Long Snapper

[chickennob2]

Mike Leach is one of the best and most consistent long snappers in the game. And he also can play TE if we get desperate. But it would also be nice if we could find a young guy or a solid contributor who could take over the long snapping duties to free up an extra spot.

IVe heard rumors in the past about Chris Myers and Nalen. But those are, again, just rumors.



So does anyone know any contributors who have any long snapping experience?

[Archimedes Owl]

Scheffler long-snapped in college, so you can throw him into the mix.

It would be nice to have a long-snapper on the roster that does something else than just long-snapping, but it's an important position, so anybody competing to long-snap will have to really show that they are very reliable.

Leach is very good at what he does. Long snapping is not as easy as it looks and that's why guys like Leach often command roster spots. We just have to hope that some of the other players who have some longsnapping ability that play other positions can prove themselves reliable.

[White Dragon]

I want to throw my two cents into here as I like Leach and I really wouldn't want to see him go. What no one realizes, for the most part anyway, is that Leach is actually a pretty good tight end too, he's just never had a chance to play that position in a game. Another thing I love about him is that he's usually one of the first guys down the field on punts to tackle the guy, and is a very reliable tackler.

Lepsis is actually quite a good long snapper, but they keep Leach around, which means one thing... that it's a very important position and you have to be perfect at it, which is why so many guys make a living doing just that in the NFL.

[OrangePeel]

I've always found it weird that we would keep a player around for the sole purpose of long snapping, but leach has never screwed up (at least to my knowledge) and hes makign the league minimum so I don't see much of a problem.

[Archimedes Owl]

I've always found it weird that we would keep a player around for the sole purpose of long snapping, but leach has never screwed up (at least to my knowledge) and hes makign the league minimum so I don't see much of a problem.

Well, he takes up not just a roster spot, but an ACTIVE roster spot, so it makes sense that people would like to see somebody else step into the role. Then we'll have more leeway on who we carry on our active roster.

It's not a huge deal, but there is a definite reason that we would prefer it if somebody else who would be activated anyway were to be able to long snap for us.

It's all about that valuable roster spot.

[Fan in exile]

From Kffl.com

Broncos | Kuper working on long snapping
Sun, 30 Apr 2006 15:52:41 -0700

Denver Broncos rookie OG Chris Kuper said that he has been working on long snapping the past couple of years. "I didn't start as a long snapper here (at North Dakota), but it's going to be something that I'm going to work on just to try to make myself a little more versatile."

I don't know if it means anything for this discussion, but we did draft two guys this year who can long snap. Could just be a coincedence.

I kind of think Shanahan was looking to free up a spot so that we can carry three QB's, but I am often wrong. It's one of those things were if it happens I'm going to call someone up (who probably doesn't care), and tell them I knew it.

[D.J.55]

From Kffl.com

Broncos | Kuper working on long snapping
Sun, 30 Apr 2006 15:52:41 -0700

Denver Broncos rookie OG Chris Kuper said that he has been working on long snapping the past couple of years. "I didn't start as a long snapper here (at North Dakota), but it's going to be something that I'm going to work on just to try to make myself a little more versatile."

I don't know if it means anything for this discussion, but we did draft two guys this year who can long snap. Could just be a coincedence.

I kind of think Shanahan was looking to free up a spot so that we can carry three QB's, but I am often wrong. It's one of those things were if it happens I'm going to call someone up (who probably doesn't care), and tell them I knew it.

thats a great find . chris myers was a long snapper at miami. i think he has been praciticing long snappen during some of those mini champs.

[dogfish]

as i said in my roster thread, i think getting rid of leach is a pipe dream. . . . look around the league, teams that have quality veteran long snappers tend to keep them. . . . most teams don't particularly want their long snapper to get game action at another position, too much risk of injury-- kickers are delicate, fussy little guys who don't want their routines broken up in the slightest, and once they're comfortable with their snapper and holder, given their choice they would never change!

in a league where one game can easily mean the difference between making the playoffs and sitting home, that last roster spot is really a small price to pay for some piece of mind-- having a long snapper with years of game experience is more valuable than a 3rd or 4th string backup at most spots. . . . i personally don't read anything into reports that other guys are practicing long snapping-- it's a precaution, nothing more. . . . of course you want more than one guy on the team who's capable of doing it if necessary! it's easy to say we should can leach so we can carry a 6th WR, 10th DB, whatever. . . . but that would look pretty stupid if a guy who's long snapping for the first time this year ends up lofting a snap and causing a missed field goal that loses the division for us. . . . we've placed a renewed emphasis on special teams the past two years, and rightfully so when so many games are decided by only a few points-- it's fun to talk about, but come the season opener mike leach is gonna be on the team. . . .

[JRWIZ]

Scheffler long-snapped in college, so you can throw him into the mix.

It would be nice to have a long-snapper on the roster that does something else than just long-snapping, but it's an important position, so anybody competing to long-snap will have to really show that they are very reliable.

Leach is very good at what he does. Long snapping is not as easy as it looks and that's why guys like Leach often command roster spots. We just have to hope that some of the other players who have some longsnapping ability that play other positions can prove themselves reliable.

Leach can do it all played FB, LS TE and is almost always around the ball when a tackle is made on returns.

Until he can't do it any longer he just flat out has to many options he can fill in a crunch.

[JRWIZ]

as i said in my roster thread, i think getting rid of leach is a pipe dream. . . . look around the league, teams that have quality veteran long snappers tend to keep them. . . . most teams don't particularly want their long snapper to get game action at another position, too much risk of injury-- kickers are delicate, fussy little guys who don't want their routines broken up in the slightest, and once they're comfortable with their snapper and holder, given their choice they would never change!

in a league where one game can easily mean the difference between making the playoffs and sitting home, that last roster spot is really a small price to pay for some piece of mind-- having a long snapper with years of game experience is more valuable than a 3rd or 4th string backup at most spots. . . . i personally don't read anything into reports that other guys are practicing long snapping-- it's a precaution, nothing more. . . . of course you want more than one guy on the team who's capable of doing it if necessary! it's easy to say we should can leach so we can carry a 6th WR, 10th DB, whatever. . . . but that would look pretty stupid if a guy who's long snapping for the first time this year ends up lofting a snap and causing a missed field goal that losses the division for us. . . . we've placed a renewed emphasis on special teams the past two years, and rightfully so when so many games are decided by only a few points-- it's fun to talk about, but come the season opener mike leach is gonna be on the team. . . .

Great post

[Fan in exile]

as i said in my roster thread, i think getting rid of leach is a pipe dream. . . . look around the league, teams that have quality veteran long snappers tend to keep them. . . . most teams don't particularly want their long snapper to get game action at another position, too much risk of injury-- kickers are delicate, fussy little guys who don't want their routines broken up in the slightest, and once they're comfortable with their snapper and holder, given their choice they would never change!

in a league where one game can easily mean the difference between making the playoffs and sitting home, that last roster spot is really a small price to pay for some piece of mind-- having a long snapper with years of game experience is more valuable than a 3rd or 4th string backup at most spots. . . . i personally don't read anything into reports that other guys are practicing long snapping-- it's a precaution, nothing more. . . . of course you want more than one guy on the team who's capable of doing it if necessary! it's easy to say we should can leach so we can carry a 6th WR, 10th DB, whatever. . . . but that would look pretty stupid if a guy who's long snapping for the first time this year ends up lofting a snap and causing a missed field goal that loses the division for us. . . . we've placed a renewed emphasis on special teams the past two years, and rightfully so when so many games are decided by only a few points-- it's fun to talk about, but come the season opener mike leach is gonna be on the team. . . .

I understand what you are saying in general, however I think the situation in Denver this year may warrent cutting the long snapper in favor of a third QB.

First both Shanahan and Sundquist have said that they are uncomfortable only carrying two QB's. The third QB is far more important than a 6th WR or 10th DB.

This however depends on how Cutler progresses as a QB. If he turns out to have an amazing grasp of the Offense they may cut BVP and just go with two.

Second you are overstating the importance of the long snapper. They are needed yes, but a good holder can cover many faults. Then too Elam isn't the fussy little kicker that you are describing.

Thirdly roster cuts always force coaches to do things they aren't comfortable with because of the pressures of a 53 man roster. It will depend a lot on how comfortable Mike is with all the other positions, and with how much he wants to keep some of the young projects we have coming into camp.

[tnedator]

I understand what you are saying in general, however I think the situation in Denver this year may warrent cutting the long snapper in favor of a third QB.

First both Shanahan and Sundquist have said that they are uncomfortable only carrying two QB's. The third QB is far more important than a 6th WR or 10th DB.

This however depends on how Cutler progresses as a QB. If he turns out to have an amazing grasp of the Offense they may cut BVP and just go with two.

Second you are overstating the importance of the long snapper. They are needed yes, but a good holder can cover many faults. Then too Elam isn't the fussy little kicker that you are describing.

Thirdly roster cuts always force coaches to do things they aren't comfortable with because of the pressures of a 53 man roster. It will depend a lot on how comfortable Mike is with all the other positions, and with how much he wants to keep some of the young projects we have coming into camp.

More likely to cut the 6th WR that never plays than Leach who is on the field 5-15 key plays during the game.

[Fan in exile]

More likely to cut the 6th WR that never plays than Leach who is on the field 5-15 key plays during the game.

This is why I said that it would depend on how confident that Shanahan was in the other areas, and on how many of the young guys he wants to keep around.

This years WR's are very deep he may want to keep six so that we have experienced ones to come in when Rod Smith retires. Not only that but this will also depend on what happens with Lelie. If Lelie reports and plays as maybe the number 3 guy, then you would need six because we could lose two next year.

I'm not saying that it is going to happen, but as deep as the roster is this year, and with as many people who can long snap, the long snapper position is not secure. It certainly isn't a pipe dream to think that he could get cut.

[tnedator]

I'm not saying that it is going to happen, but as deep as the roster is this year, and with as many people who can long snap, the long snapper position is not secure. It certainly isn't a pipe dream to think that he could get cut.

Not trying to be argumentative, just trying to explain why it is very unlikely that Leach will get cut. Below are some excerpts from a USA Today article on long snappers. I think you will find that the league views long snappers as a very specialized skill.

In the upside-down world of NFL long snappers, 13-year veteran Kendall Gammon of the Kansas City Chiefs has made a career of tossing backward passes between his legs.

Although listed as a Chiefs tight end, same as Pro Bowler Tony Gonzalez, Gammon snaps on punts, field goals and extra points. The only tight end the 36-year-old plays is in practice on the scout team, simulating opponents.

"If I couldn't deep snap, I wouldn't have been in this league," says the 6-4, 255-pounder. "About the only thing Tony Gonzalez and I have in common is we're carbon-based forms of life. "

But Gammon has a special skill, like Mike Bartrum of the Philadelphia Eagles who once, for TV, snapped a football into a basketball hoop from half court. Or like the Seattle Seahawks' Jean-Phillippe Darche, a Canadian who put medical school on hold to snap for pay. Or like the Houston Texans' Bryan Pittman, who chased his NFL dream through semipro ball, odd jobs and injuries.

Although there were long snapping specialists decades ago, most used to be backups at other positions. In the past decade, nearly all have become as specialized as punters and kickers. Half the teams just list the position as "LS."

"The most important guy in special teams (with the kicking game) is the long snapper," says Gary Zauner, special teams coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Zauner formerly guided the Minnesota Vikings' special teams under Dennis Green, now head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

"Like Denny Green told me, 'The most important thing is when it's fourth down. ... I don't have to worry about a bad snap, that the punter should get it off and the kicker should kick it,' " Zauner says. "Any great kicker loves when you get a great snapper because it's almost like you don't even have a snap."

Even if long snappers can play other positions, many coaches won't risk having them injured.

"Guys are being drafted who are pure long snappers. That was something I never saw before," says Kevin Gold of Harrisburg, Pa., agent for snappers Rob Davis of Green Bay, Justin Snow of Indianapolis and Pittman of Houston.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...snappers_x.htm

[pipes]

I like having Leach do it. Like somebody else wrote, he hasn't ever screwed up.

Plus a couple of years ago, the NY Giants lost a crucial/maybe even playoff game almost entirely because of three horrible long snaps....and one pass interference call that was not called.