Bears special teams unit gearing up to face Hester

Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis was amused when he was asked if preparing to face Devin Hester was fun.

"Yeah, this is a blast," DeCamillis laughed. "I'm having a blast right now. That's a great one."

He did admit the challenge was intriguing.

"When you play against the best, you measure up and see what you've got," DeCamillis said. "I think our guys are going to go in there and play as hard and as physical as they can, and that's what we're looking for and that's what we expect every week."

The punt-coverage team suffered a major lapse in Week 5 when it allowed the Panthers' Philly Brown to go 79 yards for a score with a loose ball, but that was more of a mental mistake than anything.

"I don't think the coverage was an issue last week," DeCamillis said. "Yeah, (we) gave up the play, but if you look at the coverage, there's how many guys around that ball? There were a lot of people there. On kickoff coverage, there were a lot of people around that ball. I'm just hoping that there's a lot of people around that ball in Atlanta."

Coverage teams usually don't have a problem getting fired up to play against elite returners like Hester, who in Week 3 established the all-time NFL record for return touchdowns with his 20th, a 62-yard punt return.

So, will the Bears' coverage teams be psyched to face Hester?

"I'll tell you after this week," said DeCamillis, who's coached special teams with five other NFL teams in a 25-year career. "I've never played the all-time leader. We played (Hester, before he held the record) in other places, and our guys were always gunned up and trying to play as well as they could against him. I think we'll do the same thing."

Friend vs. friend:

Robbie Gould spent countless hours on the sidelines with the Falcons' Devin Hester when they were Bears teammates for eight years.

So the kicker had a message for the kick-returner: "Devin, I'm coming, buddy, I'm ready," Gould said. "I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited."

Hester said of Gould: "I know what he's good at, and I know what his weaknesses are."

So, what are they?

"Robbie knows," Hester said.

Gould says he's got something special for Hester Sunday.

"He knows my tendencies," Gould said, "but I've got a good game plan ready for him. If he knows my tendencies after this game, I'm in trouble."

Cornering the market:

Tuesday's release of Isaiah Frey, who played nickel cornerback for the previous three weeks, including a start in Week 3 when the Bears opened with three cornerbacks, creates an opening.

Sherrick McManis is an obvious choice, but he's missed three straight games with a quad injury and was limited at Wednesday's practice. Rookie safety Brock Vereen was pressed into service at nickel corner in Week 3, but cornerback Demontre Hurst could be the next man up.

"We're processing through that," coach Marc Trestman said. "Sherrick's availability will be a part of that, Brock's capabilities will be a part of that. We'll move guys around through the week. We've got a plan for that from a competitive standpoint to be at our best in that regard. 'De' Hurst is involved in that process as well."

Health beat:

The injury list continues to grow.

Eight players did not participate in Wednesday's practice, including the top four linebackers: Lance Briggs (ribs), D.J. Williams (neck), Jon Bostic (back) and Shea McClellin (broken hand). Offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod (knee, ankle), running back Matt Forte (coach's decision), safety Ahmad Dixon (hamstring) and guard-center Taylor Boggs (hamstring) also did not practice.

Center Roberto Garza (ankle) went through a full practice for the first time since Sept. 5, while safety Chris Conte (concussion), defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff (concussion) and cornerback Sherrick McManis (quad) were limited.

For the Falcons, wide receivers Devin Hester (hamstring and Harry Douglas (foot) did not practice.

Making moves:

Safety Shamiel Gary was signed to a one-year contract.

The 6-foot, 210-pounder entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Patriots this year. Defensive end David Bass, who was cut from the 53-man roster Tuesday, was signed to the practice squad.