Chicago Bears fans have been mired in a deep depression the past few years. That’s understandable. When a team has four-straight losing seasons during which it includes some of the darkest moments in its history, that can be hard to swallow. All the while it’s made worse by the era left behind. One of superb defense, takeaways, power running and best of all electric special teams. That was where Devin Hester came in.
Nobody had a clue what the Bears were getting when he arrived via the second round of the 2006 draft. All they knew was he came from a football factory at Miami and had some return man ability. Few expected what they eventually got from four Pro Bowls to an NFL record 19 return touchdowns and a laundry list of unforgettable highlights.
As time goes on that pick 11 years ago looks like a stroke of genius. So how did it happen? GM Jerry Angelo explained to The Athletic the work that went into scouting him and how many voices were heard in favor of the move. As it turns out Hester had a ton of fans in the Bears front office.
Devin Hester draft move was a leap of faith on his talent and character
“We were enamored with his talent. He was a return specialist for Miami, but a work in progress in terms of defining a position. He played on offense and defense but hadn’t created a niche for himself. So he was a non-predictor in terms of what he was besides a kick returner. We dug deep into the character of him. The strength coach at Miami, Andreu Swasey, told me Devin was a gym rat who did everything he could to succeed.
That’s what sold me. We bet on the ceiling based on the character and his hungriness to be a great player. Our area scout Mark Sadowski had done an inordinate amount of work on him and really believed in the player to confirm what the strength coach said. I said, “He’s not going to be a bust.” There was not a bust factor with him. Worst case, we would get a really good special teams player.”
Hester did something that so few NFL players have done. He changed the game. Never before had teams been forced to game plan as much on special teams before he arrived. Once the depth of his ability was truly understood, opponents quite often kicked the ball out of bounds rather than risk him taking it back for a touchdown.
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It’s doubtful people will be able to remember the 2000s without mentioning Hester’s name. Kickoff rules changed in part because of him. It’s likely he’ll be holding all those records forever. This should put him on the list for making it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Were that to happen, it would go down as Angelo’s best ever draft pick. Amazing to think that would be the case.
