The life of an NFL returner is like the life of an early-80s new-wave act. Sure, there are a couple of U2s and Duran Durans in the mix, but generally, the rolls of honor are scattered with Kajagoogoos, Bow Wow Wows and Flocks of Seagulls.

 

Since Billy “White Shoes” Johnson (a member of our Hall of Awesome) and Rick Upchurch put returners on the map in 1975, there have been 18 men with three or more kick/punt returns in a single season (not including Hester). 

 

Ten of the 18 didn’t score a single TD the season after their superhero performance, and only three – Dante Hall in 2003, Tyrone Hughes of New Orleans in 1993 and Steve Smith in 2001 managed to score more than once.

• 1975 White Shoes Johnson, Hou (0 the next season)
• 1975 Rick Upchurch, Den (1)
• 1977 White Shoes Johnson, Hou (0)
• 1985 Ron Brown, Raiders (0)
• 1991 LeRoy Irvin, Rams (1)
• 1993 Tyrone Hughes, NO (2)
• 1994 Mel Gray, Det (0)
• 1995 Andre Coleman, SD (0)
• 1995 Tamarick Vanover, KC (1)
• 1996 Desmond Howard, GB (0)
• 1997 Darrien Gordon, Den (0)
• 1997 Eric Metcalf, SD (0)
• 1998 Glyn Milburn, Chi (0)
• 1998 Roell Preston , GB (0)
• 2000 Darrick Vaughn, Atl (1)
• 2001 Steve Smith, Car (2)
• 2002 Michael Lewis, NO (1)
• 2003 Dante Hall, KC (2)

We're big on history, and so the clear suggestion was that Hester would be hard-pressed to repeat his success of the previous season -- it had simply never been done.

 

Well, it's been done now. Hester has followed up his five return TDs of 2006 with five more in 2007 (through Week 14). It's simply unbelievable. In a season where Brett Favre is smashing every career mark for passing and the Patriots are putting up points in a way we've never seen, we also have the Incredible Hester.

 

Does this guy have a nickname? Dick Enberg tried to give him the terrible "Hester the Pester" earlier this season, but it's safe to assume that this won't stick. 

 

Maybe his nickname should be "One-Man Team" Hester. 

 

Because despite Hester's heroics, and despite the huge field-position edge they've regularly gotten thanks to teams kicking away from Hester, the Bears are still just 5-8 and looking nothing like last year's Super Bowl team.

 

Overall, it's been a heck of a fall for a team that had the ball with a chance to go ahead in the fourth quarter of last year's Super Bowl.But they still have Hester going for them, the only man in history to have great return seasons back to back.

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