Hester’s hand in playoff success is confirmed
PHILADELPHIA >> Tipping an attempted field goal is a science, according to Treyvon Hester. It takes preparation and teamwork. It takes effort. It takes anticipation.
That’s why, in his six years of college and NFL football, he had blocked how many kicks before Sunday?
“None,” he said.
So make it one. And make it a significant one. Make it official, the way the NFL did, when it ruled that Cody Parkey’s late, 43yard attempt to advance the Chicago Bears in the postseason Sunday was blocked, not hooked. For after a careful study of the film, a practice that has become an NFL addiction, it was found that Hester got a finger on the kick, affecting it to whatever possible degree that allowed it to hook to the left, hit the upright, the crossbar and the Soldier Field lawn.
When it happened, or at least after a one-play clock run-off, the Eagles were in the Elite Eight and Hester was in franchise lore.
That’s Treyvon Hester. You know: Treyvon Hester, a Week 5 promotion from the practice squad, a defensive tackle from Toledo, an undrafted former Oakland Raider of two career NFL starts. Yet that was him Thursday after practice at the NovaCare Complex, thrilled to be the latest surprise hero in a two-year Eagles run of such surprise heroes.
“Right off my fingertips,” Hester was saying, in a first-edition telling of a tale he likely will repeat for a lifetime. “It felt good, actually. To be honest, I felt I didn’t get enough of it, because when I looked back, it looked like it was still on the right path. So I felt like, ‘Oh, man, I didn’t get enough.’”
The tip, which was the first blocked kick in Eagles postseason history, was hardly an in-your-face, basketball-style snuff. Nor did it affect the distance, of which Parkey supplied plenty. But a close study of the film indicated some small change of direction of the ball. The celebration that followed indicated some large change of direction in the Eagles’ season.
“I turned back around and said, ‘It’s over,’” Hester said. “It bounced off.”
Hester, though, didn’t see either of the two ricochets, which have brought the phrase “Double Doink” into T-shirt-level popularity.
“I didn’t even see it,” he said. “I was so frustrated. I thought it didn’t get enough. But everybody was happy that I touched it. That’s all that matters.”
The tip helped preserve the Eagles’ 1615 lead and extend their season. It also extended the legend of the Penn Hills, Pa., native who was waived by the Raiders in September after a rookie season in which he made 21 tackles in 14 games. He has played a dozen games for the Eagles, making 20 tackles and enough of a special-teams presence to have been trusted to leap and try and make the most important play of his pro career.
Though Parkey was predictably ridiculed for his failure, Hester was happy to know that the NFL made sure he had a hand in the situation.
“I like to get the recognition,” Hester said. “I’m a second-year guy that’s trying to make a name for myself. But I have a lot of vets who are out here helping me out and helping me improve my game. I am grateful.”
Football a team game, Hester understands that without the initial push at the line, he would not have been in a position to take a swipe at fame.
“There’s definitely a strategy,” he said. “Without Haloti Ngata, I wouldn’t have been able to get the push that I got. Because we both get down there and we try to get that guy in front of us out of our way. So a lot of credit goes to him and the guys around us, because we all try to make a play. It just happened that it grazed my hand.”
Sunday, his hand grazed a football. Ever since, it has been shaken by teammates, thankful for his effort.
“Philadelphia proved me right,” he said. “And they allowed me to show everyone what I can do.”
Hester plans on continuing to show that for a long time.
“I have a photo,” he said. “I’ll hang it up in my man cave. And I’ll send one back home to Mom, so she can look at it, too.”
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The Eagles practiced indoors Thursday, with crowd noise pumped in to simulate the atmosphere in the Superdome, where they will play the Saints Sunday in New Orleans. Neither Carson Wentz (back) nor Michael Bennett (foot) practiced.
D.J. Alexander (hamstring), Alshon Jeffery (ribs), Sidney Jones (hamstring), Jason Peters (quadriceps), Golden Tate (knee) and Mike Wallace (ankle) were limited in their participation.