Why Bears great Devin Hester belongs in the Hall of Fame

Hester was a threat to score every time he had the ball in his hands, and opposing teams understood that. It’s why they kicked away from him. And it’s also why a team like the Colts felt the need to kick it directly to him in Super Bowl XLI. Because they didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Only, that didn’t work out so well for Indianapolis.

“I told them I hope we lose the toss, and if we do, we’re going to kick right down the middle,” said former Colts coach Tony Dungy said, via The Athletic. “‘You go down there and pound Devin, they’ll know we mean business, and we’ll send a message. We’re going to go right at him just like David did.’

“Big mistake. Big mistake.”

Hester returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, the only player to return an opening kickoff for a score in Super Bowl history.

Then there’s everyone’s favorite — Hester’s 83-yard punt return touchdown that gave the Bears a 24-23 lead in a comeback win against the Cardinals in 2006. The infamous Denny Green “the Bears are who we thought they were” game.

What about Hester’s two return touchdowns against the Rams during his rookie season in 2006. Another pair of return touchdowns against the Broncos, which included Hester leaping over a fallen Todd Sauerbrun, in 2007. Hester returning a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown against the Giants in 2006.

The list goes on and on.

He was a playmaker in every sense of the word.