Special teams

[RiverDog]

I don't know how to explain the punt return. When I first saw the play, I thought that Ryan told the group that he was going to direct his punt to the right then missed it and it veered off to the left. Then I harkened back to my own playing days when I was taught that once you hear the boom of the punt that you wait a count then take a quick glance over your shoulder to locate the ball, but since it fooled everyone on our squad, they must teach their coverage team to follow the reactions of the opponents. In any event, it was a quirky play.

The fake punt was an extremely risky gamble. They had to have seen something in our punt block/return squad that gave them a reason to expect a high percentage of success. It's a lot easier to take that chance when you're team was essentially eliminated from playoff contention halfway through the season.

I don't know how many tricks Fisher has up his sleeve, but with absolutely nothing to lose, we can expect him to throw the kitchen sink at us. Flea flickers, tackle eligible, reverses, hook and ladder, name the gimmick and it will be on the table. Expect the unexpected. This is a classic trap game if there ever was one.