Nothing compared to the sense of excitement you had when Devin Hester got ready to punt or return a kickoff. Finally, and quite rightly, Hester is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame following a few years of waiting for the greatest accolade.
People usually rush to the restroom during kickoffs. But it was important to pay attention when Hester was returning kicks. Hester even made a joke in this video about how he made people forget to take bathroom breaks, which probably led to a few mishaps.
On The Sick Podcast on radio row on Wednesday, I spoke with former Bears DT Spice Adams and current Chicago receiver Tyler Scott. Both believed that Hester should have the final say.
“I’ve been trying to make the case that Devin Hester should be in the Hall of Fame,” Scott stated. “He was the all-time greatest kick returner. additionally to the punt returner. His contributions to the game and his influence on children are unparalleled.
Regarding his old teammate, Adams offered enlightening insight: “You would rather kick the ball out of bounds and let us get on the 40 than kick it to Devin Hester.”
Hester wasn’t the only Chicago Bears player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Steve “Mongo” McMichael was granted the honour by the Seniors Committee following a protracted wait. The defensive tackle was selected for the first team of the All-Pro team twice and for the second team twice more. One of the most charismatic players on a Chicago squad rife with them, Mongo succeeded in a different sphere of entertainment after leaving the NFL by being a member of The Four Horsemen, one of the greatest stables in wrestling history and inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame.
This summer, Julius Peppers will become the third player with Bears service to be inducted into the Canton Hall of Fame. It seems appropriate to reserve Chicago for the Hall of Fame game now, don’t you think? With the Panthers, three with the Bears, and one with the Packers, the Peppers were selected to the Pro Bowl five times. With 159.5 sacks, he ranks fourth in NFL history and was an obvious choice to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He appropriately does so on his first try.
I’m overjoyed that Patrick Willis was finally included. To be honest, I’m still surprised the linebacker wasn’t selected on the first ballot. I had requested a case against Willis for years, but no one could produce one. In the end, the electorate made the right choice. Willis made seven Pro Bowls in eight professional seasons and was five times selected to the first team of the All-Pro team (only once to the second team). In 2007, he was also named the Defensive Rookie of the Year. To cut a long tale short, the man played in the NFL with more than enough quality to rank among the greatest in Canton.
I was a little surprised to see Dwight Freeney in the Class of 2024, but according to Pro Football Reference, the player racked up some outstanding stats, including 125.5 sacks (18th all time) and 148 quarterback hits. Let’s go back to Willis for a moment. It seemed like some people were against him for not winning a Super Bowl. After leading the Colts to victory over Hester’s Bears in Super Bowl XLI, Freeney did receive a ring.
In my Class of 2024 forecast earlier this week, I predicted that voters would begin to break up the deadlock among wide receiver hopefuls. Andre Johnson is in! The veteran Texan’s inability to record ten touchdowns in a single season worried some fans. Not me! Along with Jerry Rice and Calvin Johnson, Johnson is one of just three players in NFL history to lead the league in receiving yards in consecutive seasons. He is meant to be.
Finally, I would like to thank Randy Gradishar for being an integral part of the Broncos’ renowned “Orange Crush” defence. In seven of his ten seasons, the 1978 Defensive Player of the Year was selected for the Pro Bowl. One more wise choice made by the Seniors Committee
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