Devin Hester Sits Out Practice

Devin Hester brushed off being named the NFC's special teams player of the week for the second time in three weeks. He's more concerned about getting on the field Sunday against the Buccaneers in London.

Hester sat out Wednesday's practice as he continues to recover from a chest injury. He said he was "hurting'' after getting banged up in the 39-10 victory over the Vikings.

Hester had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown Sunday night but the Bucs might pose a much stiffer challenge.

"(The Bucs are) just physical on special teams,'' Hester said. "But there are some things we feel we can hurt them with.''

The Bucs rank second in the league in opponents field position after kickoff (18.8-yard line) thanks to the kicking of Michael Koenen. And since 2002, the Bucs have surrendered just four kick return touchdowns, tied for third-best in the league.

"I was hoping the Bears would leave (Hester) at home and not bring him to London," Bucs coach Raheem Morris joked. "If he shows up, hopefully we still won't see him. Hopefully, we can keep him somewhat out of the game."

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(chicagotribune.com)