The Value of a Long Snapper
4 comments so far
January 28, 2009 by
I have a friend who often says..."if you are left handed and can throw a ball 85 mph, you could be employed for the rest of your life." Basically, by virtue of natural talent, a person can really get paid. And singer and songwriter Don McClean, the writer of the song "American Pie" once said, “So when people ask me what American Pie means, I tell them it means I don't ever have to work again if I don't want to.� Essentially, if you do something (anything) well that has real value, it might just be a lifetime ticket.
What does all of this have to do with football? It basically describes the world of the long snapper. They provide a very specific and valuable skill for a football team. While nuanced and obscure, that skill is one that teams actually recruit for and professional teams hire. Nebraska provides two great recent examples of that value.
Snap! Catch! Kick!
You are not likely to find a site that values special teams as much as BRN. We all strongly believe that the "hidden third" decides games. And, it’s not just the long field goals and big returns that matter. The mishaps on special teams cost teams games, too. There are few things as disheartening as watching your team miss out on a potentially game winning field goal because of a botched snap or hold. And, enduring the site of the ball flying over the punter’s head is just painful really.
If you ever have the good fortune (or misfortune) to watch a game with me in person, you’ll hear me yell “Snap! Catch! Kick!� before virtually every Husker kicking situation. Teams cannot allow blunders with those fundamental skills to cost them games. Really, they may actually be more important than the “big� plays on special teams. They’re obscure, sure, but important. Long snapping is fully one third of that tripod.
Recruiting the Long Snapper
So, if long snapping is a valuable nuance to the game, how do coaches go about developing it? Well, on a 117 man roster, there are likely to be a player or two who handled the long snapping duties in high school. Coaches could find and develop those players.
But, it might be easier to go out and find one. That is where we meet PJ Mangieri. At 6’4’’ and 220 pounds, he doesn’t exactly jump off of the page as a defensive end prospect. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure he’s one heck of an athlete (better than me…I’m a blogger). But, he’s not big time guy. So, why did the Huskers have him in for a visit this week? Of course…he’s a long snapper.
I know this is the age of specialization. But check this out. Who knew that there were people out their coaching, filming and recording things like snap times? I sure didn’t, and I’m a special teams zealot. That’s the recruiting age we live in. Now that I’ve seen this, I think NU absolutely must beat out the other schools and get this kid. After all, the Huskers have benefited from superior long snapping in recent years, even if you didn’t notice it.
All-Star Invitation
Speaking of that superior long snapping, former Husker TJ O’Leary might just turn that skill in to his ticket to ride. He got his shot to show the scouts in the East-West Shrine game.
Sure, O’Leary’s chances of making an NFL roster are pretty slim. There are much fewer teams and every spot on that razor thin 53-man NFL roster is vital. But if a team has enough need and O’Leary shows enough value, he might just get paid. After all, you don’t win Super Bowls by having the ball fly over the punter’s head.
A Life Lesson
There is a lesson in the value of the long snapper. So listen up all you young and not so young people. Here it is – have a skill, a trade, a craft.
Work on and perfect that craft as much as you can. Apply that trade to the best of your ability. You could be a doctor, plumber, writer or anything else. If you do something great, people will likely pay you for it, even if it is something like accurately snapping a football.
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Jon Jan 28 09
What are the chances of Nebraska landing this guy?
darren Jan 28 09
Jon,
It's recruiting, so you can never be certain of anything. But, they did get the kid to visit which is an encouraging sign. I'd say they have a good shot (better than 33%), which is saying something.
Also, I should have put this in the post - this is likely a walk-on or greyshirt (no scholarship for the first year) situation.
zE bOp Jan 28 09
TJ will prolly have the longest pro career of anybody.
tom Feb 03 09
When discussing long snappers, I am reminded of Kendall Gammon of the Kansas City Chiefs. He is in fact, one of the classiest guys in the KC area. He was often heard in interviews stating that he thought it was an amazing world where he could get paid millions in his lifetime for throwing a ball between his legs. A good long snapper can have a long career. It was often said that Gammon was so consistent that he got to the point where he could snap it so that the place holder always had it laces out and the punter always had it laces up in his hands.