The long snapper. Probably one of the most underappreciated position on any NFL team. Guys make a career of it and teams are more than happy to have this specialist on their team.
But why? All they do is hike the ball!
Ahh yes, this common misconception. However, being bent over backwards, throwing an oddly shaped ball between your legs 10 yards back and hitting a target less than a square yard is a lot harder then it sounds. Sure, if you practice hard enough at it, you probably can become a tight end who also can do this somewhat consistently. But not all the time.
Football is the ultimate team sport. For one play to work, everyone has to be in sync and have perfect timing on the play. Many fans just see a running back going through the middle for a 4 yard gain, but what they may miss is the offensive lineman adjusting to a blitz, a tight end pulling double duty with a left guard, the fullback covering an incoming cornerback and a wide receiver running a route just to give the safety the illusion a pass may be coming his way.
And this is only for a run.
For a field goal kick, the concept of teamwork goes into over drive. From the time of the snap to the time of the kick, to get the play off you only have three seconds, often less. What needs to happen is
1) The long snapper has to hike the ball behind him 10 yards and have it land in the hands of the holder who is kneeling at the spot of the kick. That means you have less than a square yard window to hit. Anywhere outside this and there is a good chance the kick will fail.
2) After the ball is hiked, the long snapper has to immediately block the opposing line. He literally needs to adjust within a split second from having his head and arms between his legs to a blocking position to hold off a 280 lbs linebacker who is trying to collapse the pocket and block the kick.
3) The holder sets the ball, the kicker kicks it. (there is more to it than that, but we are focusing on the under appreciated long snapper here)
To have this quickness and this accuracy and to do it every single time, is a skill. If a person messes up a snap two or three time, he is sure to lose his job since this would cost a team anywhere between 3 and 9 points. That’s why long snappers such as Mike Bartrum is such a valued resource on the Philadelphia eagles roster. He is one of the most consistent long snappers in the league and has earned his spot on the roster for years to come because of this. My friend Kevin in Denver, being a typical the rabid eagles fan, proudly sports his #88 Mike Bartrum jersey every Sunday.
Finally, to touch on Yuna’s main point, why not just take a linebacker or tight end and make them the long snapper? As I mentioned above, it’s a precision position that cant just be taught during a training camp. Plus, you must take into account how often players change on a team (See the Philadelphia Eagles, this is the first time in 5 years they had the same 3 people at the linebacker position to start the season as they did to finish the season). Inconsistency at long snapping can potentially cost your team at least one kick per game, and in a league where many games are decided by a field goal or less, this is unacceptable. It could turn a 10-6 playoff team to being a mediocre 8-8 team.
And there is some multitasking at the long snapper position, but just opposite to what Yuna has suggested. Instead of a Tight End doing long snapping duty’s, a long snapper may fill in for a Tight End from time to time. Look at Mighty Mike Bartrum. He has almost a 50% rate of receptions for touchdowns (4 for 9) and a 66% rate of receptions for first downs (6 for 9).
To relate to the buisness spin that Yuna placed on it, the Moral is, sure, its good to be flexable, however, if it can cost you the big game over and over again, its good to have a specialist on hand.
So, on every nfl Sunday, I am at home rooting for you, Mr. Long Snapper. Because somebody has to!
