Devin Hester’s Super Bowl Return
Okay! So this is the “style” I’ve decided to go with for Historical Comics. I might change the color outline if the gold gives me some trouble but if you want to know when it’s a historical comic, it’ll be called a Lateral. Aka the fancy football version of the term “throwback”. Get it? Goes well with checkdowns. If you see the lateral, you know it is a golden oldie.
I also want to thank everyone for the suggestions on last week’s first go. More than I expected and lots of them will likely make an appearance this summer. I’d wager at least one per week will be likely. Probably several weeks with more. We are gonna get nostalgic this offseason to help deal with the fact that our current world is a hellhole.
I think there’s a pretty good case to be made that Devin Hester’s Super Bowl XLI kickoff return is the greatest play in super bowl history by the losing team. In fact, I think the return might actually be the biggest cultural impact of that game as a whole. If you aren’t a Colts fan, when you think about the Bears/Colts super bowl, what comes to mind first? I can’t remember practically anything else from that game. I think Reggie Wayne got a TD? Sexy Rexy didn’t look all that ready for the big time? All of my memories of that game are abstract at best…except that opening. That one is a play for the ages, and it is kind of a shame we can’t talk about it without the unfortunate caveat that the Bears ended up losing in a mostly boring game.
Oh and I guess that was the Prince halftime show game, and the first African American head coach SB win game, both important trivia answers. But the game itself was pretty meh outside the return. It was one of those plays you secretly hope would happen but would never dare believe would actually happen. When that kick went up and we all saw Hester catch it, every single one of us (except people rooting for the Colts) was thinking “Man wouldn’t it be awesome if Hester ran this back?” And then…he did. And by god did it fucking rule. As unmemorable as the rest of the game was, it was still worth it for that runback. If you re-watch the play, right before the kick is caught Phil Simms espouses “Well it might actually be a good thing for the Colts to lose the coin flip and not have the ball first” and then he is immediately proven wrong in timeless fashion.
As a thought experiment, what are the other greatest plays in SB history by the loser? As already stated, I don’t think any play has actually defined the game the way the Hester return did, as most greatest loser plays go down as tragically forgotten whereas nobody can forget the return. Off the top of my head, here are the best loser plays:
-The Julio catch
-The Jermaine Kearse catch
-The Larry Fitzgerald go-ahead TD
-Don Beebe chasing down Leon Lett after a fumble recovery to save the touchdown. Maybe the most heroic loser play, as it happened late and there was no hope for the Bills by then.
The gold border reminds me of the hall of fame jackets. Good choice.
I remember we were trying to go RBBC with Thomas Jones & Cedric Benson. The growing pains for the late Benson were STRONG. Just had no burst or pop at all, but found second wind in Cincy. Maybe the cheerleaders for Indy weren’t hot enough but Rex wasn’t getting it done either
I often wonder if Devin Hester could play runningback if he ate enough deep dish pizza
If we’re talking about successful plays from the losing team, I guess Hester’s return is topped by no other. But there are quite a few unsuccessful ones that decided the game and I think are better remembered:
– Scott Norwood’s wide right kick at the end of SB XXV (part of the plot of Buffalo ’66 revolves around it)
– The Titans being denied the winning TD 1 yd from the end zone in SB XXXIV (even mentioned in Cast Away)
– The Seahawks passing the ball from the 1 yd line instead of handling Marshall Lynch in SB XLIX
The main difference between these and the ones I was arguing for is that the ones I was arguing for are unambiguously positive plays for the team that lost. All of these plays are memorable, but not for that reason. Wide Right wasn’t a great play by the Bills.
The Giants’ lone TD on a kickoff return in Super Bowl XXXV. It Looked like maybe the Giants could get a spark out of it, but then the Ravens answered it immediately on their own kickoff.
Jevon Kearse? Are you sure it’s not Jermaine Kearse there, Dave? Y’know, the one that gave us all a “Oh, not again… Not like that” moment during XLIX?
Also, how in the name of all things NFL-y don’t forget Steve McNair’s heroics that ultimately ended 1 yard short during XXXIV
Aaaaaaaaaagh Kearses good catch
It wasn’t a good catch that was a great catch
Being a Bengals fan watching Stanford Jennings return the TD against the 49ers in XXIII was pretty sweet, apparently right after the late, great Sam Wyche asked for a great return.
Yep
Came here to say this.
I remember that return, Krumrie’s floppy leg, Jerry Rice splitting defenders for about 50 yards, and worst of all that dropped INT.
I like the extra logo & the gold border. Just a suggestion – what about adding the year of the events you’re referring to somewhere near the top of the comic?
I just remember all the talk from Dungy beforehand about how they weren’t going to be afraid of Hester, and they were going to just kick the ball to him, and thinking at the time that realistically, statistically speaking, they would probably have that work out, but it’d be pretty darn awesome if he took it back-and then he did. (I actually expected the joke to be based on that, whatever Dungy’s reaction would have been, but the Sexy Rexy one is pretty good.)
Pretty much all downhill from there, but that kick return and the Bears actually taking the lead in the Super Bowl was definitely a top highlight of my childhood, even if nothing came from it.
There was that crazy catch by Kearse in the Seahawks-Pats Super Bowl. I remember thinking it would be amazing if the Pats got buried again because of an improbable catch. Too bad the goal line call happened a few minutes later.
I remember that this was one of the few games my St. Louis church had an event for. I guess Tony Dungy, respectable Christian™, was enough for them to gather again since the last time Warner was there.
Washington’s return of Garo Yepremian’s fluffed kick-pass-pick six
If he’d made the kick, we’d have gone 17-0 with a score of 17-0.
I knew the Bears were going to lose the second Hester scored that opening return TD. Just 3 weeks earlier Ted Ginn Jr. opened the BCS title game with a kickoff return touchdown, and the Buckeyes got smoked. Oh and Ted Ginn Jr. was knocked out of the game by one his own team mates tromping on his ankle during the celebration. At least Hester didn’t have to live with that indignity.
“If you aren’t a Colts fan, when you think about the Bears/Colts super bowl, what comes to mind first?”
The halftime show, duh
The same thing happened with Ohio St. LSU and Tedd Ginn’s return the following year.
Any chance for a spiritual prequel to “Ringless Rivers”? One for Tarkenton, Kelly, Titleless Tittle, and Marino. For Tittle’s case, to think his best shot was the last and the guy was picked off several times, really spoke volumes of the Giants defense for the team to have a chance to win until the very end. The funny thing was that the final score was what SB 42 was going to be until that final drive happened.
All this comic did was make me sad that Vinatieri is actually finally washed. He was so close to playing in four different decades…90s, 00s, 10s, and if he could have held on one for one more year he could have played in the 20s. Alas.
Maybe somebody will pick him up as a flier but I think our kicker battle is going to be between McLaughlin and Blankenship at this point.
It is especially funny with Hungarian live commentary.
https://youtu.be/GoPfaGO7CBU
Steve McNair’s play to get the Titans down to the 10 yard line for their final shot at the endzone which ultimately came up one yard short has to be on the list of greatest Super Bowl plays by the losing team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEzPETe4c0A
Then comes the final shot he got in 2009.
I remember this play clearly. I had worked most Sundays that year, so I didn’t get to watch the Colts that much. I see this go down and I’m about to storm of and call it a night. My mother gave me a look and told me to sit down. “You’ve not had to watch them do this shit all year,” she told me. “It isn’t over by a long shot.” And she was right.
This was also my dream Super Bowl: grew up in the 80s and early 90s rooting for the Bears, then Jeff George (of all QBs) began to put some respect on the Colts. I got in just before Peyton came on board and have been stuck on this bandwagon through quarterback murders ever since.
Alfred Morris gets a long pick 6 off of Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. leading to the Atlanta Falcons highlight reel offense not seeing the field for like an hour and half…
Existence is pain.
Robert Alfred… my bad…
Too GATdamn soon.
This is a great idea. Looking forward to more of these
Does Hester deserve to in the Hall of Fame. Mediocre at other positions but holds the record for return tds. I say yes.
In my opinion, greatest loser Super Bowl moments (off the top of my head):
-Bills sack Jeff Hostetler and Thurman Thomas + Jim Kelly run through the Giants defense to set up Norwood’s miss in Super Bowl XXV
-Giants KR TD followed by the Ravens would run it right back on their return in XXXV
-The Titans last drive in XXXIV (One yard short). That entire game is brilliant.
-Steelers surprise onside kick in XXX early in the fourth quarter that allowed them to score and potentially win.
-The Patriots forcing Walter Payton to Fumble on the second play of Super Bowl XX, then scoring the first points to go up 3-0. They lost I think 44-10.
-Pretty much the first three quarters of XIV. The Rams played an incredible game and were leading with a slim 19-17 margin going into the fourth…then Terry Bradshaw and his receiving corps had some incredible plays to win the game 31-19.
-Near the end of Super Bowl VII (where Miami had the perfect season) Their kick holder fucked up and the Skins returned it 50 yards for a TD.
That’s all I got for now
X-Clown, Steve Smith for 69 Nice yards in double overtime in the playoffs to beat the Greatest Show On Turf Rams and send the 2003 Panthers to the NFC Championship Game.
Just a quality of life thing, but if there is video of the play (this week, obviously not last weeks) would you put a link to a video in the description? This week’s was easy enough to find, but I’m sure some might be a little harder to find in the future.