.Courtney Cronin, ESPN Workers WriterAug 1, 2024, 06:00 AM ETCloseCourtney Cronin signed up with ESPN in 2017, originally dealing with the Minnesota Vikings before changing to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and hold of Utmost Full week Ever Before on ESPN Broadcast. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN thousand. She earlier operated at the San Jose Mercury Headlines as a mixeds media sporting activities journalist.By the amount of time Devin Hester returned to his native South Florida for the greatest game of his lifestyle in Super Dish XLI in Miami, the Chicago Bears' 24-year-old rookie was effectively on his means to coming to be the greatest return professional in NFL history.The former second-round choice, that starred for the Miami Hurricanes coming from 2003-05, had actually actually earned first-team All-Pro recognition and Pro Bowl honors due to the opportunity the Bears evolved to play the Indianapolis Colts on Feb. 4, 2007. Hester came back a career- and also league-high 47 puntings with 3 leading to touchdowns in 2006. He additionally returned two firsts for goals and racked up after coming back a skipped basket 108 backyards versus the Nyc Giants.The Colts possessed loads of movie to research as they planned for Chicago's a lot of unsafe tool. They had observed Hester operate a punting back 83 yards for the okay goal to cap off a 20-point rebound draw the Cardinals. They observed him tear past the St. Louis Rams twice in the same video game to scratch kickoff yield goals of 94 and also 96 yards, respectively.Yet after the Bears succeeded the coin shake inside a stormy Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens and chosen to receive, the Colts delivered the position kickoff right in to Hester's grasp.It took him each one of 14 few seconds to sprint where he picked up Adam Vinatieri's kickoff at Chicago's 8-yard line in to Indianapolis' end zone, 92 lawns away, all while seeing themself on the videoboard as he captured the only TD gain of a position kickoff in Super Bowl history.The setback coming from a possible 29-17 reduction to the Colts performed little to fade the play that complements Hester's Hall of Prominence ru00e9sumu00e9. His influence will definitely be actually preserved in Canton this weekend as the very first player selected to the Pro Soccer Hall of Fame first and foremost as a kick returner a player that stimulated one of the absolute most famous instants in NFL history.Devin Hester really began the Super Dish with a house telephone call One of the greatest kick returners ever transforms 40 today.( using @NFLLegacy) pic.twitter.com/dfnDfTke3Cu2014 SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) Nov 4, 2022 For two weeks in the lead-up to Super Dish XLI, the Colts had created a tactical plan for Hester that hinged on him not touching the ball. While the Bears' special teams devices were actually the absolute most eruptive in the organization, the Colts positioned 30th in first coverage and 32nd in punt coverage. Here is actually just how that strategy eventually yielded to one of the absolute most stimulating plays in Super Dish history.Darrell Reid, Colts defensive end: "They weren't a hazardous aggressive team. They possessed [wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad], they possessed [wide receiver] Bernard Berrian. But coverage, come back, they had the very best special teams device in the NFL. Bar none. And also the greatest returner, most likely in NFL history." Tony Dungy, Colts head coach: "Our team were actually kicking to the sections, our experts are actually jumping the sphere, our team are actually squibbing it, our company're punting higher, or our team are actually punting out of bounds. Our team mentioned, 'He is actually certainly not visiting be a variable. We presume our company can regulate their offense.'" Vinatieri: "The majority of his come backs for touchdowns were actually puntings, not always kickoffs [Hester returned three punts and 2 firsts for TDs in 2006] We understood for sure the strategy was do not punt the ball to him. Try to punt it 40 yards, 45 yards, out of bounds. Compromise some range yet perform not let him acquire the ball in his palms." Our experts dealt with it the other technique and also failed to want to lose a lot of yardage on first stuff, so due to the fact that our company've got a couple of our starters therein, permit's try to pin him behind-the-scenes and also find if our company can easily overload that edge and also make an effort to decrease his gain. Our company engaged in that all full week long. It had not been also like our experts were stressed to boot a touchback. We were additional anxious regarding hitting it over in the corner, as well as if he records it at the 2- or even 3-yard pipe however it's really close to the subsidiary, then our experts might try to box him in a small amount." Reid: "The strategy was our company're not heading to boot to him. He's too harmful." Times just before the activity on Feb. 4, 2007, Dungy modified his mind.Dungy: "Some of our pastors offered a church solution before the activity as well as spoke about David and also Giant and stated, 'The reason David prospered is he wasn't worried. All the various other Israelites were afraid of Goliath.' So I began thinking, am I placing fear into our fellas' souls? Am I playing this inappropriate? Our team can't hesitate of Devin Hester.Devin Hester was as surprised as anyone that the Colts were stopping to him to open up Super Dish XLI. As the rainfall became, Hester took the take it easy and brought in past history. Donald Miralle/Getty ImagesSo, at the last minute, I transformed my mind as well as stated if our experts shed the toss, our team're visiting begin. Our experts're mosting likely to kick it to him, and also I prefer you to go down and also pound him. And when our company knock their champ down, that is actually going to deliver an information just like David." I talked about it along with Russ Purnell, our special crews trainer, as well as of course he said our team can easily deal with, we can possibly do this. Our experts'll get him in the Super Dish. Everyone wishes to possess their instant. No person desires to walk out certainly there and just state, 'Hey, we weren't aspect of this, or we didn't contribute.' So it was actually reciprocal, yet in the end of the time, it was my choice." Reid: "Pair of or even 3 times before the game I moved the guys to convince Train Dungy. I mentioned, 'Our company can easily manage him. Our experts'll be alright.' You can tell [Dungy] felt uneasy about performing it, yet he's like: 'OK, I trust you guys.'" Dave Toub, Bears special teams planner: "Every video game that our team had, it was regularly a concern of that is actually heading to boot to him, who isn't going to kick to him. We understood that they had actually talked about certainly not booting to him, but our team always presumed as a team that they were actually mosting likely to kick to us in the Super Dish even if it's the Super Dish." That's what I informed all of them Sunday night. I stated, 'They're going to boot the round right to our team.'" An unanticipated hurricane moved into the Miami region on activity day as well as discarded nearly one in of storm over the roofless Dolphin Arena throughout the evening. A group of 74,512 seen Hester and the Bears first gain team trot onto the industry to get the opening zing just after 5 p.m. ET.John Gilmore, Bears tight end: "As a novice, his assurance when he took the area was actually unreal. Our company took a considerable amount of satisfaction in obstructing for him. Special teams wasn't a chore. It didn't think that you were actually being disciplined for not being actually a starter. Any time you stepped on the area with him in the yield game, it was like, 'Guy, our team may take it to the house.'" Chris Harris, Bears safety and security: "This is actually pre-smartphones. I remember finding all these flashes hit when the sphere is being actually began. That was actually unbelievable." Gilmore: "Running out to the game from the locker room experienced surreal. I've never felt anything like it. It felt like the flicks. There were Classical candlesticks being soared and all the coal were boiling down in slow mo. It absolutely had me badgered out. I reached the subsidiary as well as it resembled, 'Whoa, what simply taken place?' And then we win the coin toss as well as our experts're receiving. Speak about an adrenaline thrill." Tony Medlin, Bears tools manager: "I claimed if it uses the end zone, obtain that reception for him. That's what was in my mind considering that it was never done, had actually never ever been done before." Vinatieri: "Truthfully it certainly never entered my mind that he would dash a sphere back for a goal. It truly didn't. I've possessed 2 of all of them in Super Bowls. I booted one to [Environment-friendly Bay Packers large receiver/return expert Desmond Howard] and also he ran it back for a goal. So it happened to me before, however at no time was I believing, 'Oh my gosh, it is actually visiting happen once more.' 2024 Pro Football Venue of FameThe Venue of Prominence Video Game between the Bears and also Texans (8 p.m. ET, Aug. 1) are going to be actually telecasted on ESPN, ABC as well as ESPN Deportes. u2022 Pair of plays that define Julius Peppers u2022 Gradishar induction long overdue u2022 Freeney places spin on legacy u2022 Mongo's fight, journey to HOF u2022 Meet the conscripts." I wasn't horrendous when our company did it. I thought, we'll put him in the section, we'll tackle him inside the 25 and our experts'll feel pretty good regarding our own selves. And also is actually absolutely not what happened." Hester [to ChicagoBears.com]: "Words that emerged of my mouth [when he viewed the sphere moved his means] were 'Holy s--.'" Hester received Vinatieri's kick at the 8-yard line as well as raised industry to the twenty. The closest a Colts protector would get to tackling him was actually safety Marlin Jackson, that was actually ins off of Hester, that sped up off of his knowledge. The Bears' block being composed of Gilmore, Israel Idonije and Gabe Reid developed a void for Hester to blast past the initial wave of Indianapolis defenders as he neared the Super Dish logo and began dashing alongside the Bears' sideline.Jeff Joniak, play-by-play vocal for WBBM: "When he made it halfway of the field, I felt in one's bones it. That's what he performed. He outran everybody each time he performed that. The center of the area was actually gold for Devin. They didn't wish to boot it down the center to Devin, but they apparently were dealing with it way too much, and also if you presume you're trumped. If they boot it down the middle of the industry, I knew he was actually visiting credit rating." I kept talking about him residing in his backyard [on the program] I feel I claimed, 'From Riviera Coastline to the largest phase in sporting activities, Devin Hester, you are actually outrageous.'" Harris: "I always remember hitting a guy, it was possibly around the little bit of Super Bowl company logo. I nicked this person and type of saw [Devin] flashing by. And when I reversed and also I viewed he was actually out plus all the Colts white colored shirts chasing him, I said, 'All right, I have actually got to go meet him.' So I merely took off on a dead sprint due to the fact that I understood he was scoring." Vinatieri: "When he surpassed our very first wave of guys, at that point we have a protection on each side and also me between. I knew I was also away coming from him. If I could receive close good enough to him to at least slow-moving him down, possibly the quest can come to him. But he juked the piss out of me, too. That is actually the thing regarding Devin. When he possesses a bit of room, with that said vision, he's unstoppable.Chicago's Devin Hester ethnicities 92 yards for a touchdown along with the position kickoff in Super Dish XLI. Joe Rimkus Jr./ Miami Herald/MCT" When I dove and also failed to touch him at all, I resembled 'damn.' It's amusing given that after one play, my shirt is dirtier than anyone's on the area." Hester [to ChicagoBears.com]: "There was actually a lot of open area, so I understood ideal then as well as there [after Vinatieri's attempt] It wasn't a circumstance where I was actually pinned to a side project and had the subsidiary working against me. Our company were in the available industry, so I recognized he wasn't going to receive me." Joniak: "I bear in mind [Colts linebacker] Matt Giordano was tracking him down as well as Devin looked up. I was actually thinking about why he was finding later to know that he was actually checking out themself on the scoreboard. Matt recorded him and simply tripped him up and also he tumbled into the end zone for the goal." The Bears' drive would continue on the next travel as they opened a 14-6 lead, however the Colts took management in the second part for a 16-14 halftime edge.Toub: "Our team began the video game along with a goal and we presumed it was heading to be actually an ass-whipping. Definitely really did not find yourself that way, although our experts appeared and also our team received a pick right afterwards, too. We presumed our team possessed all type of energy at that point and afterwards certainly it wound up switching on our team." Dwight Freeney, Colts protective end: "I believe the something concerning that was it was the initial play of the video game. That in fact functioned in our benefit because if it was just about anything behind that, like in in the 4th one-fourth, it would certainly resemble, 'Oh my God!' It would be actually a difficult factor to recoup from." Yet our company had 4 fourths to bounce back as well as put that responsible for us. Therefore, for us it was actually type of like, 'All right, our company made an effort. Shame on us and afterwards we may maintain it moving currently.' Due to the fact that ultimately, we understood offensively our team were mosting likely to rack up greater than seven aspects, as well as I recognized defensively our company were going to keep all of them coming from scoring." Vinatieri: "Their whole entire staff is actually ignited as well as delighted. Right now when they kick off to us, their protection is actually heading to be actually happening a million kilometers a hr considering that the energy is actually currently on their side ... however the simple fact that there was still 59 1/2 moments left behind in the activity, we understood it had not been over whatsoever. We just knew that this is the fella that will definitely trash the game for our company if we don't prevent that. And also clearly simply seeing that first play was actually evidence of that. Let's certainly not kick him yet another round." Gilmore: "They obtained clever and also chose to kick it to John Gilmore. I had two profits in that game. That's what occurs when Devin takes the opening kickoff for a touchdown." ESPN's Stephen Owner contributed to this file.