Devin Hester, Chicago Bears Plan to Keep Scoring Return Touchdowns

After just a few weeks, there's already bad news for Bears rivals: the new kickoff rule doesn’t hurt Devin Hester.

In fact, he may get MORE chances this season.

Why? Because for the last two and a half years Hester has primarily been a punt returner.

But this year he's going back to his roots and returning kickoffs, again, too.

Devin Hester, You Are...

Hester does have four kickoff return TDs. But those came in his first two seasons, when he had 63 attempts. In the past two years Hester returned just 19 kicks, as Johnny Knox and Daniel Manning handled the role.

Reducing his kick return duties was believed to help Hester focus on playing wide receiver, keep him rested, and handle punts full-time.

And Knox went to the Pro Bowl as a kick returner, so the Bears weren’t suffering from Devin’s absence. It was win-win.

But now that touchbacks are up, returns are down, and Daniel Manning is on the Houston Texans, Hester will once again be given more chances to return kicks.

And with Devin Hester, it’s all about chances.

Ridiculous.

Consider, it took Brian Mitchell, the previous record holder, 13 seasons (223 games) and 1,070 returns to get 13 TDs. And indeed, one return a season, or maybe two, is a very good year for most returners. To do it over 13 years is certainly impressive. 

But Hester's record-setting 14th career return TD came in just his fifth season (74th game) and his 286th chance. That's once every twenty chances.

And that figure doesn't even include his returns during preseason games or his kickoff return to start the Super Bowl in 2006, which aren't considered for official stats.

Going into his sixth season, Hester is averaging roughly three return TDs per year. Playing as long as Brian Mitchell, over the course of 13 seasons he would score an amazing 39 TDs (feel free to choke on your coffee).

But a more accurate measure is attempts/chances, since the number per game varies greatly. It could be as little as one to two returns, or as many as seven or eight.

At his pace, if Hester gets 1,070 chances—the same number Brian Mitchell had—he would score 52 touchdowns. That's crazy. 

Some would say ridiculous.

And that’s why the Bears want him on the field, especially with the new kickoff rule. Because every chance counts.

The NFL's All-Time Returner will still handle punts. And with increased opportunities to handle kickoffs, he’s expected to help take the Bears to the Promised Land.

It can happen any time he touches the ball.