Courtney Cronin, ESPN Workers WriterAug 1, 2024, 06:00 AM ET
- Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, at the start covering the Minnesota Vikings earlier than switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Most efficient Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She beforehand worked at the San Jose Mercury Files as a multimedia sports actions journalist.
By the level Devin Hester returned to his native South Florida for the best recreation of his life in Mountainous Bowl XLI in Miami, the Chicago Bears‘ 24-Twelve months-outdated-fashioned rookie used to be smartly on his formulation to becoming basically the most simple return specialist in NFL ancient past.
The aged 2nd-spherical pick, who starred for the Miami Hurricanes from 2003-05, had already earned first-team of workers All-Pro recognition and Pro Bowl honors by the level the Bears superior to play the Indianapolis Colts on Feb. 4, 2007. Hester returned a profession- and league-excessive 47 punts with three resulting in touchdowns in 2006. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and scored after returning a neglected field aim 108 yards versus the Contemporary York Giants.
The Colts had loads of movie to see as they ready for Chicago’s most threatening weapon. They had viewed Hester dawdle a punt encourage 83 yards for the traipse-forward touchdown to cap off a 20-level comeback ranking over the Cardinals. They witnessed him rip past the St. Louis Rams twice in the same recreation to notch kickoff return touchdowns of 94 and 96 yards, respectively.
But after the Bears won the coin toss interior a moist Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens and elected to catch, the Colts despatched the opening kickoff trusty into Hester’s method finish.
It took him all of 14 seconds to escape from where he fielded Adam Vinatieri’s kickoff at Chicago’s 8-yard line into Indianapolis’ discontinuance zone, 92 yards away, all whereas observing himself on the videoboard as he recorded the handiest TD return of an opening kickoff in Mountainous Bowl ancient past.
The letdown from an eventual 29-17 loss to the Colts did little to fade the play that accentuates Hester’s Hall of Popularity résumé. His impact will doubtless be enshrined in Canton this weekend as the principle player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Popularity essentially as a kick returner; a player who sparked one of basically the most iconic moments in NFL ancient past.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 4, 2022
For two weeks in the lead-up to Mountainous Bowl XLI, the Colts had assign collectively a recreation thought for Hester that revolved spherical him no longer touching the ball. Whereas the Bears’ special groups objects had been basically the most explosive in the league, the Colts ranked Thirtieth in kickoff protection and Thirty 2nd in punt protection. Here is how that thought indirectly yielded to one of basically the most nice plays in Mountainous Bowl ancient past.
Darrell Reid, Colts defensive discontinuance: “They weren’t a harmful offensive team of workers. They had [wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad], they’d [wide receiver] Bernard Berrian. However protection, return, they’d basically the most simple special groups unit in the NFL. Bar none. And basically the most simple returner, potentially in NFL ancient past.”
Tony Dungy, Colts head coach: “We had been kicking to the corners, we’re bouncing the ball, we’re squibbing it, we’re punting excessive, or we’re punting out of bounds. We said, ‘He is rarely any longer going to be a part. We maintain we are capable of control their offense.'”
Vinatieri: “Most of his returns for touchdowns had been punts, no longer necessarily kickoffs [Hester returned three punts and two kickoffs for TDs in 2006]. We knew for particular the recreation thought used to be originate no longer punt the ball to him. Strive to punt it 40 yards, 45 yards, out of bounds. Sacrifice a long way but discontinuance no longer let him get hang of the ball in his arms.
“We thought of it the utterly different formulation and didn’t are making an strive to sacrifice a ton of yardage on kickoff stuff, so since we maintain now got a couple of our starters in there, let’s strive to pin him in a nook and maintain if we are capable of overload that side and strive to lower his return. We practiced that every one week lengthy. It wasn’t even be pleased we had been panicked to kick a touchback. We had been extra serious about hitting it over in the nook, and if he catches it at the 2- or 3-yard line but or no longer it is in actuality finish to the sideline, then lets strive to field him in a little bit.”
Reid: “The sport thought used to be we’re no longer going to kick to him. He is objective too harmful.”
Days earlier than the recreation on Feb.