The Chicago Bears' transcendent kick returner, Devin Hester, entered the record books once more, Sunday afternoon, when he took a Jason Baker line-drive punt to the house in Soldier Field.
Hester's 11th career punt return for a touchdown makes him the most prolific punt returner in the history of the NFL. He bested Eric Metcalf, the previous record-holder with the dash.
For all intents-and-purposes, it was a dumb move on the part of Baker, the Panthers kicker who delivered a bolt straight into the speedy Hester's hands.
No. 23 grabbed the ball, turned right, then juked left to set the defense on a bad pursuit. He then broke a tackle and turned up the left side of the field.
Upon reaching the end zone, he launched himself into three consecutive somersaults -- and incurred a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the celebration. Coach Lovie Smith didn't seem to mind.
The punt wasn't Hester's only ridiculous showing. Moments earlier he returned a kickoff 73 yards -- only to be stopped by the kicker, and set up a 17-yard scoring run for Bears' running back Matt Forte.
Chicago went on to win the game 34-29.
