LSU senior punter Brady Dalfrey sat in his seat Aug. 8 at the team’s annual Media Day.He watched local and national media flock to recognizable players like seniors Darry Beckwith and Tyson Jackson. They left the special teams section virtually unvisited.Despite the punter getting far less attention than others at media day, the Carencro native said anonymity for a special teams player is not a bad thing.”Special teams is an overlooked part of the game,” Dalfrey said. “Most of the time, we’re only household names when we make a mistake, so to not be known by many people is sort of like a sign of respect for me.”He said coaches and teammates remind special team players their jobs are important. Dalfrey is one of the players who will be counted on to replace graduated senior Patrick Fisher. Fisher earned 2007 First-Team All-Southeastern Conference honors last season and averaged more than 44 yards per punt.LSU coach Les Miles said sophomore punter Josh Jasper is also expected to compete for Fisher’s former position.Though both punters have limited game experience, Miles said he expects the duo to be aided by a faster coverage unit than this past season’s group, which ranked No. 49 in the NCAA in net punting.”We may have more fast guys to run down underneath that punt with some of these freshmen and redshirt sophomores that are ready to get on the field a little bit more,” Miles said. “I look forward to both punters, and I look forward to seeing a fast, physical coverage team.”Dalfrey agreed and said he feels less pressure knowing he has a lot of talent around him attempting to down his punts.”Most of our guys … run either a 4.3 or a 4.4 [40-meter dash]” Dalfrey said. “If as a punter, I can hang it up, there is no way they’ll be able to return it.”LSU returns both its primary kick and punt returners from this past season.Miles said last season’s kick returners, juniors Trindon Holliday and Keiland Williams, and last season’s punt returner, sophomore Chad Jones, will be given an opportunity to retain their positions. But Miles said he also expects competition to exist.Holliday is the most decorated of LSU’s returners and averaged 26.2 yards per kick return this past season, including a 98-yard touchdown against Ole Miss. The 2008 preseason Third-Team All-SEC selection said playing special teams is his favorite aspect of the game, and he expects to be better this season.”I love special teams,” Holliday said. “I’ve worked a lot this summer, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to make some plays for us again this season.”Miles said Holliday and younger players like freshman cornerback Patrick Peterson are also expected to challenge Jones.LSU has tried to make Holliday its primary punt returner in the past, but his 5-foot-5-inch frame caused him to have problems seeing the ball off the punter’s foot.”The problem for me being back there has been catching the ball,” Holliday said. “I’ve been working, and I feel more comfortable back there, and I look forward to possibly being there in game action.” The strength of LSU’s special teams is arguably its kicking game where the Tigers are returning preseason First-Team All-SEC kicker Colt David.David, who hit 15 of 17 field goals in LSU’s final seven games said Miles’ decision to allow him to attempt a 57-yard field goal in the final seconds of the team’s overtime loss against Kentucky gave him the confidence it takes to be a better clutch kicker.”I knew that I had the leg strength to hit it,” David said. “It meant a lot to know that he could throw it, but that he let me kick it and then did not rip me up or give me grief when it didn’t go through. It felt good to know that he expected me to make that kick.”David and the rest of the LSU special teams unit will be coached by new special teams coach Joe Robinson this season, who joins the Tigers’ staff after four seasons at Arizona.”Joe Robinson has jumped into [special] teams, and his touch and his feel is making a difference to our kickers and punters,” Miles said. “I think we’re off to a good start on teams.”Robinson coached Dallas Cowboys’ kicker Nick Folk and Denver Broncos’ punter Danny Baugher with the Wildcats.David said Robinson’s pedigree working with quality kickers has given him more confidence this summer.”Kickers rely so much on technique and so much on feel,” David said. “Any small problem can affect our results, so it feels good to know that we have someone who is so good at his job to help us.”—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]