20 And Counting

If you pay attention to the NFL then you know about Devin Hester. Hester was drafted in 2006 in the 2nd round, 57th overall by the Chicago Bears. He ran a 4.41 40 yard dash at the combine, which is impressive. Right off the bat, the Bears knew they got a steal. In his first season, Hester had 600 punt return yards with 3 touchdowns. He also added 528 kick return yards with 2 touchdowns. Fast forward to his 10th year in the league and Hester now holds the record for most combined return touchdowns with a total of 20. He’s only 33 years of age and can still add to his already impressive record. He may not be what he once was at the age of 33 but Hester is still deadly whenever he is back there returning a punt or a kickoff.

My favorite part of the record breaking return was the high step. Deion Sanders, who held the previous record, was famous for his high step move. When Hester was in the clear for the record, he hit the high step before he entered the end zone. Some people think it was insulting to Primetime (Deion Sanders) and others thought it was showing respect to one of the greatest NFL players of all time. Regardless, Hester was fined for the move, not that he even cared. In 17 returning attempts this 2015 season, Hester failed to add to his record but I do not think he is done. I believe he has a few more to add unless he decides to retire. In Hester’s 10 years in the league, he has only four seasons where he did not have any returning touchdowns, which is impressive.

There is an emerging young blood in the league that I feel has a shot to break the record. He only has 3 returned touchdowns in his first three years in the league but I feel that Tavon Austin, a young, talented wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams, has the potential to break the record near the end of his career. Hester is actually one of my favorite players. You may not hear about him much anymore due to his age and his decline in playing time, but Devin Hester will be a name that everyone who really knows about the NFL and its raw talent should remember. You can try and throw a negative remark at him, but he would probably just return it for a touchdown.