QUICK SNAPS

Proud, confident and . . . foolish?

Whereas most teams facing the Chicago Bears have kicked away from star returner Devin Hester, the Raiders say they’re ready today to put the ball in his hands.

“We’re excited about the challenge,” Coach Lane Kiffin told Chicago reporters on a conference call. “It’s no fun to kick it out of bounds, so we’re going to see how well we can cover.”

In only his second season, Hester has returned nine kickoffs and punts for touchdowns, including one in the Super Bowl against Indianapolis. Last season, he also returned a missed field goal for a touchdown.

Informed of Kiffin’s comment, Bears Coach Lovie Smith said he wasn’t sure whether to believe it.

“Does he mean it?” Smith said. “It’s hard to say. Most teams haven’t kicked to him. I can understand why you would get a guy that would say: ‘Hey, he’s a guy that puts on his shoes just like everybody else. We’re going to kick to him.’

“If I was on the other side of the field, I would kick the ball to Devin Hester. Sitting here as the head coach of Devin, if I was on that other side, I can understand why teams wouldn’t do it.”

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Not a head case

Carolina quarterback David Carr, who is recovering from a concussion, said he’ll retire if he has to deal with many more of these brain bruises.

“Health is first and family is first,” Carr told reporters after suffering what he believes to be his second concussion, against Tennessee. “Football is fun. But that’s not something you mess around with.

“I have three boys at home and a family, and after all this is done that is where I’m going to be spending my time. I don’t want to have to have the same intellectual level as my 7-year-old son right now.”

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Doubting Donovan

Two days after Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid could offer no guarantees Donovan McNabb would remain the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, McNabb fired back.

“I’m definitely not the whole reason why we lost these games,” McNabb told reporters this week. “Can I help? Yes, I can. But I’m not fully to blame for everything that goes on around here. I can help, but I’m not that main solution. I’m a piece of the puzzle, and when the puzzle’s put together, then we’ll have success.”

The Eagles (3-5) are coming off a 38-17 loss to Dallas in which McNabb had a fumble and two interceptions leading to 14 points by the Cowboys.

The day after the game, Reid was asked if McNabb would remain the starter for the rest of the season, barring injury. The coach said: “That’s where I’m looking at things. Again, nothing is guaranteed. That’s how I’m looking at it, yes.”

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Fair warning

In a conference call with reporters who cover the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior warned that tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. “better have his head on a swivel” when he faces the Steelers today.

The comment was in reference to a late hit Winslow had on Farrior in Pittsburgh last season, one that drew a 15-yard penalty.

“Every time we go up against those guys, I’ll be looking for him,” Farrior said.

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Packing light

Koy Detmer, a backup quarterback in Minnesota, goes through the same routine for every road game. He stops by a local Target, buys a pair of slacks, a collared shirt and a package of underwear. Presto! He’s packed for the trip.

“I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing he turns his underwear inside out on the way home,” Vikings guard Artis Hicks told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “But as you’ll find out, that’s what makes him Koy.”

-- Sam Farmer