Martz 'happy,' but if a head coaching job beckons ...

Mike Martz was the Rams' head coach for six years (2000-05), and he's been an offensive coordinator there, with the 49ers, the Lions and now the Bears.

He seemed ambivalent when asked which role he preferred.

“That's a hard question,” he said. “More than anything else, it's the people that you're with and that you enjoy what you're doing. This is a special situation for me, obviously knowing Lovie (Smith) and (defensive coordinator) Rod (Marinelli) and now these (other) coaches, too.

“When you're happy in the job that you do, whether it's a head coach or a coordinator, it doesn't make a heck of a lot of difference. I really like being a coordinator because you're hands-on, and you're involved with football, and I really like that part of it and enjoy it.”

Depending on the Bears' postseason success and the continued improvement of the offense, Martz could become a head-coaching candidate again. He said he would welcome the chance.

“Sure, if the opportunity would come up again, who knows,” he said. “Shoot, I'm 59 years old. I'm very happy with what I am doing right now, and if that's it for me, I would be the happiest guy in the world, too.”

Playing it safe:

Devin Hester is anxious to add on to the NFL record he set Monday night for kick-return touchdowns, but he probably won't get many opportunities against the Jets on Sunday at Soldier Field, especially on punts.

“I think it's pretty safe to say we're planning on not kicking to him,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said during Wednesday morning's conference call. “I think you can write that down, as everybody else I'm sure doesn't want to kick to him. I don't think you can deal with him. As a returner, it's ridiculous.

“He's got to go down as the best punt returner in the history of the game.”

Ryan said he's also been impressed with Hester as a receiver, along with the rest of the Bears' wideouts.

“You've got two guys that are blazing fast,” Ryan said. “Really, that whole receiving group over there with (Johnny) Knox and Hester and Earl Bennett and then the kid that I can't pronounce his name, No. 19 (Devin Aromashodu). It's a good group. Those guys, especially Knox and Hester, they're hard to deal with.”

Not a problem:

The “experts” on Monday Night Football spent a lot of time critiquing and criticizing Jay Cutler's footwork in the Vikings game in which his passer rating was 106.6. He doesn't care.

“No one knows what we're trying to get done with this offense, so no one knows the hot reads, no one knows my reads at all,” Cutler said. “No one knows what we're trying to do with the offensive line, what we're doing with receivers. You guys don't have a clue, so it doesn't bother us, doesn't bother anybody in that locker room. We're going to continue doing what we do and, as long as we're winning games, good things are going to happen.

“I mean I don't read it. For the most part, I talk to Mike (Martz) and, as long as Mike's good with what I'm doing, then I'm good.”

On the mend:

The Bears did not practice Wednesday because of the Monday night game. Several players were listed on the injury report, though no one was considered serious.

Wide receiver Earl Bennett (ankle), linebacker Lance Briggs (shoulder), cornerback Charles Tillman (knee), linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee), cornerbacks Zack Bowman (foot) and Corey Graham (ankle) and safeties Craig Steltz (ankle) and Major Wright (ankle) could all be ready by Sunday.