As he prepares to chase Dante Hall across a second continent, Sean Morey is keenly aware of what he and his fellow Steelers' special teamers will be up against when Kansas City visits Heinz Field on Sunday.
"He's a fast, quick, explosive guy that can stop on a dime and get to full speed in a heartbeat," Morey said.
Morey first came to that conclusion while playing in NFL Europe as a defensive back for Barcelona assigned to somehow shadow Hall, then a wide receiver for Scotland.
These days, Hall is on the brink of making NFL history.
His six career kickoff returns for touchdowns are an NFL record (as are the six kickoff return scores recorded by Ollie Matson, Gale Sayers, Travis Williams and Mel Gray).
And Hall's 11 combined returns for touchdowns (kickoffs and punts) rank third all-time, and trail by two Brian Mitchell's NFL-record 13.
"He's different," linebacker Clint Kriewaldt, like Morey a Steelers' special teams captain, said of Hall. "He keeps things alive. Even on a kickoff, if it's not there he's still back there dancing. I don't know what it is, but he's definitely different.
"There's something special about him."
Hall has already returned one punt for a touchdown this season.
He took a kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown against the Steelers in 2003, when he became the first player in NFL history to score on a kickoff or punt return in four consecutive games.
The Steelers may not see Hall at his best tomorrow.
He missed practice Wednesday and Thursday and was downgraded Thursday from probable to questionable (hip).
Hall practiced Friday.
Either way, the Steelers' coverage units will have to be more disciplined than they were last Sunday night in San Diego.
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