Eye on special teams

As the time ticks down to tonight's kickoff between the Patriots and Chargers, allowing for more analysis of the matchup, this thought came to mind: Don't forget special teams.

Both teams have some explosive players on special teams -- specifically returners Ellis Hobbs and Darren Sproles -- and in a game that appears to have two evenly-matched clubs, a big play in the kicking game could be huge.

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the Patriots' special teams units, as some of these under-the-radar players could turn out to be big contributors (personnel can sometimes change during a game, or depending on the situation):

Kickoff return
WR Sam Aiken, TE David Thomas, LB Larry Izzo, LB Gary Guyton, FB Heath Evans, S Ray Ventrone, OL Mark LeVoir, DL Mike Wright, DL Le Kevin Smith, S/WR/KR Matthew Slater, KR Ellis Hobbs

Punt return
S/WR Matthew Slater, LB Pierre Woods, TE David Thomas, FB Heath Evans, WR Sam Aiken, LB Larry Izzo, S Ray Ventrone, CB Jonathan Wilhite, CB Deltha O'Neal, S Brandon Meriweather, RB/PR Kevin Faulk

Kickoff coverage
S Brandon Meriweather, CB Ellis Hobbs, LB Larry Izzo, CB Jonathan Wilhite, FB Heath Evans, S Ray Ventrone, WR Sam Aiken, S James Sanders, LB Gary Guyton, S/WR Matthew Slater, K Stephen Gostkowski

Punt coverage
S/WR Matthew Slater, FB Heath Evans, S James Sanders, LB Gary Guyton, LB Adalius Thomas, LB Pierre Woods, LB Larry Izzo, LB Jerod Mayo, CB Jonathan Wilhite, LS Lonie Paxton, P Chris Hanson

Field-goal team
C Dan Koppen, C/G Russ Hochstein, OT Nick Kaczur, C/G Billy Yates, G Logan Mankins, NT Vince Wilfork, OT Mark LeVoir, TE David Thomas, LS Lonie Paxton, P/H Chris Hanson, K Stephen Gostkowski