20 Most Mesmerizing Kick Returns in NFL History

It used to be that you played on special teams because you weren't good enough to play on offense or defense. While that is still the case in certain situations, it doesn't mean what it used to.

You could credit the likes of Billy "White Shoes" Johnson and Ollie Matson before him for being revolutionaries in the field of special teams in the NFL. Either way, some of the most electrifying athletes in the league play on that unit today.

From Devin Hester in Chicago to Joshua Cribbs in Cleveland, we have the pleasure of watching some of the most stunning special teams performances take place on a football field in the heralded history of the league.

This article, with embedded videos, is going to show 20 of the best special teams returns in the history of the NFL. You might not agree with some of the rankings, but it should be fun nonetheless. 

I wasn't able to capture videos from some of the great return men in the history of the league years ago, so for the purposes of being able to show you videos, I am including only the ones I was able to find through extensive research.

Enjoy!

20. Leon Washington Breaks Ankles for a Living

Did the San Diego Chargers really have a chance here? It was their disastrous special teams performance that cost them a shot at the 2010 postseason and this series of events proved why.

I almost feel bad for Nate Kaeding towards the end of this clip—dude really could have done some damage to those ankles.

What makes this video so much more interesting is the "unabomber" looking character giving us play-by-play of the scene.

19. Devin Hester Breaks NFL Record

This return itself might not have been the most dramatic or awe-inspiring in the history of the NFL, but it set a record. It broke Eric Metcalf's NFL record for most punt returns for touchdowns in NFL history.

For Devin Hester, it also showed all of us why he should be considered for the Hall of Fame when all is said and done.

Just look at the ease with which he did it.

18. Antonio Cromartie Scores, Insert Joke Here

A return of any kind couldn't go for longer than the one that Antonio Cromartie achieved here as a member of the San Diego Chargers against the Minnesota Vikings. He returned a long Ryan Longwell field goal attempt 109 and three quarters yards for a touchdown to close out the first half of this football game.

As soon as No. 31 caught the ball, he was thinking six. However, his left foot nearly hit the line in the process. He turned up toward the right sideline and was never touched.

Simply amazing.

17. Speedy Duncan Lives Up to His Nickname

One of the oldest clips that I could find for this article was of Speedy Duncan, who most of us never saw play. With that said, he was a true playmaker for the San Diego Chargers in the 1960s.

Just look at this return at the :27 mark of the video and you will know what I am talking about.

16. Randall Cobb Goes 108 in NFL Debut

Opening Night 2011, the New Orleans Saints went up against the defending champion Green Bay Packers. What was supposed to be a matchup between two of the best quarterbacks in the game ended up becoming a showcase for Randall Cobb, who made his rookie debut.

First, he caught a 32-yard touchdown from Rodgers in the first half to give the Packers a two-score lead. However, it was this 108-yard kickoff return that we will all remember.

Look at the how he was flipped "up and down," as Chris Collinsworth said inside the 30-yard line. This tied a NFL record for the longest kickoff return in history. 

15. Dunbar Levels Henderson on Bush Touchdown

Reggie Bush might get all the credit in the world for his two returns against the Minnesota Vikings in this game during the 2008 season, but Jo-Lonn Dunbar should get most of the credit.

Just look at the hit he laid on Erin Henderson at the 2:20 mark on this video that sprung Bush for the touchdown. If that isn't mesmerizing, I have no idea what is.

14. Percy Harvin Just Looks to Be in Another Gear

There are some players you look at and wonder why they aren't in the Olympics contending on an international stage. While Percy Harvin might be far from that, this video proves him to be quite the athlete.

Never mind the bad angles a myriad of different San Francisco 49ers took on this play, just look how quick Harvin got from the 40 to the goal line. It had to be in less than four seconds, but that's impossible, right? 

13. Dan Connolly, Yep That One

The only video on this list that didn't go for a touchdown really didn't need to. The idea of a 300-pound offensive linemen stumbling downfield as some of the greatest athletes in the game fail to bring him down, has to make you laugh.

This is what happened when Dan Connolly took this Mason Crosby squib kick back 71 yards all the way down to the Packers four. Just look at the rockets that are disguised as legs on this dude.

The Packers should just be ashamed.

12. Dante Hall Gives Houston a Sample of How Its Done in Missouri

At about the :21 second mark on this video, you will see Dante Hall make complete fools of three different Houston Texans on his way to an emphatic touchdown. And poor ole' Chad Stanley at about midfield. Punters should never be put in that situation. At least he got a good view of the events from his back side.

This is just one example of why Hall has to be considered one of the greatest return men in NFL history.

11. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson Revolutionizes the Game and the Celebration

This was more about the celebration following the play than anything else. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, who you will see again, broke two Chicago Bears tackles on his way for a touchdown. 

What Johnson did following the play might look familiar to us "younger" fans. He dunked the ball over the goalpost in one of the first celebrations of that kind. I am pretty sure Jimmy Graham and Co. can pay homage to this.

10. Patrick Peterson Walks off to Immortality

In the grand scheme of things, this should go down as one of the greatest special teams plays in NFL history. Rarely do punt returners field the ball inside their own 10-yard line, and when they do, it is criticized for being a mistake.

Here, Patrick Peterson take a Rams punt from his own 1-yard line in overtime and returns it 99 yards. It's the idea that no one else is going to make a play, so I am.

This game between the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams didn't mean much. In fact, it was more about draft positioning than anything else. But, don't tell the combined 106 players on these two teams this.

Look at the celebration following Peterson's walk-off touchdown.

9. Nathan Vasher Shows the 49ers This Isn't Your Parents Bears

Well, this is not a punt or kickoff return for a touchdown. Instead, it is one of the rarest plays you will ever see on a NFL field: a field goal return for a touchdown. Yes, you got that right.

Here Nathan Vasher returns a 49ers field goal attempt 108 yards for a touchdown, juking a San Francisco player down the field as the first half expired.

I am not too sure if the 49ers were ready for this, but Vasher made it happen nonetheless. 

8. Joshua Cribbs Tightropes This Steel Curtain for 99

The ball bounced off Joshua Cribbs just inside his own 10-yard line then it rolled into the end zone. He had to take the ball out in order to avoid a safety.

As the announcers say "he turned disaster into a score."  On his way to the 99-yard touchdown, Cribbs pushed blockers out of the way, juked a couple Steelers defenders and outran the rest for one of the most electrifying kickoff returns in the modern history of the game.

7. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson Stops on a Dime and Leaves Hawks Grounded

You have heard the term "breaking ankles." This is usually left for some of the best backcourt players in the NBA, but sometimes it translates over to the NFL.

Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, who was the first of a new breed of return specialists "broke a lot of ankles" in his day with the Houston Oilers.

Here he stops on a dime, leaving a Seahawks defender desecrated at the scene and taking the ball to the house.

6. Dante Hall Reverse Action Against the Denver Broncos

Simply stunning is what I remember saying when I first saw this play live a few years back. Dante Hall of the Kansas City Chiefs literally jukes out six Denver Broncos and a couple fellow Kansas City Chiefs inside his own 10 and back tracking inside the three before breaking this punt the distance.

For a while a couple years ago, Hall was the most electric player in the entire league. This video shows exactly why.

5. Eric Metcalf Steals a Victory Away from the Steelers

Not mentioned in the same breath as some of the greatest returners in NFL history, Eric Metcalf was extremely underrated. The video shows that skill off more than anything I could write.

Metcalf takes this punt back 75 yards for a game-winning touchdown against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers to lead the Cleveland Browns to a win. It was his second return for a score in the game and sent the fans in old Cleveland Municipal Stadium into an absolute frenzy.

Watch and enjoy.

4. The "great" Woody Dantzler

This has to be considered one of the single greatest special teams plays in the history of the league. Woodrow "Woody" Dantzler, a former quarterback at Clemson, electrified the Dallas Cowboys on this one play.

I don't know what was more amazing. The fact that he left six or seven San Francisco 49ers down on the ground in his path or acted the part of a tight rope walker in going the distance for a 84-yard touchdown.

3. DeSean Jackson Ruins the New York Giants

Tom Coughlin told Matt Dodge not to kick the ball anywhere near DeSean Jackson, but the punter didn't listen. He should have.

With the game tied at 31 a piece and less than five second remaining, the Giants punter kicked the ball right to the gifted return man. What followed was the end of one's career in New York and the start of something special in Philadelphia.

Jackson took the kick 65 yards for a walk-off, game winning punt return. In the end, this one play cost the Giants a shot at the playoffs and pretty much ended Dodge's career in the Big Apple.

2. Desmond Howard Stuns the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI

It was Super Bowl XXXI between the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots. Brett Favre was going up against Drew Bledsoe for a chance to win his first Super Bowl Championship.

It wasn't the two quarterbacks that made the difference in this game.

Rather, it was former Heisman Trophy Winner, Desmond Howard, who many have considered a bust up until that point.

With the Packers leading by six in the third quarter following a Curtis Martin touchdown for New England,  Howard took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, putting the game out of reach.

Howard went on to win the Super Bowl MVP.

1. Music City Miracle

It was the 1999 Wild Card Playoffs as the Tennessee Titans were taking on the Buffalo Bills. With the home standing Titans down by a single point and just :16 seconds left, Frank Wycheck took A Steve Christie kickoff at their own 25-yard line.

What ensued was pure insanity.

Wycheck lateraled the ball to Kevin Dyson who broke through the Bills coverage unit for a 75-yard touchdown and the win.

Tennessee went on to the Super Bowl, while Buffalo was left to think about what could have been.