FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The mere thought of trying to corral Devin Hester kept Indianapolis’ special teams coach wide awake last week.

Russ Purnell isn’t getting much rest in South Florida, either.

“I slept about four hours for four nights,” Purnell said. “He’s extremely talented and his blockers are outstanding. That’s what really gets lost in this is how good his blockers are.”

Regardless of who’s out in front, Hester has been the one finishing off the runs, often ending up in the end zone.

The rookie set an NFL record by returning six kicks for touchdowns — three punts, two kickoffs and a 108-yard mad dash with a missed field goal.

His combination of speed, deft moves and coy tactics gives the Chicago Bears a distinct advantage in Sunday’s Super Bowl against a Colts team that has struggled to cover kicks all season.

Defending Devin takes the challenge to a whole new level. Plus, Hester will have the added motivation of playing in Miami, where he starred in college for the Hurricanes.

Indy allowed the second-highest average on punt returns (13.1) and third-highest mark on kickoffs (26.0). The Colts and St. Louis were the only teams to give up three TDs on kick returns in the regular season.

For a team that places a premium on small, fast defenders, exactly the kind of players who should solidify special teams, it’s a befuddling problem.

Coach Tony Dungy was so concerned he made several switches on his coverage teams before the playoffs. Defensive regulars Robert Mathis and Rob Morris, along with occasional starter Marlin Jackson, were suddenly doing special teams work again.

“I think the intensity level has been up in the playoffs, and there’s more of a sense of urgency now,” Jackson said. “It’s going to be very important Sunday.”

The changes helped, at least at the outset.

Indianapolis made return specialist Dante Hall a nonfactor in a 23-8 wild-card victory over Kansas City. But the Colts let New England’s Ellis Hobbs average 36.7 yards on six kickoff returns in the AFC championship game, including an 80-yarder that set up a touchdown.

Hester said he doesn’t think those shaky numbers give much indication of what will happen Sunday.

“Sometimes you have a bad game,” Hester said. “That was one of their bad days on special teams, but we know they’ll bounce back. We’ll see a different team out there.”