Cribbs and Hester were two of the most exciting players of their era ... with kickers and punters purposely avoiding them out of fear they'd take it to the house every time they got the ball.

Despite racking up All-Pro, Pro Bowl and All-Decade team honors during their careers, both guys are still MIA at the Hall ... and Cribbs tells us it's about damn time they get the call.

"I believe Devin Hester is a Hall of Famer, I believe myself is a Hall of Famer," Cribbs said.

To make his case, Cribbs points out he dominated on both sides of returns ... also excelling as a gunner.

"Who can you say did both, was like the best returner out there as well the best cover guy?" Cribbs said.

As for Hester, Cribbs says his résumé speaks for itself.

"You got guys that are a class of their own right there. We're in a class of our own. When you mention us, our unique talents can't be matched anywhere -- in history and in the future."

Cribbs called out voters for continuing to give the position the cold shoulder ... saying just being nominated for the HOF ain't enough.

"The league is saying that it's not that important, even though it is. We literally changed games. Coaches literally kicked away from us."

FYI -- Cribbs had more than 11,000 kickoff return yards and 8 touchdowns over the course of his 10-year career ... adding 2,300 yards and 3 TDs on punt returns.

Hester had over 3,600 punt return yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns in 11 seasons ... with 7,300 yards and 5 scores off kickoffs.

"We actually deserve our place because of the work we put on the field for over a decade," Cribbs added. "We were both All-Decade return specialists and we deserve our place in history."