Miami – Devin Hester – electrifying and explosive on the field, mellow and shy off it – was told upon his arrival at the Super Bowl on Sunday that the Indianapolis Colts plan to put some defensive starters on special teams as a preventive measure to stop Hester, the most dynamic NFL returner in years.
So, Devin, what are your thoughts on coach Tony Dungy’s plan?
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Hester, a second-round pick.
Hester wasn’t cocky in his answer. He wasn’t trying to be humorous. He just said it, and was spot on. The only way to have a chance against Hester is to reinforce.
The rookie’s game-breaking ability helps give the Chicago Bears a fighting chance against the Colts, seven-point favorites on Sunday. Hester returned an NFL-record six kicks for scores in the regular season. In the Bears’ divisional playoff game against Seattle on Jan. 14, a fourth-quarter punt return for a touchdown by Hester was nullified by a penalty.
“We’ll need a great game from Devin against Indianapolis,” Chicago coach Lovie Smith said Monday.
For an offense sometimes stymied by the unpredictable ways of quarterback Rex Grossman, the threat of Hester has been a major reason the Bears are in the Super Bowl.
The Colts have the arm of Peyton Manning. The Bears have the legs of Hester. In one year, Hester has earned mention with the great return men of the game, such as Rick Upchurch, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Deion Sanders (Hester’s mentor), Mel Gray, Brian Mitchell and Dante Hall.
“He’s made us go a lot,” Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher said. “He’s a big part of this.”
For Hester, the chance to help the Bears win the Super Bowl would further validate the South Florida native’s decision to leave the University of Miami after his junior season. Numerous scouts and critics said he wasn’t ready, that he wasn’t a complete player.
Hester is solely a return man. He is listed as a cornerback, but he rarely plays there. His future is as a returner, a game changer, not a defensive player.
“I don’t care that he doesn’t play a position,” Denver cornerback Champ Bailey said during the season. “What he does is amazing. You have to account for a guy like that.”
That’s why Hester came out early for the draft. And now he can prove in front of his family and friends that he made the right call.
“I felt that a lot of people were doubting me and saying that I wasn’t going to be able to do this and that I wasn’t going to be able to do that,” Hester said. “Amongst me and my mom, we sit down and we talk and I say, ‘Well, it’s another test and we got to go out and prove to the guys that are doubting you that you’re capable of being in the league as well as playing.”‘
While the Bears are happy, there have been consequences for the rest of the league. The Bears were 5-0 when Hester returned a kick for a score. Hester has returned three punts, two kickoffs and a missed field goal for TDs. Five of the six returns have been for at least 83 yards, and he brought back a missed field goal 108 yards.
Hester’s quick-strike ability had the Broncos pondering drafting him last spring with the No. 37 pick, but while on the clock, the team finalized a deal with Green Bay for standout receiver Javon Walker.
Denver felt Walker, who turned out to be the Broncos’ best offensive weapon this season, was more valuable than a special-teams player.
“The Broncos brought me out before the draft,” Hester said. “I think they were going to take me, but it worked out the other way.”
Later in the round, Tennessee and Oakland also considered Hester before he ended up with the Bears, who nabbed him with the 57th pick. The Bears couldn’t be happier the way the draft fell.
On Monday, Smith recalled that the last time he was in Miami before this week was to work out Hester before the draft. Now, the two are preparing for the Super Bowl. It’s no coincidence.
“Every time you kick to him you feel like that can be a momentum-changer in the game,” Dungy said last week. “You have to be on it every single time, whether you kick off three times or six times, whether you punt once or 10 times. Every time, you have to be ready. Hester has been the difference-maker in several of their games this year, so our guys know what the challenge is.”
Staff writer Bill Williamsoncan be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
