page_title: Devin Hester
section_title: 2007 season
hierarchical_section_title: Devin Hester / Professional career / Chicago Bears / 2007 season
caption_attribution_description: Hester at training camp, 2008.
context_page_description: Devin Devorris Hester Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Miami, where he was the first player in the university's recent history to play in all three phases of American football: offense, defense and special teams. In addition to Chicago, Hester also played for the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks over his eleven-season NFL career.
  Originally drafted as a cornerback, Hester quickly made an impact as a kick returner, and later became a wide receiver. He holds the NFL record for most all-time return touchdowns and most all-time punt return touchdowns. He is widely regarded as one of the best return specialists in NFL history, and was the first person to return the opening kick of the Super Bowl back for a touchdown.
context_section_description: Shortly after losing Super Bowl XLI, Hester and special teams coach Dave Toub spent a significant amount of time working on new return strategies and formations. Ultimately, Lovie Smith converted Hester into a wide receiver in order to increase the number of opportunities he would receive during a game. Hester, who originally played as a wide receiver at the University of Miami, was initially hesitant about making the switch to offense, as he wished to follow in the footsteps of Deion Sanders. However, the Bears’ coaching staff eventually persuaded Hester to make the transition over the summer. During the 2007 off-season, Hester won the Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award.
  Although NFL rules generally require wide receivers to wear jersey numbers in the 10–19 and 80–89 range, players who later change positions are allowed to keep their previous number, as long as it is not within the 50–79 range for eligible receiver purposes. Hester was allowed to keep number 23, a number normally used for cornerbacks, since it sits outside the 50–79 range. Along with former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Dwight Stone, who wore number 20 during his eight-year stint in Pittsburgh, and Oakland Raiders wide receiver Cliff Branch, Hester was one of three wide receivers to wear a 20s jersey number since the NFL adopted the current uniform numbering system in 1973.
  Hester returned his first touchdown of the season, a 73-yard punt return, against the Kansas City Chiefs during Week 2. He nearly recorded a second touchdown return, but the play was negated by a holding penalty. Hester established himself as a threat on offense, when he caught an 81-yard touchdown pass from Brian Griese against the Minnesota Vikings. He also returned a punt for an 89-yard touchdown, though the Bears lost the game. In the weeks to come, many opposing special teams began to kick the ball away from Hester, contributing to, according to Mike Pereira, a 132% increase in kickoffs that went out-of-bounds. Rod Marinelli, the head coach of the Detroit Lions, placed a strong emphasis on kicking the ball away from Hester, saying, "kick the ball into Lake Michigan and make sure it (sinks) to the bottom."
  Before the Bears’ Week 12 matchup against the Denver Broncos, Todd Sauerbrun infamously stated that he would kick the ball to Hester. Hester, who had not returned a kick for a touchdown in almost a month, responded by returning a punt and kickoff for touchdowns. Keith Olbermann, a commentator for NBC Sunday Night Football, awarded Sauerbrun with the dubious "Worst Person in the NFL Award" for kicking the ball to Hester and failing to tackle him. The two touchdowns gave Hester the most kick returns for touchdowns in the Bears’ franchise history. Hester concluded the season with a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 55-yard touchdown reception against the New Orleans Saints. He was even given the opportunity to throw a pass on a variation of a wide receiver reverse, but he was sacked while motioning to Bernard Berrian.
  Hester finished the season with six kicks returned for touchdowns, which set a league record. He finished the season ranking fourth on the League's all-time combined kick return list, behind Brian Mitchell (13), Eric Metcalf (12), and Dante Hall (12). Additionally, he amassed 299 yards on twenty receptions as a receiver, though he was often used as a decoy. His play on offense received mixed commentary. While the Bears’ coaching staff believed Hester showed enough progress to become one of the team's top receivers in 2008, Hester was prone to making small errors, including running routes incorrectly or dropping catches. He drew a fifteen-yard facemask penalty while attempting to fend off a would-be tackler in a game against the Saints, and received a $5,000 fine. Nevertheless, Hester concluded the season with four Player of the Week Awards, giving him a franchise-high total of seven in his career, and an invitation to the 2008 Pro Bowl.
caption: Hester at Training Camp, 2008