Week Seven included a rare but critical snapper penalty for moving the ball before a field goal snap. LP Ladouceur of the Cowboys was called for a false start penalty as the Cowboys attempted a last-second field goal to tie the game against the Redskins. The call moved the ball back five yards and the field goal was missed. Ladoucerur said after the game he had never had that penalty called on him before during his 14 seasons in the NFL.
The NFL Rule Book states that the snap “must be one quick and continuous motion of the hand or hands of the snapper. The ball must leave or be taken from his hands during this motion.” After the game, the NFL tweeted a statement from Al Riveron, the league’s senior vice president of officiating,stating that the call was correct because “[t]he illegal ball movement by the center causes the defense to come across the neutral zone and contact a lineman.”
Yesterday, it was revealed that Redskins special teams coach Ben Kotwica noticed the ball movement by Ladouceur in warm-ups and brought it to the attention of head coach Jay Gruden, who in turn brought it to the attention of game officials.
After a week of no tackles, two snappers, Charley Hughlett (Browns) and Zach Wood (Saints), tallied tackles in punt coverage.
The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Seven is below.
Longsnap.com 