The Rams are expected to sign former Bills’ snapper Ryan Neill today to replace Chris Massey, who was lost for the season. Neill was originally an undrafted free agent signing for the Bills in 2006 and snapped for them in the 2007 and 2008 regular seasons. The NFL Long Snappers chart will be updated later today with Neill’s biographical information and the latest snapper punt coverage tackle stats.
Week Seven has produced another change at the snapping spot, as Rams’ snapper Chris Massey was lost for the season after injuring his left knee during a punt return against the Colts. Tight end Billy Bajema finished out the game for the Rams. Four NFL veteran snappers, client Bryan Pittman, Joe Zelenka, Nate Hodel and Ryan Neill, were all in St. Louis for a workout yesterday. A decision is expected today as to who will replace Massey and the Longsnap.com blog will be updated, along with the NFL Long Snappers chart, once the decision is known.
On the tackle front, Mike Leach (Arizona), Dave Binn (San Diego), Jon Condo (Oakland), Mike Schneck (Atlanta) each had solo tackles, while Jason Kyle of the Saints had an assist.
Week Six was a calm one at the snapper position, with no major snapping issues. Clark Harris, the new Bengals’ snapper, brought some stability to the position, with a solid day.
On the tackle front, Jason Kyle (Saints) and Ken Amato (Titans) each had a solo tackle, while Thomas Gafford of the Chiefs had an assisted tackle. The NFL Long Snappers chart, available on the NFL Long Snappers page, is updated with the most current NFL snapper information and tackle figures.
The Bengals have released veteran snapper Brad St. Louis and added Clark Harris. St. Louis had numerous short snapping issues this season and could not overcome them. Harris, who can also play tight end, has previous experience with the Texans, Lions and Packers. Harris worked out with the Bengals last Wednesday, along with client Bryan Pittman. The Bengals also brought in former Bills’ snapper Ryan Neill and veteran snapper Nate Hodel as well. St. Louis was drafted by the Bengals in the Seventh Round in 2000.
There may finally be a change coming at the snapping position as Bengals’ snapper Brad St. Louis had more short snapping issues on Sunday. So far, the Bengals have stood by St. Louis during his difficult time and Head Coach Marvin Lewis noted yesterday that the problems appear to be mental and fixable. In other game action, the Cowboys blocked a late field goal attempt by the Chiefs, employing a strategy of jumping over snapper Thomas Gafford to make the block. Gafford stated he was surprised by the move and that the Chiefs’ blocking technique was to block low to get under the defender.
On the tackle front, Matt Katula (Ravens), Jon Condo (Raiders) and Mike Leach (Cardinals) each had solo tackles, while Ken Amato of the Titans recovered a muffed punt. Condo now has five tackles, including four solo tackles. The NFL Long Snappers page has the updated snapper chart with current tackle numbers.
Week Four is complete and short snapping issues continue to plague veteran Brad St. Louis of the Bengals, as he had two poor snaps that led to a blocked field goal and extra point. St. Louis did rebound and deliver a solid snap on the game-winner in overtime. On the tackle front, Dave Binn of the Chargers had two solo tackles, while Jon Condo of the Raiders had a solo tackle and an assist. Client Brett Goode (Packers), Don Muhlbach (Lions), Zak DeOssie (Giants) and Brian Jennings (49ers) each had one solo tackle. The NFL Long Snappers chart is updated with the latest tackle figures.
While there have been no changes at the snapping position, some teams have begun to evaluate snappers in case of emergency. Client Bryan Pittman, Nate Hodel and Ryan Neill are among the veteran free agent snappers with recent workouts. Snappers who have had some injury issues this season include Jason Kyle (Saints), Joel Dreessen (Texans) and Pat Mannelly (Bears). Each snapper has been healthy enough not to miss any game action. The Saints were concerned about Kyle this week and announced that either linebacker Troy Evans or cornerback Chris Reis would serve as the snapper if Kyle could not go.
The United Football League starts this week and the snapping spots for the four teams in the new league are set. As noted in a recent post, Nick Sundberg (California), Rigo Morales (Las Vegas), Jared Retkofsky (New York) are three of the snappers, while the Florida team replaced Joey Madrid with Matt Overton, who snapped at Western Washington and has prior NFL experience with the Seahawks.
Week Three is complete and the snapping position remains stable, although Bengals’ snapper Brad St. Louis continues to have issues with his short snapping, most recently with a snap that went over the holder on Sunday. Three snappers, client Justin Snow (Colts), Thomas Gafford (Chiefs) and Jeremy Cain (Jaguars), each had solo tackles in punt coverage. The NFL Long Snappers chart, available at the NFL Long Snappers page, has been updated with the latest tackle numbers in the final column.
As a long snapper, there have historically not been many places to play professionally outside of the NFL. Indoor leagues do not use a traditional snapper, except for a short snapper who is usually a lineman, and the CFL has typically used Canadian-born snappers.
The new United Football League is a league that appears to be giving snappers a chance to demonstrate their skills. The UFL has four teams and each team currently has a dedicated long snapper. Nick Sundberg (California Redwoods), Joey Madrid (Florida Tuskers), Rigo Morales (Las Vegas Locomotives) and Jared Retkofsky (New York Sentinels) are the sole snappers for each club. Sundberg was in camp with the Carolina Panthers this season, while Retkofsky won a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers. Specialists in the UFL, including snappers, earn $25,000.00 for the six-game season.
Week Two is complete and there were no major snapping issues. On the tackle front, Brian Jennings of the 49ers had a solo tackle and two assists, while Jon Condo of the Raiders had a solo tackle. Jennings and Condo each recorded solo tackles last week.
The NFL Long Snappers chart has been updated to include a new column to track punt coverage tackles this season. Just click on the NFL Long Snappers page for the latest version of the chart following Week Two’s action.
