Devein Hester has broken Deion Sanders' NFL record on Thursday with a 56-yard punt return to pick up the 20^th return for a touchdown in his career.

Hester, who now plays for the Atlanta Falcons after spending eight seasons with the Chicago Bears, also scored a 20 yard run during the first half of his new team's walloping of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After the Falcon's 56-14 victory against Coach Lovie Smith's men, Hester expressed his excitement for the teams win.

He also stressed the team's high moral and his optimism for the upcoming season saying "I'm excited for this season, man. This is only the beginning for our team. It's a team that knows how to utilize their talent."

Hester, 31, has amassed a staggering career record of 14 punt returns, 5 kickoff returns and he has only missed a single field goal return for scores.

Hester has been described as an 'outstanding' footballer who represents the "pinnacle standard of the return position in the NFL" by Phil Emery, Bears general manger.  

Hester has won many awards with the Bears, including the rookie 2006 Brian Piccolo Award. After his latest achievement, he received lots of congratulatory messages on Twitter from his former teammates and the entire Chicago Bears establishment. 

The record holder ceased being a Chicago Bears player during the off-season, when it became clear that the club wasn't going to offer him a contract extension.

After playing 123 games in eight seasons, the veteran admitted that at the time of his departure from the Bears he had lost some of his youthful speed.  But he revealed that he still poseses the ability to deliver and hurt other teams as exemplified by this record breaking performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.