Judge & Jury: Who's NFL Greatest All-Time Kick Returner?

Each week the Talk of Fame Two entertains historians and/or media members and asks them to answer the Question du Jour. After hearing from them, a judge – in this case, Hall-of-Fame voter Clark Judge -- renders a verdict based on their responses. Today we consult a group of historians, asking them to name the best-ever NFL kick returner before that job becomes extinct: 

Q: The NFL this season will experiment with a rule allowing returners to fair catch a kickoff inside the 25, thus pushing returns closer to extinction. With that in mind, let’s celebrate the best of the best before they’re forgotten: Whom do you consider the greatest kickoff returner of all time?

THE JURORS

JOHN TURNEY, historian, Talk of Fame Two and Pro Football Journal.

“I used to consider Gale Sayers the top kick returner, but, as Cordarrelle Patterson’s career is nearing an end and we can see what he’s accomplished, he has to be first. During his career, rules were changed to limit kickoff returns in the interest of player safety, but Patterson still performed at an All-Pro level. No one has taken more kicks to the house than Patterson, and he’s done it going against the best athletes, best kickers and least favorable rules in NFL history.

Even though Patterson returned nearly three times as many kicks, his average is just 1.1 yard less than Sayers. Also, through 68 games (the number Sayers played), his average and the percentage of kick returns for touchdowns were just a hair behind the “Kansas Comet,” meaning their “peaks” were the same.

Would Sayers have kept his 30.6-yard average had he played longer and returned more kicks? Averages historically drop as a player is targeted and ages. Yet, Patterson kept his skills at a high level as he got older. Among players who returned 200 or more kicks – the high-volume returners – Patterson averages 3.2 yards more than the next best returner.

That is dominance.

I love honoring the accomplishments of players from previous generations, but, at some point, the Johnny Unitases must yield to the Tom Bradys of the world. In this case, Patterson has surpassed Sayers and is the G.O.A. T. kick returner.”

JEFF MILLER, author, historian, Pro Football Researchers Association.

“John makes great points. Would add that we will never see another like Patterson, Sayers or Hester if the new rule becomes permanent. Kickoff returns will become rare and, eventually, we’ll see punt returns go by the wayside as well. It’s too bad since the plays can be so electrifying and change the momentum of a game.”

RUSSELL BAXTER, historian and founder of Pro Football Guru.

“Devin Hester owns the NFL record for overall kick returns, be they punts, hiccups or missed field goals. Though Patterson does own the league record for most career kickoff returns (for TDs), the fact that Hester proved he can basically take any opportunity and turn it into a touchdown makes him – in my mind – the best return artist in NFL history.”

CHRIS WILLIS, historian, author and head of research, NFL Films.

“As kickoff returns become a thing of the past, my top three guys of all time would be Mel Gray (4^th all-time in KOR yards, 3X first-team All-Pro, 1990s’ all-decade), Gale Sayers and, number one, Cordarelle Patterson.”

THE VERDICT

The jury has spoken. I'm predisposed toward Sayers, but Turney is right: At some point, you must acknowledge what Cordarrelle Patterson accomplished in an era when the NFL is trying to eliminate returns. Not only does he have more KO returns for TDs than everyone else (9); his yards per return are comparable to Sayers.

It's not an open-and-shut case, but the case is closed nevertheless. Cordarrelle Patterson it is.