Hester, Tomlinson, Brees among NFL Players of the Week

Dec 13, 2006 - 6:50 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) - A record-breaking performance has resulted in more accolades for Devin Hester.

A rookie return specialist for the Chicago Bears, Hester was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday.

Hester helped the Bears clinch a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs by returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in a 42-27 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Monday night. The scores gave Hester six return TDs this year, an NFL single-season record.

The former Miami Hurricane won the honor for the second straight week and third time this season. Hester becomes the first special teams player to be honored in back-to-back weeks since Kansas City's Dante Hall in 2004.

A five-TD performance against the Dallas Cowboys earned New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees the NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor while Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cedric Griffin was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

New TD record holder LaDainian Tomlinson of San Diego was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week while Buffalo Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel earned the conference's defensive award and Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville captured special teams honors.

Brees helped the Saints get a leg up in the race for the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a 42-17 drubbing of the Cowboys on Sunday. The former Charger continued his strong season by completing 26-of-38 passes for 384 yards. It was Brees' sixth 300-yard performance in his last seven games.

A rookie out of Texas, Griffin had an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble in Minnesota's 30-20 victory over Detroit.

Tomlinson scored three TDs in a 48-20 win against Denver on Sunday, giving him 29 this season. Tomlinson eclipsed the previous record of 28 set by Seattle's Shaun Alexander last season.

The player of the week for the third time in the last five weeks, Tomlinson needs three points to surpass the single-season record of 176 set by Hall of Famer Paul Hornung in 1960.

Schobel tied a career high with three sacks and added nine tackles and a forced fumble in helping the Bills to a 31-13 road win over the New York Jets. A college teammate of Tomlinson's at TCU, Schobel's award was the second of his career.

Jones-Drew scored three TDs, including a 93-yard kickoff return to start the second half, in Jacksonville's 44-17 rout of the Indianapolis Colts. Jones-Drew racked up a franchise-record 303 all-purpose yards and set the team's single-season record for all-purpose yards by a rookie with 1,700.