Bears' Hester, Seahawks' Washington killers in return game

Devin Hester's 14 combined touchdown returns are an NFL record.

Pretty impressive.

But the Seahawks' Leon Washington's 7 kickoff returns for TDs are 1 shy of the NFL record.

Not too shabby.

Could make some for explosive moments Sunday and no doubt some comparisons between the two star returners.

“We both do things well,” Washington told seahawks.com. “He's obviously an explosive guy, and he really really excels at punt returns. And I really really excel at kickoff returns.

“So we're both guys that can score from anywhere on the field.”

Wrong number:

During Pete Carroll's media conference call Wednesday, a reporter's cell phone that had been placed on the podium started buzzing and just wouldn't stop.

After trying to ignore it for a while, the Seahawks' coach finally decided to just go ahead and answer it.

“Hello?” Carroll said to the person on the other end. “No, not now. It's a press conference, sorry. I'll get back to you.”

Carroll kidded that it was an “old friend from high school” and then went back to answering questions … but he still had the caller on his mind.

“Do you think they're going to call back?”

Feeling confident:

Seattle sports talker KJR 950-AM ran a poll question this week asking listeners who they think will win Sunday's game.

Probably no big surprise, but nearly 75 percent picked the Seahawks.

But, what if …:

If you have the number 5 in your squares pool you'll love whatifsports.com prediction of a Bears victory Sunday.

After thousands of runs through the simulator, 25-15 is the average final score predicted, with the Bears having nearly an 80 percent chance of winning the game — the highest percentage of any team left in the playoffs.

Moose and Goose on Fox:

In case you were wondering, the broadcast team for Sunday's telecast will be Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa.

The quote:

“It was a refreshing outlook on everything and it made football fun again. I really enjoyed it and had a blast playing this year. Every day coming to work, you come to work with a smile on your face knowing it's going to be fun. You're going to work hard, but also, it's going to be fun.”

— Seahawks receiver Brandon Stokley on playing for Pete Carroll this season