Anaheim, Calif. ? Chris Carr knows he probably won’t see much of Kansas City return specialist Dante Hall on Sunday, unless he’s needed to play in Oakland’s injury-depleted secondary.

Even so, the Raiders’ rookie punt returner said Sunday’s game against the Chiefs could hinge on how well each player does returning kicks.

“You know that (Hall) usually gets their team good field position, and the game’s about field position, so it makes you even more want to step your game up,” Carr said Wednesday. “You want to do your part. You know he’s going to do his part, so you have to try to cancel him out and try to do a better job than he does.”

After several years of mediocrity, the Raiders’ special teams have responded this year. Hall, who has 10 career returns for touchdowns (six on kickoffs, four off punts), will be facing an Oakland unit that ranks first in the NFL in net punt average and a punter in Shane Lechler who is second in the AFC and fourth overall with a 46.6 gross average.

Hall is ninth in the AFC this season with a 7.3-yard punt return average, his lowest mark since 2000.

Carr, who made Oakland’s roster after heading to training camp as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State, is 10th in the AFC with a 6.7-yard average. Neither man has had a punt return for a touchdown this season, though Hall did score on a 96-yard kickoff return against Philadelphia on Oct. 2.

Like Hall, Carr’s speed and vision have been his best assets since joining the Raiders as an extra defensive back. Injuries to starters Charles Woodson and Derrick Gibson opened the door for Carr to play in Oakland’s secondary the last two games but it’s on special teams where the Raiders prefer Carr to concentrate.

The Raiders had originally planned for wide receiver Doug Gabriel to handle their return duties but an injury to Gabriel in preseason coupled with Carr’s solid performances in training camp forced coach Norv Turner to alter his thinking.

So far, the reviews have been good.

Carr, who also doubles as the team’s kick returner, has had multiple change-of-direction returns this season and has come close to breaking several long gains.

Carr is also one of the NFL’s most exciting punt returners, if for no other reason than he rarely calls for a fair catch. When he called for one late in the first quarter of last week’s win over Tennessee, it was Carr’s first of the year.

“My mentality in college was catch everything,” said Carr, who finished his four-year career at Boise State as the NCAA’s career-leader in punt return average. “It didn’t matter if it was 10 yards deep in the end zone on a kickoff return or if I got blasted on punt returns. So it was a hard adjustment going from catching everything to thinking about fair catching. You have to realize you can’t make a play every single time. Surprisingly, it felt comfortable. Sometimes you need to do it.”

A meeting with Turner and special teams coach Joe Avezzano changed Carr’s mind.

“At some point, there’s nothing wrong with getting away from the ball,” Turner said. “When you have a young player at that spot, there’s where experience (comes in). People think, ‘Well, he’s been catching punts all his life.’ Not the type of punts he sees on Sundays in this league. He’s getting better and better as we go.”

Wednesday, the Raiders released safety Calvin Branch and signed veteran safety Reggie Tongue, who worked out for the team last Thursday. Tongue has not played since being released by the New York Jets on June 15. Wide receiver Randy Moss did not practice Wednesday but is expected to return on Thursday.