Long Snapper As Backup Center?

[McMicah]

Can anyone tell me why all longsnappers only weigh like 230 lbs? I just don’t understand why they are so light.

Wouldn’t it save a roster spot if you had a backup Center who could also be a long snapper? Seems like a heavy LS could be highly paid to also be a backup Center and save a roster spot

 

[TheDuke]

Can anyone tell me why all longsnappers only weigh like 230 lbs? I just don’t understand why they are so light.

Wouldn’t it save a roster spot if you had a backup Center who could also be a long snapper? Seems like a heavy LS could be highly paid to also be a backup Center and save a roster spot

Ask yourself why would you want a 310 Pound offensive lineman covering a punt?

There's your answer.

 

[Hardline]

Last time we had an actual center/OL as a long snapper was Dale Hellestre and he was a very good one. He was in the general area of 290 pounds.

 

[John813]

Good listen in regards to your question

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

I don't think you should use an OL because they need to cover, but I also don't really think it's such a specialized skillset that you should burn a roster spot on it.

Gives you peace of mind, I guess.

 

[gtb1943]

I don't think you should use an OL because they need to cover, but I also don't really think it's such a specialized skillset that you should burn a roster spot on it.

Gives you peace of mind, I guess.

A long snapper is a lot more important than you think. Especially now that all XP's are much longer. We went through a couple of years with a bad one and it was to say the least VERY noticeable.

Bluntly speaking you NEED a top long snapper if you want to win.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

A long snapper is a lot more important than you think. Especially now that all XP's are much longer. We went through a couple of years with a bad one and it was to say the least VERY noticeable.

Bluntly speaking you NEED a top long snapper if you want to win.

Go for two. We miss a bunch of extra points and haven't had a bad snap in like 15 years.

The difference between a perfect long snapper and a terrible long snapper is like one snap every ten years.

 

[speedkilz88]

Can anyone tell me why all longsnappers only weigh like 230 lbs? I just don’t understand why they are so light.

Wouldn’t it save a roster spot if you had a backup Center who could also be a long snapper? Seems like a heavy LS could be highly paid to also be a backup Center and save a roster spot

Because they run down on STs after they snap it to the punter?

 

[EndGame]

It's the same thing that confuses me about why some punters are such awful placekickers. It really comes down to, while the positions look similar ... they aren't. I was once told that being a long snapper is much more like being a quarterback than a center. You're trying to throw a tight spiral while looking through your legs. It isn't easy.

 

[gtb1943]

Go for two. We miss a bunch of extra points and haven't had a bad snap in like 15 years.

The difference between a perfect long snapper and a terrible long snapper is like one snap every ten years.

Wow. Just wow. How little you know. I guess great snaps to punters are nothing to you as well, right?

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

Wow. Just wow. How little you know. I guess great snaps to punters are nothing to you as well, right?

There's no such thing as a great snap, especially to a punter. There are snaps and bad snaps.

How many bad snaps on punts are there in an entire regular season? 2? lol

 

[jrumann59]

Can anyone tell me why all longsnappers only weigh like 230 lbs? I just don’t understand why they are so light.

Wouldn’t it save a roster spot if you had a backup Center who could also be a long snapper? Seems like a heavy LS could be highly paid to also be a backup Center and save a roster spot

Many are not really lineman, some are TEs, or other positions LP was a DL/LB in college, Steve SeOssie was LB/Snapper, Sieg was a LB/TE in college and became a LS in college. But ideally you want someone that is somewhat fleet of foot and with the rules today LS really have it easy on the line.

 

[gtb1943]

There's no such thing as a great snap, especially to a punter. There are snaps and bad snaps.

How many bad snaps on punts are there in an entire regular season? 2? lol

Stupid is as stupid does. Check it out and maybe you might just graduate Football 101.

 

[McMicah]

I imagine the only way a team will be able to get that hybrid longsnapper/center is if you just find an absolute freak that’s 290 but runs and covers punts like a TE

Man Bill Belichek is super smart but I can’t imagine guys stayed awake when he was running meetings . He has that classic history teacher voice

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

Stupid is as stupid does. Check it out and maybe you might just graduate Football 101.

No, what's stupid is that thinking a good long snapper is a difference maker.

 

[gtb1943]

No, what's stupid is that thinking a good long snapper is a difference maker.

As I said you need to do some remedial studying to pass Football 101. Anyone who thinks a good long snapper is not a difference maker has no real concept of how a game is played.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

As I said you need to do some remedial studying to pass Football 101. Anyone who thinks a good long snapper is not a difference maker has no real concept of how a game is played.

There is no such thing as a good long snapper. There are long snappers who do the job, and bad ones.

You act like there are dozens of bad snaps costing teams games every year. There isn't.

 

[thunderpimp91]

You act like there are dozens of bad snaps costing teams games every year. There isn't.

But is that because it’s a specialist position where 32 guys around the league do nothing but long snap every day? If you try to take a backup OL like the OP suggests and cross train them to be your long snapper do you start to see more bad snaps that cost teams points and field position? I don’t know the answer for sure but I have zero issues with a team using a roster spot to guarantee that 99.9% of long snaps in a season are quality snaps. Not having a reliable long snapper is basically like having a crappy kicker on your roster.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

But is that because it’s a specialist position where 32 guys around the league do nothing but long snap every day? If you try to take a backup OL like the OP suggests and cross train them to be your long snapper do you start to see more bad snaps that cost teams points and field position? I don’t know the answer for sure but I have zero issues with a team using a roster spot to guarantee that 99.9% of long snaps in a season are quality snaps. Not having a reliable long snapper is basically like having a crappy kicker on your roster.

I doubt it. Not to a degree that it matters in the long run.

Most teams have crappy kickers anyway. Teams who depend on the kicking game aren't contenders.

But yea I don't really care if you need to carry a LS just for the convenience of it, but it's not like a team's success is ever going to hinge on having a good long snapper.

 

[Pass2Run]

Can anyone tell me why all longsnappers only weigh like 230 lbs? I just don’t understand why they are so light.

Wouldn’t it save a roster spot if you had a backup Center who could also be a long snapper? Seems like a heavy LS could be highly paid to also be a backup Center and save a roster spot

I agree with this. It's because they play at that weight and work on that skill because that's their best position. A guy I played with in high school got a scholarship to play long snapper. His son was a long snapper in college and even smaller than him. If you find a center who can do it, you get to hold onto an extra player, which can be crucial. But most centers don't want to long snap.