How Will the Superbowl Be Affected by Intangibles?

Special teams have been the key to two of the last three Superbowls. In Superbowl XXXVI, the Patriots squeaked out a 20-17 win over the Rams. How did they do it? A game winning kick by special teams player Adam Vinatieri. Coincidentally, Vinatieri repeated that same trick in Superbowl XXXVIII, helping the Patriots edge the Panthers in a 31-28 win. However, big special teams performances aren't just limited to the kicker. With Superbowl XLI coming up, one has to wonder how the Bears' biggest factor coming into the game is getting ignored. I'm not talking about Rex Grossman - I'm talking about Devin Hester.

For the uninitiated (read: non-Chicagoans), the rookie has scored a record six touchdowns this year off of kick returns, including a game winning kick return against the Arizona Cardinals in Week Six. Hester was named to the All-Pro team, and has shown that he can be a threat at any time, in any game. Could Hester be a factor in the Superbowl? While Hester has yet to play in a Superbowl, other kick return specialists have made their marks on a game where a kick return can make all the difference.

Look at Superbowl XXXI, an airborne duel between Green Bay and New England. In the third quarter, New England scored on a touchdown run, making the score 28-21 (in favor of Green Bay). After giving up an early lead to 17 unanswered points, it looked as though the Patriots have a chance of coming back. However, just as the New England Patriots are beginning to build momentum to bring them back into the game, Desmond Howard returned the ensuing kickoff for a 99 yard touchdown (he finished with 154 yards on the day). Crushed, the Patriots never came within the red zone for the rest of the game, and the Green Bay Packers won the Superbowl by a score of 35-21.

In Superbowl XXXV, almost half of the points in the game came off of kick returns. In a battle of defenses between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens, both teams managed to exploit one defensive flaw: special teams. In the third quarter, Ron Dixon ran back a kick for a 97 yard touchdown, the only points that the Giants managed to score in the entire game against a stout Ravens front line. Likewise, the tough Giants defense was exploited when Raven Jermaine Lewis ran back a kick for an 84 yard touchdown. The Ravens went on to win it, 34-7.

However, not all special teams performances have been memorable. During Superbowl XXV, the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills played in a game where the slightest advantage in field position would have made all the difference. Although the Giants played superior offense and defense, they were unable to gain good field position off of kick returns, and were forced to punt four times where better starting field position would have given them the field goal. Had a special teams return specialist managed to gain enough yards to put the Giants in field goal range, the game surely would have been easier for the Giants. However, between David Megget and Dave Duerson, the Giants managed only a measly 48 yards on kickoff returns. As such, the game was closer than it needed to be, and was barely won by the Giants and Matt Bahr nailed a 21 yard field goal for a 20-19 Giants win.

So where does Devin Hester fit in?

The Indianapolis Colts are coming from an uplifting win against the Patriots, but there is just one problem: Ellis Hobbs tore up the Colts special teams unit for 220 return yards on six returns. Although Hobbs did not score a touchdown against the Colts, he certainly proved that their special teams are weak enough where some serious damage could be done. If someone like Hobbs (who was filling in for an injured Laurence Maroney) could cause that much damage, just imagine what Devin Hester could do.

At the same time, however, Hester has been prone to lapses of judgment. In the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Hester nearly cost the Bears the game. Not only did Hester have three fumbles, but he gained almost no field position for the Bears, finishing with only 56 return yards on six attempts. Those were not his first fumbles, either. However, in the same game, Hester had what appeared to be a 63-yard kick return touchdown called back due to an illegal block by Ricky Manning Jr.

So which Hester is going to show up? The incredible rookie with six touchdowns on returns, or the inexperienced special teams player that has bad hands? Granted, the Chicago Bears do not have much Superbowl experience to go on (in their last visit in Superbowl XX, the Bears only had 49 return yards en route to a 46-10 slaughter of the New England Patriots), but the inclusion of Devin Hester in the game plan already makes the game a little more interesting.