Special Teams needs to do special things

In 2008 BC had a dominant, Top 10 Defense and a untested QB on the other side of the field. Sound familiar, right? Like now, points and possessions were at a premium. However, one thing Jags did in 2008, which Addazio is yet to do this year, is take big chances in Special Teams.

Your memory might be a little hazy, but BC's Special Teams changed multiple games in 2008. We went for repeated punt blocks and converted one for a TD against ND. Toal converted a fake punt to help win a shootout with NC State. An onside kick against Florida State was a huge momentum swing. Billy Flutie also turned a fake field goal into a touchdown against Maryland. All made the difference between a team that won the division and a team that could have used a green QB as an excuse to squeak out six wins.

Aside from the offensive struggles, one of the reasons Jags could roll the dice on Special Teams was that he trusted his Defense. If any of those gambles had backfired, he still knew his defense could hold. I don't expect Addazio to suddenly become a riverboat gambler, but he needs to have that same faith in his defense. And he needs to start taking chances somewhere.

We might not be loaded at QB, but we have enough former QBs on Special Teams (Swigert, Robinson, Willis and Nosovitch) that we could incorporate some passes without alerting the other team. We also have plenty of pure athletes who could easily be part of a fake punt or take advantage of a surprise onside kick.

The other reason you can start with fake or aggressive Special Teams now is because you have four games of opponent film to pick up tendencies and opportunities.

The season is young and Addazio has already taken a lot of criticism for how he's handled the clock and his QBs. Who cares if he takes some chances and it blows up in his face? With this Defense most BC fans will forgive attempts to win. It is playing not to lose that will upset me.