Top Ten By Position - Kickoff

The Collector's Top Ten By Position Series kicks off.... now.

Let's see who is lined up to receive the kick. In today's Top Ten list we'll review the greatest Return Specialists of the Super Bowl era. Before we start the countdown, here's a quick list of some stars who just missed the cut. (All cards pictured are in my collection unless otherwise noted.)

Just Missed The Cut

Billy "White Shoes" Johnson made two NFL All-Decade teams (1970s and 1980s) and three Pro Bowl squads primarily as a punt return specialist. He ranks seventh all-time with 3,317 punt return yards, which include 6 returns for touchdowns. 

Leon Washington averaged nearly 26 yards per kick return over his nine-year career. His 8 career kick return touchdowns are tied for second all-time, and he's 12th all-time in total return yards.
 

Glyn Milburn and Michael Bates rank sixth and seventh on the NFL's all-time list for kick return yards, respectively. Bates made five Pro Bowls and was named an all-decade returner while Milburn ranks top five all-time in combined kick & punt returns and total return yards.
 

#10 - Cordarrelle Patterson

A versatille weapon wherever he lined up, Cordarrelle Patterson could hold his own as a wide receiver or running back. However his specialty was returning kicks. The four-time All-Pro and 2018 Super Bowl champion ranks 9th all-time in kick return yards and holds the all-time record with 9 kick return touchdowns. Patterson would rank higher on this list if he had returned punts - which he did only once. 

#9 - Eric Metcalf

The son of a record-breaking kick returner, Eric Metcalf was a leading rusher for the Browns and a leading receiver for the Falcons while racking up kick and punt return yards throughout the 1990s. The NFL's all-purpose yardage leader in 1993, Eric made three career Pro Bowl teams, two All-Pro teams, and ranks second all-time in both total punt retuns (351) and punt returns for touchdowns (10).

#8 - Desmond Howard

     

The 1991 Heisman trophy winner and fourth overall pick in the 1992 NFL draft, Desmond Howard is the only special teams player to be named Super Bowl MVP. The single-season record for punt return yards belongs to Howard, who ranks 8th all-time in career kick return yards, 9th all-time in combined return yards, and his 8 career punt return touchdowns are tied for fourth-most all-time. Oddly, none of his 359 regular-season kick returns were touchdowns - yet he ripped off a record-setting 99-yard return on the biggest stage in sports.

Dishonorable Mention: David Meggett

Dave Meggett is a Super Bowl champion, two-time Pro Bowl honoree, and a top-three all-time punt returner. He has eight more total return yards than Eric Metcalf, in 33 fewer games. However, Meggett gets banished to the 'dishonorable' bin because he is also a serial sexual predator.

*I hope this does not become a recurring segment on the Top Ten countdown, but I will include players who deserve to be on the list statistically even if their off-field transgressions overshadow their on-field accolades.

**There are probably some examples that I'm not aware of, so let me know if I missed any "bad guy" behavior from another top ten star. 
 

#7 - Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles ranks seventh all-time on the NFL's career combined return yardage list. Selected as one of the two punt returners on the NFL's 2010s all-decade team, Sproles was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls and earned a second-team All-Pro nod from 2014-2016. He was not named to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro roster following the 2011 season despite setting the single-season record for all-purpose yards with 2,696.
 

#6 - Allen Rossum

note: I don't have any Rossum cards 

Allen Rossum ranks in the NFL's all-time top ten for career kickoff returns (2nd), kick return yards (2nd), kick return touchdowns (tied for 9th), punt returns (9th), punt return yards (10th), combined returns (2nd), and combined return yards (2nd). His per-return averages weren't eye-popping and he had a lot of competition among 2000s return men, but it's surprising to me that such a prolific and consistent specialist managed just one Pro Bowl selection over a stellar 12-year career. 

Honorable Mention: Rick Upchurch

Rick Upchurch led the NFL in yards per punt return three times from 1976-1982, earning first team All-Pro selections each time. Though he did return kickoffs, Rick's combined return yardage falls well short of the upper echelon of specialists in this category. Despite his lower counting stats and short career, I thought Upchurch deserved a mention for setting Super-Bowl era standards with 8 punt returns to the house and a 12.1 per-return average. 

 

#5 - Dante Hall

One of only five players with over 10,000 career kick return yards, Dante Hall electrified Chiefs fans throughout the first half of the 2000s. Twice Hall led the NFL in all-purpose yards, and twice Hall was named to a Pro Bowl roster. He was not named an All-Pro or Pro Bowler in 2004 despite pacing the NFL in kick return yards and all-purpose yards. Equally dangerous on punt and kickoff returns, he returned six of each type for touchdowns. 

#4 - Mel Gray

Mel Gray was such a standout return specialist that he almost never lined up at the line of scrimmage. The Saints, Lions, and especially Oilers saved him for kick and punt return duties, which he did better than anyone in the 1990s. Arguably the second most valuable Lion of the Barry Sanders era, Gray was named first team All-Pro three times and made four Pro Bowl rosters in a five year span from 1990-94. He led the NFL in yards per punt return twice, yards per kick return twice, and he was the first specialist to acumulate 10,000 total return yards.  

#3 - Josh Cribbs

Josh Cribbs was named to the NFL's all-decade team for the 2000s despite starting his pro career in 2005. In 2007, the undrafted free agent signee earned the first of his three Pro Bowl selections by leading the NFL in kick return yards (1,809), all-purpose yards (2,312), and kick return average (30.7 yds). Cribbs was named a second-team All-Pro that year, but earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2009 after taking three kickoffs to the crib for touchdowns and setting a career high with 2,510 all-purpose yards. 

#2 - Brian Mitchell

Brian Mitchell made one Pro Bowl and was named to one first team All-Pro roster - both in 1995. He wasn't named to the NFL's All-Decade team as a returner for the 1990s (Mel Gray was named twice) So why is he second on my all-time list of return specialists? Because Mitchell is the NFL's all-time leader in career punt returns, career punt return yards, career kick returns, career kick return yards, career combined returns, and career combined return yards. Only one player in NFL history has more return touchdowns. What's more, his all-purpose yardage total ranks second all-time behind only Jerry Rice. A better question might be - why isn't Brian Mitchell enshrined in Canton?

#1 - Devin Hester

I tried to dispute this ranking. Not because Devin Hester played primarily for my favorite team’s arch-rival, or because of any personal dislike. I simply saw Brian Mitchell's career return totals and thought Why isn't he the first and only return man in the Hall of Fame? Why is it Devin Hester - who ranks eighth all-time in combined return yards with a career total 8,000 less than Mitchell's? 

It's a simple matter of quality over quantity. 

Hester led the NFL in kick return yardage twice, but he really excelled on punt returns. The three-time All-Pro and two-time All-Decade honoree set an NFL record with 14 punt return touchdowns. No other returner - not even Brian Mitchell - has 14 return touchdowns including kickoffs. Including kickoff returns, Devin Hester's 19 total touchdowns are the most of any non-offensive player in the Super Bowl era. 

Oh, and speaking of Super Bowl...

There's no denying it. Devin Hester is the 🐐

Do you have a favorite kick/punt returner? Is there anyone you would rank higher or lower? 

I hope you'll join me for our next position group top ten countdown later this week.



Thanks for reading!


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