Smith looking forward to Hester's date with history

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Coach Lovie Smith isn't usually one to make a big deal about individual records, but there is one he's looking forward to: the all-time kick-return TD record of 13 that Devin Hester now shares with Brian Mitchell.

“We have talked to the team about it,” Smith said. “We all realize where Devin is and that he has a chance to do something no one has done in the history of the game.

“All of our players that are part of those return teams realize that, too, that they can be a part of history, too, and we want to get it for him. “I don't talk a lot about individual goals, but this is one … we want to get that record for him.”

Hester is returning kicks with all the confidence he showed his first two seasons, when he took 11 to the house. And that confidence is contagious.

“He's confident all the time,” said special-teams coordinator Dave Toub. “Every time he touches the ball. (Last week) he got in the huddle during the kickoff returns and said, ‘Meet me in the end zone for the celebration.'

“That kind of lifts everybody up, when they hear that coming from a returner.”

Hester nearly broke a punt return midway through the first quarter but was tripped up by punter Brandon Fields after a 24-yard gain. That was as close as he came, being forced to make 3 fair catches. He also caught 4 passes for 41 yards.

Smart move:

After catching a 14-yard pass in the second quarter, Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall, a teammate of Jay Cutler's on the Denver Broncos, flipped the ball at his former quarterback and received a 15-yard penalty for taunting.

Marshall, Miami's leading receiver, left the game late in the first half with a hamstring injury and did not return.

Bears coach Lovie Smith was asked if the stunt by Marshall fired up his team.

“We don't need that to fire us up,” Smith said. “We were fired up when we took the field.”

Cutler said: “Brandon's a competitor, and I was getting after him earlier in the game. Before the game I was telling him he wasn't going to be able to catch any balls. He was just fired up.”

Special talent:

Team leader Corey Graham's 15 solo tackles on special teams are more than double Garrett Wolfe's second-place total of 7, and special-teams coordinator Dave Toub believes Graham deserves Pro Bowl consideration.

“He's right on track,” Toub said. “He had 2 more tackles last week, and he was our point-production leader again. He's playing at a Pro Bowl level in my opinion, and I'm sure in a lot of other coaches' and players' opinions around the league, too.”

Graham was credited with 1 special-teams tackle Thursday night.

Old times:

Lovie Smith was asked earlier in the week if he thinks backs to the last time he was in the Dolphins home stadium, which was the Super Bowl XLI loss to the Colts.

“When was that?” said Smith, feigning ignorance. “Sure, you'll never forget that. I try to remember all the good things that happened down there. That was a good experience. We know we came up a little bit short then.”

Sitting it out:

Thursday night's inactives were linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee), cornerback Joshua Moore, running back Kahlil Bell, guard Edwin Williams, tight end Desmond Clark and defensive ends Barry Turner and Corey Wootton. Nick Roach started in place of Tinoisamoa.