Should the New England Patriots Make Moves for Devin Hester?
Special teams mistakes cost the Patriots multiple games in 2015 and eventually they lost homefield advantage in the playoffs. Could longtime kick returner Devin Hester help?
Aside from “Do your job” and “It is what it is”, one of the most recognizable Belichick-isms of recent years is…say it with us, class… “All three phases of the game”.
(Bill Belichick expressions coffee table book to be announced at a later date)
The three phases of the game Coach B is referring to, of course, consist of offense, defense, and special teams. New England’s offense was, by and large, one of the NFL’s best (late-season collapse notwithstanding), the defense blew everyone’s expectations out of the water, and special teams…well, for as well as they played in most situations, some critical plays were straight-up G.O.B Bluth “…I’ve made a terrible mistake.”
It’s all coming back to you now, isn’t it? Chris Harper’s dropped punt against the Broncos that opened the door for a Brock Osweiler-led Denver team to storm back and beat the Patriots at home? That, of course, was enough to get Harper cut, although not for long.
It wasn’t just Chris Harper, either. A few weeks later, receiver-turned-punt-returner Keshawn Martin also borked a punt return against the Houston Texans in the third quarter in a game where the Patriots were manhandling the Texans on both other sides of the ball. Sure, New England won that game 27-6, but that’s not the point.
Special teams mistakes. They frequently turn into opponent’s points on the board. Can’t make ‘em.
So, given that the Patriots pretty much literally ran out of options at the punt/kick returner position – with both of the aforementioned receivers making unexcusable mistakes, and former KR/PRs Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman being too valuable to risk in the return game – what could the Patriots do to get better?
The answer – and this is going to be a BIG stretch – could depend on what the Atlanta Falcons do with one of the best – nay, THE best – kick/punt returner in NFL history.
By now, you’ve surely figured out that the dude in question is ex-Chicago Bear and current Atlanta Falcon Devin Hester, the man with the most non-offensive career touchdowns in NFL history (20).
Ok, so if Devin Hester is who we know he is, why would the Falcons cut him?
Well, he’s 33 years old, he’s scheduled to make $3,000,000 this year, and coupled with his signing bonus, will cost Atlanta a cool $3,833,334. If the Falcons cut Hester, they save themselves the $3,000,000 and are only on the hook for his $833,334 signing bonus in dead money. The Falcons cap isn’t screwed quite as bad as their hated bros in the Bayou, but it’s not great either, especially for a team like Atlanta that’s badly talent-deficient in pass rushing and O-line protection. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell calls Devin Hester “…a luxury the Falcons can’t afford right now.”
SO, assuming Atlanta does, in fact, cut Devin, what about his 2015 season that ended with him on short-term IR all the way back in October with a toe injury? Hester was activated again on December 4th, but, oh, he had a big ol’ goose egg in the “Return Touchdowns” column last year, too.
33 years old and coming off an injury with no TDs? Why the F would New England be interested in that guy?
Simple. Despite ending up on IR for the first time in his 10-season career, Devin Hester is actually quietly putting up some of the best stats of his career – AFTER his mind-blowing 7-touchdown Pro Bowl 2010 campaign.
Forget the home-run returns for a second – if you’re returning kicks and punts, your job is pretty simple – catch the ball and get as many yards as you can. Here’s how Devin Hester has looked through the years with punt return yardage per return – and pay special attention to the post-2010 numbers.
(all stats per www.pro-football-reference.com)
2006: 12.8 yards per return.
2007: 15.5 yards per return.
2008: 6.2 yards per return.
2009: 7.8 yards per return.
2010: 17.7 yards per return.
2011: 16.2 yards per return.
2012: 8.3 yards per return.
2013: 14.2 yards per return.
2014: 13.3 yards per return. This was his first year in Atlanta.
2015: 4.3 yards per return.
So, yeah, Devin Hester had a lousy 2015 in the punt return department, but this was the first season he had a significant injury, and before that, 2012 aside, he was still doing Devin Hester things that were actually the same or better than his early-career stats.
It gets even better when you look at his kick returns:
2006: 26.4 yards per return.
2007: 21.7 yards per return.
2008: 21.9 yards per return.
2009: 22.3 yards per return.
2010: 35.6 yards per return (again, this was the season where Hester had a Super Star the entire time)
2011: 21.9 yards per return.
2012: 25.9 yards per return.
2013: 27.6 yards per return.
2014: 25.1 yards per return.
2015: 26.1 yards per return.
Remarkable, isn’t it? Even at 33 years old, Devin Hester’s last few years in the kick return game have been the definition of consistency.
How about fumbles? Can’t have fools fumbling the ball on a routine play, right? Right. Good talk.
Again, focusing on 2010 and onwards, Hester fumbled the ball 5 times in 2011, 1 time in 2012, 5 times in 2013, and 2 times in 2014. That may not look like much, but compared to his 8 fumbles in 2006, 7 fumbles in 2007, and 5 fumbles in 2008, it’s actually an improvement. Those fumble numbers also count the snaps he played on offense and defense, as well as special teams.
And the final reason why Devin Hester makes sense in blue and silver?
Simple. The Patriots know how important consistency on special teams is, and they’ve proven it with the ultimate gesture of appreciation – Robert Kraft’s wallet.
Pro Bowl “wide receiver” Matthew Slater has been a Patriot his entire career (he’s 30 now) and only plays offense in DIRE emergencies, like 2013. Running back Brandon Bolden isn’t anyone’s idea of a great running back, in the Adrian Peterson sense, but his special teams value keeps the paychecks coming – remember his kick-return punch-out strip of Pacman Jones in the “We’re on to Cincinnati” game last year. Guys like safety Nate Ebner play marginal defensive snaps, but make their bread and butter on ‘teams. The Patriots took a flyer on Olympic track star Jeff Demps as a return man, for crying out loud. Special teams are freaking important.
So if – again, IF – the Atlanta Falcons cut one of the best return men in NFL history, the Patriots owe it to themselves to call Hurricane Hester, the Windy City Flyer, and see if the numbers work to turn an embarrasing aspect of the 2015 season over to one of the all-time greats at the position.