The Pro Football Hall of Fame proudly displays its mission statement at the top of its website's homepage. "Honor the heroes of the game, preserve its history, promote its values and celebrate excellence everywhere."
As I watched last night's lopsided game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons, I realized that every descriptor the Hall of Fame used applies to Devin Hester. When a football fan thinks of the Hall of Fame, they don't normally think of return men. But, Hester is a special case.
Hester broke Deion Sanders' touchdown return record last night when he took a punt 62 yards to the house in the second quarter for his 20th career return touchdown. This came roughly seven minutes after Hester scored on a 20-yard run, giving the receiver-returner-rusher-do-everything-utility-man 148 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on the night.
Sanders, not always known for his humility during his playing career, tweeted this shortly before kickoff:
.@D_Hest23 the greatest returner of alltime! Yeah I said that and I should know! #Truth pic.twitter.com/xrIDeSGq3d
— DeionSanders (@DeionSanders) September 18, 2014
If he's the greatest returner of all time, according to the man previously considered the greatest returner of all time, shouldn't he be well on his way to enshrinement? Former Chicago Bears teammate Brian Urlacher seems to think so.
"He's the greatest of all time at what he does, and in my opinion, when you're the greatest of all time at your position you should be in the Hall of Fame," Urlacher said back in 2011. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer in my opinion. He's going to have 30-something touchdown returns if people keep kicking to him. It's a no-brainer for me. I just don't see how people can not agree with that. He changes every football game he's in. You can punt out of bounds or you get ready to give up a touchdown. That's the bottom line. He changes everything you do."
Yes, return specialists may be involved in only a fraction of a game's plays. But isn't it a testament to Hester's greatness that he is able to impact a game so significantly in such limited opportunity? Hester may not have impacted the game to a similar degree in other ways, but he is one of the most explosive athletes the NFL has ever seen. He forces opponents' special teams to adjust their game plans for an entire phase of the game. If that isn't the mark of a Hall of Fame caliber player, then I don't know what is.
The Hall of Fame needs to consider Hester's merits based on the fact that he has been the best at his position since entering the league, and now has a legitimate claim to the best of all time. It's not his fault that return men are generally unsung heroes in the NFL who don't garner as much attention as the glamour positions do.
When the time comes, Hester should be high stepping into Canton as easily as he did into the end zone last night.
