Core special teams players at the NFL level need to bring the juice and have a little crazy coursing through their veins. Dallin Leavitt of the Green Bay Packers fits the description perfectly, according to the endearing terms bestowed upon him by special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia.
“He’s that guy, right? He’s the Energizer Bunny. He’s the Tasmanian Devil,” Bisaccia said Wednesday.
The Packers signed Leavitt this offseason to help Bisaccia bolster the special teams. Through four games, the former Raider has played 75 special teams – the second-most on the team – and delivered three total tackles.
Leavitt, a feisty safety who stands 5-11 and weighs 195 pounds, participates on kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return, punt coverage and field goal block for the Packers.
In terms of leaders in the special teams room, Leavitt has quickly assumed the role for Bisaccia in Green Bay.
“He’s just one of those guys that has a great sense of his job, has a great sense of his role, and what he’s being asked to do. And he plays in a way in which I think people respect his work. He’s an angry worker but he’s really a bright guy. Some of his things I think are probably calculated. He’s well-prepared, and I think the players, especially the younger players, they see how he prepares. He has to make a lot of the calls in the meetings so I think the guys get a certain level of comfort, I know Pat does, that he’s going to put them in the right protection at the right time and hopefully he can keep doing that.”
A little crazy helps on special teams, especially in terms of getting under the skin of opponents.
“He pisses me off a lot, so I’m sure he gets after them a little bit as well,” Bisaccia said. “I think the first game, the official came over and said, ‘What is the matter with No. 6? It’s the start of the game, it’s just how he is.”
