The Peanut Punch.

Every week in the NFL, there is a contest where the announcer references those three words when a defensive player punches the ball out of a carrier’s arm, resulting in a forced fumble.  It is part of the football lexicon and is practiced by every defender in football.  It all began with Charles “Peanut” Tillman.

From Louisiana-Lafayette, Tillman was Chicago’s Second Round Pick in 2003, and became their starting Left Corner as a rookie.  A takeaway machine with his ball-stripping skills, Tillman also was a competent ball hawk who had 38 Interceptions, eight of which were returned for pick-sixes.  Tillman was twice named to the Pro Bowl (2011 & 2012), the latter year where he co-led the NFL in Forced Fumbles (10), and Interception Return Touchdowns (3), and was a First Team All-Pro.

Peanut might be unlikely to enter Canton, but his imprint on the National Football League will forever be felt.

The Washington Redskins drafted Brian Mitchell in the 5^th Round of the 1990 Draft, where the Running Back found his true calling as a Return Specialist.  Mitchell played the entire 1990s with Washington, where he would win a Super Bowl (XXVI), and with his vast amount of returns (both kick and punt), he was a four-time league leader in All-Purpose Yards (1994, 1995, 1996 & 1998).  While he was only a Pro Bowl Selection once, there was no doubt that he was the most dependable Special Teams player of the decade.