Well before the bizarre too-many-men-during-the- return penalty brought Darrent Williams to the periphery of the national spotlight, the great Dante Hall was familiar with his name.
“What college did he go to?” Hall asked last week.
Oklahoma State.
“Oh, yeah, I know that guy,” Hall said.
Sure, it took some prodding. So it goes with the great return men in NFL history. One minute they’re anonymously fielding the ball near the goal line. Ten seconds or so and 100 yards later, people are asking, “Who is that guy?”
And then everybody knows.
“If you return a kick and score a couple touchdowns,” Williams said, “you’ll get more known than just playing corner and knocking balls down.”
When the Kansas City Chiefs visit Invesco Field at Mile High on Monday night, there’s a heads-or-tails chance the Broncos’ first priority won’t be stopping Trent Green, Priest Holmes or Tony Gonzalez.
Priority No. 1 would be stopping Dante. Or avoiding Dante. Priorities would only shift if the coin flip lands the Broncos’ way. Then their first task would become helping Williams show a nationally televised audience the Broncos have a returner who can be like Dante.
The last time these teams met, in December 2004, the Broncos were whacked for failing to understand their priorities. Hall returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and the Chiefs were on their way to a 45-17 rout at Arrowhead Stadium.
When it comes to returning kicks, the 5-foot-8 Hall has set a Too Tall Jones-sized standard.
“Every time he touches the ball, he’s got a chance to go the distance,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “There’s not very many people like him. He’ll go down as one of the all-time greats as a returner.”
Occasionally, a returner explodes in and out of football fans’ consciousness. The rookie Gale Sayers in 1965. Travis Williams electrified Vince Lombardi’s swan-song 1967 season in Green Bay. Billy “White Shoes” Johnson and the Broncos’ Rick Upchurch in the late 1970s.
Deion Sanders returned the first punt he fielded for a touchdown in 1989.
Then along came Dante. It’s almost unfathomable to think how little else he must accomplish to become the NFL’s all-time best. In his past three seasons, Hall returned five kickoffs for touchdowns. The NFL career record is six.
Counting punts, Hall has nine TD returns the past three years. The NFL record is 13, held by Brian Mitchell. Eric Metcalf is next with 12. Hall already is tied for third.
“Those records are important to me,” Hall said. “One of my personal goals going into this season is I want to get five, two on kickoffs. That will take care of the single-season record (which is four) and the career record.”
The general perception is speed is the most common and necessary attribute for returning kicks. To a man, all the great kick returners place speed down the list.
“Speed is premium once you’re in the open field,” said Glyn Milburn, who ranks third all-time (behind Mitchell and Mel Gray) with 12,772 return yards. “But I would say vision and quickness are the premium characteristics. As you’re moving, you need good vision to spot the hole and the quickness to get there.”
Vision is where Hall excels and where Williams could use some training. Kick returning doesn’t always come right away. Sayers and Travis Williams may have been sensational rookies, but most are like Hall and Detroit’s Eddie Drummond, who had four touchdown returns last year in his third season.
Hall has been so exceptional the past three years, it’s hard to remember he was ordinary in his first two seasons. He says it wasn’t until he started getting some time at receiver in his third season that the touchdown returns became part of the package.
“It is so difficult to sit over there, come off the bench, run one kick back and then you might not get another one for another quarter,” Hall said. “It’s like any other sport, coming off the bench and getting one at-bat, or in basketball, it takes a couple shots before you can get in a rhythm. Same thing with the return game.
“You have to be in the game and get a rhythm.”
Given this, Darrent Williams may have the jump on Hall as a returner, even though he is about to play in only his third NFL game. As the Broncos’ nickel back, Williams is able to grasp the feel of the game. And he would have had his first touchdown return last week against the San Diego Chargers had the referee not noticed the extra- point team strolling in from the sideline once Williams high- stepped past the punter.
“I’ll add another characteristic, and that’s courage,” Milburn said. “The good returners aren’t afraid to hit that hole with velocity. Mel Gray was probably the best at this. He wasn’t very big, but he was not afraid to hit that seam at full speed. And sometimes when you have 250-pound linebackers closing that seam at full speed, you can wind up with some violent collisions.”
Upchurch, now head coach at Pueblo East High School, was among the first to bring in-depth scouting preparation to the position most people equate with little more than athleticism.
“What I did was a lot of film study,” Upchurch said. “I studied who was the guy coming down late, who was the guy coming down quickly, and those were the guys we’d usually attack. That would help us set up walls and help me read the play fairly easily and quickly.”
Asked to name the top five kick returners of all time, Milburn and Upchurch, whose careers spanned different eras, both started with Sayers and included Gray, Mitchell and Metcalf. Milburn said Hall already is top-five worthy. while Upchurch chose his contemporary, “White Shoes.”
One thing about kick returners, they keep track of one another. Hall picked out Darrent Williams from college, and Williams said his all-time favorites are Hall and Tim Dwight. They all bring offense before the offense forms a huddle.
“You can take all the great returners, Travis Williams, Deion Sanders, whoever,” Hall said. “When they get the ball and break one, it brings so much excitement for your fans and your teammates.”
Perhaps the first thing the Broncos ought to do Monday night: Win the coin flip.
All-return team
NFL reporter Mike Klis ranks the top 10 kickoff and punt returners in NFL history:
1. Gale Sayers, Bears
His 30.6-yard career kickoff return average is the NFL record. Had eight combined touchdown returns his first three years.
2. Deion Sanders, Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins, Ravens
Perhaps the best punt returner ever (six touchdowns), and holds NFL record with 19 combined return touchdowns (punts, kickoffs, interceptions, fumbles).
3. Brian Mitchell, Redskins, Eagles, Giants
Holds league career records for kickoff-return yardage (14,014), punt-return yardage (4,999), combined return yardage (19,013) and combined touchdown returns (13).
4. Dante Hall, Chiefs
Scored nine touchdowns on punt (four) and kickoff (five) returns in dazzling three-year stretch from 2002-04.
5. Ollie Matson, Chicago Cardinals, L.A. Rams, Lions, Eagles
His six career touchdown returns on kickoffs (1952-66) have been tied, but never broken.
6. Eric Metcalf, Browns, Falcons, Chargers, Cardinals, Panthers, Redskins, Packers
NFL-record 10 touchdowns on punt returns, two more on kickoffs.
7. Mel Gray, Saints, Lions, Oilers-Titans, Eagles
Only returner to have multiple single-season titles on punts (1987, 1991) and kickoffs (1991, 1994).
8. Travis Williams, Packers, L.A. Rams
No kick returner likely to eclipse his remarkable rookie 1967 season (four touchdowns, league record 41.1-yard average)
9. Rick Upchurch, Broncos
One of only two players with three NFL punt-return titles and a four-TD punt-return season.
10. Abe Woodson, 49ers, St. Louis Cardinals
The best kickoff returner in the years after Ollie and before Sayers.
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
