Steve Tasker, Devin Hester

[74_75_78_79_]

If the occasional kicker or punter can get into Canton, shouldn’t an historic standout gunner or kick/punt-returner as well? Any case of either these guys or other past players like them getting in; or HOVG?

[bachslunch]

If the occasional kicker or punter can get into Canton, shouldn’t an historic standout gunner or kick/punt-returner as well? Any case of either these guys or other past players like them getting in; or HOVG?

Hester is probably the best pure KR not in.

Tasker? He may be the best ever gunner, or maybe not. There are several such folks earlier than him who might be, and someone like Matthew Slater may be comparable. That question needs to be answered before moving forward, and it may be unanswerable.

As to whether any should be in, I’m unsure of the answer to that. I’m inclined to think they’re at best back-burner folks given how many deserving position players are still left at the curb.

[NWebster]

I'm not sure Tasker was even the best special teamer on his own team. Mark Pike frequently led the team in tackles for a number of those Seasons. As a kick blocker he was a good, but not great, no Albert Lewis for example. If you're going to take it pure special-teamer, I would think Dave whitsell would be the first. Of course nobody remembers who he was, or knows why, there just wasn't coverage of that stuff back then.

[Rupert Patrick]

If the occasional kicker or punter can get into Canton, shouldn’t an historic standout gunner or kick/punt-returner as well? Any case of either these guys or other past players like them getting in; or HOVG?

Hester is probably the best pure KR not in.

Tasker? He may be the best ever gunner, or maybe not. There are several such folks earlier than him who might be, and someone like Matthew Slater may be comparable. That question needs to be answered before moving forward, and it may be unanswerable.

As to whether any should be in, I’m unsure of the answer to that. I’m inclined to think they’re at best back-burner folks given how many deserving position players are still left at the curb.

I believe Hester is the best KR/PR in pro football history, and being the best at any position should be enough to make a HOF argument on a player's behalf. I do think he will get inducted although it might take a few years.

[JuggernautJ]

If the occasional kicker or punter can get into Canton, shouldn’t an historic standout gunner or kick/punt-returner as well?...

Sure.
Right after the deserving guys who played sixty minutes a game.
Then the deserving guys who play(ed) thirty minutes a game.

Then the guys who play two minutes a game...

[sluggermatt15]

If the occasional kicker or punter can get into Canton, shouldn’t an historic standout gunner or kick/punt-returner as well?...

Sure.
Right after the deserving guys who played sixty minutes a game.
Then the deserving guys who play(ed) thirty minutes a game.

Then the guys who play two minutes a game...

It's a great point, JJ. Hester was drafted as a WR out of college. Many players who play as returners on special teams are receivers. Returner is not a drafted position, correct? So IMO it is a duty that a player takes on outside of their regular position. So, IMO they ought to be elected into the HoF as in their regular position, not as a returner. I think that puts Hester as a longer shot to be elected because there are a lot of WRs ahead of him waiting to get in.

[Rupert Patrick]

If the occasional kicker or punter can get into Canton, shouldn’t an historic standout gunner or kick/punt-returner as well?...

Sure.
Right after the deserving guys who played sixty minutes a game.
Then the deserving guys who play(ed) thirty minutes a game.

Then the guys who play two minutes a game...

It's a great point, JJ. Hester was drafted as a WR out of college. Many players who play as returners on special teams are receivers. Returner is not a drafted position, correct? So IMO it is a duty that a player takes on outside of their regular position. So, IMO they ought to be elected into the HoF as in their regular position, not as a returner. I think that puts Hester as a longer shot to be elected because there are a lot of WRs ahead of him waiting to get in.

Hester didn't even catch a pass in his rookie season, nor did he catch a pass in 2013, 2015 or 2016. The reason the Bears started to integrate him into their offense in 2007 was that they thought he would be able to channel his ability to run while returning a kick into running after catching a pass. He was a mediocre receiver with a career 13.0 yards per catch. Hester was best suited to returning kickoffs and punts; by comparison, Billy White Shoes Johnson had a career 12.5 YPC. Rick Upchurch had a couple monster YPC seasons early in his career in the 20's, and finished with a career YPC of 16.4.

I don't think you can really compare Devin Hester to other WR's because he caught only 255 passes in his career. The Pro Football Reference top 250 in career receptions ends at 393, so I'm guessing Hester is probably around number 400 in career receptions. Are you going to put him behind the other three hundred and something other receivers who aren't already in the HOF?

Hester should not be compared with the other receivers, he is on a tiny island by himself, just as Steve Tasker is, just as Ray Guy was. The receivers are on a much larger island all together.

[ChrisBabcock]

Hester should not be compared with the other receivers, he is on a tiny island by himself, just as Steve Tasker is, just as Ray Guy was. The receivers are on a much larger island all together.

Tasker's "primary position" was WR as well. That being said I think you'd only look at his special teams play in considering him for the Hall. Sure he did have a handful of decent games at WR but they're irrelevant. Not helping or hurting his case.

[Reaser]

It's a great point, JJ. Hester was drafted as a WR out of college.

[Hester didn't even catch a pass in his rookie season, nor did he catch a pass in 2013, 2015 or 2016.

That's because he was a DB his rookie season.

He played CB in college, too. He also played WR and similar to his NFL career, his highlight reel is mostly filled with K/P returns.

The Bears moved him to WR his 2nd season and that was because he was a project at best at CB and the Bears and everyone else was caught up in what he was able to do in the return game and thought it would naturally transition to offense. I remember when they first announced it they had all these plans, WR, RB, lined up all over the place to get the ball in his hands. What really happened is he became a WR who they would run vertical hoping he could get behind the defense. The screens never really developed as a major weapon and he was never going to be a full route-tree receiver. Then he'd be a great RB too! was a pipe dream that never got going and even end arounds and reverses never materialized into anything special.

Finally the Bears made him a return man only -- hence no receptions that last year. Falcons gave him a shot a WR too and in my opinion -after years of experience- that was the only time he ever really looked like a WR/offensive player. But his first year in ATL was the last year he had anything left before pretty much being done for his final two seasons as a return man minus the glimpse of what he used to have here and there for half a return before he shifted down.

One of my favorite college players ever. One of the most exciting pro players to watch in my lifetime. If he was ever going to be someone on OFF/DEF I always thought it would be at CB, he was years away and probably needed a full year starting (and getting beat over and over) before he became a solid at worst CB in the NFL. I never thought he'd be anything more than a gimmick player on offense when the Bears made the move. I was probably wrong because he was a real offensive player, just not a great one and the potential for him was on defense. Though he had a great career regardless, nothing wrong with many people considering 'you' the best return man in NFL history. Enough for the HOF? Doesn't really matter, to me. He'll be remembered for a long time anyway.

[Bryan]

What really happened is he became a WR who they would run vertical hoping he could get behind the defense.

That's the Bears (and NFL coaching sense) for you...take a guy like Hester who is magic with the ball in his hands, and at the snap have him run as far away from the football as he possibly can.

Hester was a very exciting return man. I think Billy White Shoes had more spectacular returns because he would make people miss, whereas Hester would make one guy miss and run away from everyone else. The HOF argument for Hester is tricky. I think Josh Cribbs would be more deserving ST guy...he wasn't quite as a good a returner as Hester but he was great at covering kicks and punts, too. At this point, I don't really feel strongly either way about Hester's candidacy. The only thing I hate is the false media narratives that crop up during HOF campaigns...starting to hear a lot of "Devin Hester forced the NFL to change their kickoff rules" stuff. Come on.