) starts.
@@Xzei sadly his height was his curse.
Devin Hester was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year 2024. There's a video of 15-20 "Almost" touchdowns he scored. Even some of his normal returns for 20-40 yards were electric. So much fun watching him back them. The world stopped and watched every time they were about to kick to him.
Pretty scary blindside block at 4:04. That would be a huge penalty today.
The Arizona Cardinals game the Bears were behind 23-3 and came back to win with Devin Hester's 74 yard Punt return for a Touchdown Monday Night Football to win 24-23
"They are who we thought they were, and we let them off the hook"
You have shown the best of the best in your videos. But for the record I have seen a few of these guys play in person and the guy that floored me the most was Randy Moss. That guy was truly in a league by himself. Effortless, blazing speed, and could out jump anybody in the game. I would have been terrified to line up against him and try to cover him. The best DB's in the game were powerless against him. I love Devin, but Randy was the best of them all. If he had not been so moody and temperamental he would have been even greater because his coaches and teammates would have featured him even more. And obviously he was a great decoy because he commanded so much attention and was always double covered. The other wide receivers on his team were always single covered and owe a lot of their success to the Moss Threat. Great video again Mr. Rugby Fan.
I will pass this to his family...
I really appreciate you looking at my friend 1st cousin. Also Primetime was his mentor and trainer in highschool thru nfl. They both are from the same area of Florida. This was awesome to watch all over again
I legitimately lost my voice for 2 days i screamed so loud when he ran back the opening kick of the Superbowl.
I couldn’t agree more with him being respectful and kind, I had the pleasure of meeting him and he was the most humble and nice guy I’ve ever met, on top of being one of the greatest kick returners of all time
Don't Kick to Hester
that's the only reason he didnt have 50 return tds
What I love about each of the legendary return men is that they all have something different about them which makes them so good at returning. With hester it's his straight line speed, hall has the Barry Sanders-like jukes, cribbs has the power just in general amazing to watch
Finally!!! Been waiting for this! (Didn’t disappoint, by the way. Great video, man)
So glad I found this channel. It’s been wonderful to watch your evolution from the basics of American football to a seasoned knowledgeable fan (and player). Would love to see you come to the States and go for your dream of playing pro. Also looking forward to your future experiences at a college or NFL game (let us know when, do a live chat to raise the cash, bring the family, and we subscribers will show you proper hospitality - and tailgating). Haven’t seen all the vids yet and not requesting a “react”, but I’d like to hear your take on American sports films (e.g. Invincible, Rudy, The Blindside, Invictus, Miracle, etc, or maybe something like the recent Super Bowl ad with the “Legends” at the awards dinner). Thank you for the entertainment, your great attitude, your adorable family, and your mad skills. BTW - the All Blacks have always been my favorite rugby team.
I agree he's grown and it's been incredible to watch
Thanks Grant - just been binge watching his channel and it’s refreshing to see someone from another country not only, not hacking on our sport for once,, but embracing it on a higher level (and giving us Rugby insights). Digging supporting him. BTW - loved your thread too .
@@electricskillet7648ur welcome Thanks dawg
We have to teach him to say--"da bearsz"
You forgot the suck part
@@Nesto38 you forgot the don't part
@@Nesto38 piss off
Dante hall couldn't hold Hester's jock strap
My day is complete. Thanks brother!
React to Julius peppers one of the best defensive linemen ever
This is by far the best Devin Hester reaction. Great Video I really enjoyed watching.
Great video as always dude!!! This guy was a master at his art!!!
Saw this man play when he played for Miami in the orange bowl against Louisville, returned at least one kickoff that game that I remember.
I knew Devin Hester was insane when I watched him at Miami. He had a return against Duke one time that was just bananas.
He is the only character to have 100 speed rating in madden . Legit speed !
Hester was my favorite player as a kid. I remember watching that super bowl opening kickoff vs the colts and calling it that he would run it back for a TD such an amazing moment.
Yes! Hester is the GOAT returner! So happy to finally see your reaction to him, keep up all the awesome work and I like how you look at multiple highlight videos definitely gives you more to the story, can't wait to see who you bring next but I'm sure it'll be as great as always! Much love from Canada!
Deion ran down the sideline barefoot trying to meet him in the tunnel when he broke his record in ATL. He also called the TD to boot. Told I wanna say rich Eisen that he’s gonna take this one and then did. Deion also mentored Devin his whole career that’s why he was so emotional about the whole thing.
As a kid that grew up in Chicago in the late 90's-2000's that had a grandpa with season tickets, Hester was amazing to watch in person
That record will probably never be broken. The NFL has changed the rules to wear it's nearly impossible to return any kicks for a touchdown anymore,. That's not to take anything away from Devin Hester. He was truly the best return man ever.
Devin Hester was a defensive back and kick returner at the University of Miami. He led the NCAA in return yardage, and when drafted by the Bears, was immediately their kick return specialist. He wasn't that good as a defensive back in the NFL, so the only time he was really on the field was for kick returns.
Then after a couple years, and with his speed, Chicago tried to turn him into a wide receiver. During that time, he was replaced as a returner because Chicago wanted him to focus on learning the new position. He never turned out to be good, just average. So there was about two years where he didn't return any kicks. So he went to the coaches and said he wanted to return kicks again.
And No he didn't win a Super Bowl. He and the Bears lost to the Colts leading to Payton Manning's first Super Bowl win. Oh yeah, he was also the first player to get a 100 for speed in Madden.
The Bears would have won if they had basically any other QB than Rex Grossman. The Bears got to the Superbowl in spite of Rex...
He still would return punts
I'm a die-hard Bears fan and got the watch Devin Hester play his entire career in Chicago it truly was a joy
He and Deon formed a great friendship early in Hester's career as a mentor - also, he would've had more returns, but starting his second year, 3/4 of all kicks were kicked out of bounds so he couldn't return it - and lastly, starting after the draft (and several offseasons after) he went to speed training clinics, so he did get faster after he entered the league
Percy Harvin (Vikings) might be worth checking out. Similar style player to Hester I feel like, though not quite at Hester's level. He was also a return specialist and was nasty for a seemingly shorter guy. Love the channel dude, especially the consistency of video uploads, I feel like there is always something new to watch. Been a long time NFL fan but I've managed to learn a thing or two following your NFL (and now other sports) adventure. Keep it up man, you seem to really love the sport and it's great to see!
Hester is incredible. As a Canadian I grew up watching Henry “Gizmo” Williams. That fireplug was a treat to watch returning kicks as well.
You never fully appreciate the value of someone like Devin Hester until you look back on Chicago's 2006 season - Hester's rookie year. The Bears rode their defense and special teams to the Super Bowl damn near unlike any team ever. That team had an offense that was middle of the pack yardage-wise and committed a ton of turnovers (so much so that their defense forced the most turnovers in the league but they were still only +8 in turnover differential), but the team still managed to score the 2nd-most points in the league - all because of field position football and Hester's absolutely ridiculous 5 special teams TDs. Their defense would force short drives, the opposing team's punter would have to kick to Hester and if he didn't want to risk a long return then he'd risk a bad short kick out of bounds, putting the Bears offense in a position to only need 1 or 2 first downs before they're in field goal range for their All-Pro kicker.
If you want to make it to the Super Bowl with a barely-above-subpar offense and horrendous QB that throws a lot of interceptions? Get a defense that forces short drives and turnovers, get an accurate field goal kicker, and get Devin Hester. There are a lot of defensive pieces that can be compensated for, and there are at least a handful of excellent kickers - but there's simply just one Devin Hester, and you won't make it to the Super Bowl without *him*.
Remember when Devin Hester and Randy Moss had 99-100 speed in Madden😂.
Never made a suggestion before, been subbed for a good bit, so I’m gonna throw one out there. My favorite player of all time and the reason I’m still a diehard Dolphins fan to this day, Dan Marino. He was the greatest pure passer in NFL history.
I was just thinking of doing a Dan Marino reaction the other day!
Awesome! Can’t wait
YES! Been waiting for this one! Great video as always. This one was probably my favorite you've done so far. You've got awesome sports insight. Cheers man.
Appreciate the support bro!
I remember one game the other coach said they were gonna kick it into Lake Michigan to avoid Hester. Every commercial break FOX played a kick of someone pointing into the lake
Nate Alexander -LMAOOOOOO
Since most of his playing was done as a Bears and that is where he felt the biggest connection, he wanted or retire as one. Whatever team you last play far is the team you retire from. This is common, he signed a one day contracts. Jerry Rice last played for Seattle but wanted to retire a 49er and Michael Vick last played for Pittsburgh, I think, but he wanted to retire a Falcons. Unfortunately, when he played for us (Seahawks) he didn’t even play a full season. We brought him in to finish the season because Tyler Lockette, our return man, got injured (broke his leg in two places.. gruesome) and he retired after.
I was left with no choice but to stand as I watched these. Lol.... memories... love ya devin!
You picked a good one today I say he was the best open field Runner to ever hold a football and turn nothing into something special. he could slip through a crack and use his Defenders like he controlled them amazing man. If he had been born in New Zealand what a rugby player he would have been he had all the tools..
I got very emotional watching this. As a long time Bears fan, I couldn't have been prouder of this guy. I mean, what a weapon!!! But I've always wondered something. Why in the hell did they continue to kick it to him? Pride? Unwilling to admit that one guy could change a game so quickly? Didn't they realize that fat meat is greasy? Definition of the GOAT at his position
Well said
Yeah, the guy pretty much rewrote how special teams were played. In my memory, he was the first to popularize the failed FG return (Halloween game against SF, extremely windy, then again I might be confusing him with Nathan Vasher...). Either way, having the chance to see him live and see his returns were indeed a treat. My brother was a fan since his days at University of Miami and full on cheered the moment Chicago drafted him. I didn't know he signed the one day contract to retire a Bear.
What people dont realize. There was 2 seasons where teams refused to kick to him. That’s why there was such a gap between kicks. Devin Hester changed the game of football.
The NFL also changed the rules on kick offs multiple times during his career
Great video! For clarification, the all-time return TD record previously held by Prime Time includes interceptions returned for TDs. Sanders was on the defensive side of the ball, while Hester (drafted as a DB but didn’t end up on defense) was not, so the gap in combined kick and punt return touchdowns is actually much larger between the two. There will never be another returner like Hester. #GOAT
The one thing that people 'overlook' at what made him great was his insane balance and acceleration. A lot of guys get tripped up on some of those holes he ran through but even as small as he was he just kind of brushed off the contact and stayed on his feet and then he was at full speed again in a matter of about a second and a half. His second gear was also incredible. You couldn't give him any daylight with open field because it was over at that point lol.
Have you seen Jason Wittens highlights yet? Hes a tight end and he isnt Gronkowski but he is a machine who only missed 1 game due to injury his whole career and played through the rest. No player in the NFL has played as many games as Jason witten.. and nobody has played in more consecutive games. Hes the guy who gets his helmet knocked off and runs for 30 more yards with no headgear. They made a rule after that happened that the ball is dead but Jason Witten retired and tried to do Monday night football announcing but is now coming back to play another year for the Dallas Cowboys on the 2019 season. People underestimate him and dont talk about him enough but hey lowkey holds all the records that Gronkowski doesnt
You have to remember too is that Deion played on defense so 10 of his 19 returns were interception or fumble returns. He had a lot more opportunities for return td's.
Another good returner to watch is Josh Cribbs. He holds the record for kick return touchdowns at 8. He was a quarterback in college and when he came to the NFL they moved him to special teams and the rest is history.
I watched this man live at the old orange bowl when he played for Miami in collage. Was special then.
great video K.K.. the Bears gave him a 1day contract to retire with them.. wow that brought me back in time.. no one will brake that record for awhile..
That was the opening kick of the Superbowl. interesting fact, the Bears ended up losing that game. The College championship game someone opened up w/a kick return for a TD and that team also lost that game. A lot of teams did kick it out of bounds on punts or tried to kick it out of the back of the endzone, a few kickers/punters muffed them and they got burned. They actually changed the kickoff rules b/c of Hester and how much of an impact he was making on the game; along w/a few others but mostly Hester.
#23... Chicago's favorite number. Michael Jordan, Ryne Sandberg, and Mr Devin Hester... what a time to be a Chicago native watching sports.
The record he broke was Deon's all time return td's..but Deon's included interception returns as well where as Hester didnt have any Int. returns...his was all punt and kickoff returns
He actually had a missed field goal returned for a touchdown.
Sanders was also watching, and literally was asked about it during the halftime report, since he was on the desk
@@GoldenGayTime1 which is a punt return
@@Max-wd6og a punt return only occurs after a ball has been punted. A field goal is not a punt. Said play is listed as a defensive touchdown, which a punt return is not. It may look similar once the ball is in the air, however the intent and strategy of the play is different on both sides of the ball.
I remember when they came out with Madden football because of Hester they made the speed and Accell 100 instead of 99. Hester was awesome to watch. I couldn't wait until Sunday games to watch him play along with the other greats like Urlacher, Briggs, Tillman and many more.
Thanks for doing this video...Devin was the man.
You hear them mention it once in one of the videos, the reason he was so dangerous as a returner was because of his ability to cut on a dime without losing speed. He just seemed to glide through defenders. Pairing that with his great vision and you have a hall of famer
The Saints also had a guy names Michael Lewis who was an amazing return specialist!
Its the record combined between kick return, punt return, field goal return( yes you can return a field goal and he did it in this video) fumble return, and interception returns count too, any return touchdown and its still the record
Cordarrelle Patterson might become the second best returner in Bears history
40 yd dash times don't always translate to game speed. Their just a measuring stick for potential.
Devin Hester came into the NFL as a rookie from Miami at the age of 22. And in his rookie season he took the opening kickoff of the Superbowl back for a touchdown which has never been done ever
I've been waiting for this one. Great video.
With how the league is now, no one will ever beat that record. His vision was unreal, he knew where every one was and would be before he even got the ball
A kick returning savant! Yes he was blazing fast and he had excellent acceleration and de-acceleration, but he also was able to see the formations and how everything was going to unfold before anyone else could. He just had this incredibly intuitive sense of where to go, even when it looked to everyone else like he was making a wrong turn. Just remarkable vision. He was pure magic out there and I can't wait for him to be inducted into the HoF which better happen SOON!
Also, the fact that this man broke the single season record with 6 return touchdowns in his rookie season and then became the first (and to this day, only) player to ever open the Super Bowl with a return touchdown is something that will never, ever, ever, EVER happen again! What is even more ridiculous is that his second season was pretty much identical to his first. He holds the two top spots for most return touchdowns in a single season and they both happened in his first two seasons.
I was lucky enough to have been in the Dome when he broke Deion's record, that place went crazy!
I asked my cousin how did it feel to watch him do his thing when the Seahawks signed him for their playoff run a few years back. He was pretty amazed
Hesters field vision, second burners and speed are what make his speed insane
Many contextual things that must be added.
1. No, he did not win a superbowl his rookie year, even after returning for a touchdown the opening play of it. The Bears offense threw that game away in the end.
2. It was 3 years before a team would even KICK to Hester again after his rookie season, which is why it took until 2011 to get another kick return TD. In the interim, he was made a wide reciever, as he was too talented at seeing routes and bursting through. He wasn't quite as good as a reciever, but it kept him IN thr game.
3. He not only set records for kickoff returns, but punt returns as well, two separately tracked stats and positions.
4. Devin Hester was SO good at his craft that he literally changed the rules of the game. When his play rippled through the league, not only did his presence as a returner result in a record number of touchback kicks for the Bears, when other teams started looking for their own Hesters, the league as a whole became so addicted to avoiding returners that 5 yards was added to the touchback penalty... they literally changed the rules of the game BECAUSE of how Hester changed it. No modern single player can say that.
Check out Alvin Kamara, he's one of the current young stars in the NFL. He's a running back but is extremely versatile in his skill set. He doesn't have blazing speed but he's very elusive and makes so many people miss tackles on him. He was rookie of the year two seasons ago.
Its amazing that everyone in the stadium knows whats coming when they saw Hester, but they still couldn't do anything about it.
Yes!!! The Goat. BearDown! Great Vid Kiwi, please check out Charles Tillman, an amazing Chicago corner he invented punching the ball out kown as the peanut punch!
Also the 06 Bears defense haha.
Funny how peanut didn’t even start the season as a starter. Dante Wesley and Ricky Manning Jr were higher on the depth chart but he got his chance after Wesley got hurt in preseason
Been subbed for a while, watched a good portion of your videos. Unless I'm mistaking you haven't done many TE's besides Gronk. If you want to see more I suggest Mark Bavaro, Jimmy Graham, Jeremy Shockey, Antonio Gates, Heath Miller and Jason Witten.
Loving your content, keep it up!
I dont think people appreciate how difficult it is to return punts and kickoffs in the NFL. To get to 20 in 10 years and for 3 of those he didnt even return kicks because they tried to convert him into a full time reciever is truly special and hall of fame worthy
Thanks for sharing great memories!❤
What the video didn’t show is that teams didn’t kick to him. In his prime teams would accept horrible field position instead of even trying to kick to him. He would have had so much more kick return touchdowns if teams actually did kick to him
If you wanna see speed you should check out Chris Johnson
Cj2k enjoyed watching his college carrier #5 ECU Pirates Arrrrg !!!
4.24 forty ...
Kiwi Kicker, a man to check out for running backs and pure toughness running through men is Earl Campbell. The guy was like a clydesdale that could move like a quarter horse. He played for the Oilers and Saints in the late 70's to mid 80's. Check him out. Great content.
Deion’s record was all returns, which included interception and fumble return TDs.
@ 8:20 He returns a missed field goal! Now, that was amazing and HOF worthy all by itself.
He was the BEST👊 His Record still stands till this DAY. And he went back to DA BEARS and signed a one day contract and Retired as A BEAR 🏈🏈🐻⬇🐻4 LIFE 🏈🏈
I was at that New York Giants game where Hester set the record for yards returned. I see NY kick to one end of the field, next thing you know, he's running back toward the end zone I was sitting in. NY has issues in primetime games often and it was only fitting that that would happen to the Giants. But at least I got to see some history.
Hester arguably the goat returner
Not arguable. He is the GOAT return man.
@@ItsDefOver9000 eh idk anymore
@Maphack nah I think ur right I peeped the stats and while Hester was certainly above average he has some stiff competition
@@electricskillet7648 He probably won't see this because it's in my comment thread but if you copy this comment and create your own thread I think he'd appreciate it
Grant Thanks, I rarely make comments so I appreciate the assist.
Devin and Deion were like watching everyone else play a game in slo-mo
a record that will never ever be broken
Devin hester has been my favorite since i was a kid, because we have the same name
The things that lined up for him to break the record is remarkable...traded to deons team, home game, and room enough to highstep on the way in in honor of the former record holder...👏
If you look at the score and the clock many of his touchdowns came late in the game when it mattered most. Im a lifelong bears fan and hester single handedly won a lot of games for us. CLUTCH!!
My guy just shaded the whole giants organization “ those are sleeping men” 💀💀🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️Im dead