I was the wedge breaker on my college football team for four years and can describe from experience the attitude of reckless abandon you must command to excel at this position. Better than average speed and great strength are the required talents. Being able to tackle with ferocity and having a direct nose for the ball should be an ingrained skill when you apply for the honor of wedge breaker. You toil in anonymity and only your team mates and coaches appreciate what you bring to the game. My job was to spearhead the other 9 (our kicker never tackled anybody) kamikaze’s running down the gridiron at breakneck speed, wreaking havoc on any human in your path to attain the honor of separating the ball carrier from the pigskin, or burying him in the turf.

I’ll never forget the opening kickoff my freshman year when our kickers cleat met the pigskin and I sprinted straight for the vaunted wedge of the University of Missouri at Rolla. Our coach had me completely psyched to search and destroy, after drilling our team as to how devastating their huge phalanx of blockers would come at us in hopes of springing their man for pay-dirt. I saw them forming as blades of green kicked up from my furiously churning metal spikes. The sun was blinding my wide eyes off their glazed golden helmets and I could smell the cut of fresh grass as I hurled my speeding body at the perfectly wedged formation. I caught them in the mid body waist-high, while I twisted my elongated physique to promote the most damage. The front three สมัคร ufabet เว็บไหนดี sprawled over me after my vicious assault, and two more hit the turf as my momentum propelled me forward. One of these players caused two more of his team mates to spill to the manicured grass, and I managed to get a hand on the foot of the ball carrier before one of my freed up mates slammed him at the twelve yard line. The stars I saw from helmets, pads, arms and knees enveloping and striking my body quickly subsided, as the official blew his whistle to halt play and mark the line of scrimmage.

As a up-back on the punting team my route to the receiver is direct, but I was forced to navigate through the blockers to attack my prey. More attention has to be paid to the opposition blocking the punt before I can release to search and destroy. On punts you are subject to cut back blocks more frequently than while attacking a wedge, so you must keep your wits about you while running hell-bent to attack the ball carrier. One thing I can assure my readers is that special teams is not for the weak of heart and those that refrain from heavy contact, but will bring to those that venture, a conviction of never being afraid to meet a challenge head on. For this author there is nothing like the challenge this thrilling position presents!