Longsnap.com

Week One of the NFL season is now complete and a number of snappers had great starts in punt coverage.  Joel Dreessen debuted at snapper for the Texans and recorded two solo tackles and an assist, while Don Muhlbach of the Lions had a tackle and fumble recovery.  Matt Katula (Ravens), Jon Dorenbos (Eagles), JJ Jansen (Panthers), Brad St. Louis (Bengals), Brian Jennings (49ers), David Binn (Chargers) and Jon Condo (Raiders) each added a solo tackle.

St. Louis had a poor field goal snap in the first quarter against the Broncos that prevented a field goal attempt, while veteran Pat Mannelly of the Bears received some unwanted attention in the game against the Packers.  Mannelly called for a direct snap to the personal protector after correctly spotting the Packers with 12 men on the field.  However, the 12th man got off the field before the snap and the Packers stopped the fake.  As a result, many special teams units are likely reviewing this play and perhaps making adjustments in how fakes are called.

With the regular season approaching and final cuts made, the NFL Long Snappers page has the latest version of Longsnap.com’s NFL Long Snappers Chart.  The chart is linked below and can always be found on the NFL Long Snappers page as well.

Long Snappers Chart

NFL rosters were reduced to 53 players today and veteran snapper Joe Zelenka was among the snappers released.  Jeremy Cain, who snapped for the Titans in 2007 after parts of two seasons with the Bears, will replace Zelenka for the Jaguars.  In another move, the Texans waived Clark Harris, who filled in for client Bryan Pittman when he was suspended for four games at the end of last season.  The Texans have elected to use tight end Joel Dreessen at snapper.  The NFL Long Snappers chart will be updated shortly.

Noted author Jeffrey Marx’s latest book, The Long Snapper: A Second Chance, A Super Bowl, A Lesson for Life, about Brian Kinchen’s remarkable journey from NFL retirement to the Super Bowl, will debut on the New York Times  best seller list this weekend at number 11.  For those who have not read the book, I highly recommend it, both for its insight into the long snapping position and, more generally, for its positive and inspirational message.

The Bears have waived JJ Milan, who was signed a few weeks ago after regular snapper Pat Mannelly was out of action due to a minor hip injury.  Milan did see some snapping action in a couple of pre-season games.

The Patriots have released veteran snapper Nate Hodel, signaling that draft pick Jake Ingram from Hawaii has won the Patriots’ snapping job.  Hodel was signed by the Patriots in the off-season after being let go by the Cardinals, where he spent seven years as the snapper.   Ingram was a Sixth Round pick in this year’s Draft and snapped in the Senior Bowl and at the NFL Combine.

With the first mandatory NFL roster cuts coming this week, some teams have let go of players before Tuesday’s deadline.  One such player is rookie free agent snapper Robert Shiver from Auburn, who was challenging veteran Mike Schneck in Atlanta.  Shiver was waived over the weekend, leaving the Patriots as the NFL team with the most competitive remaining battle at the snapper position.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent a great deal of time at his press conference today talking about the role of long snappers and the history of specialization.  Belichick gave a very detailed history of snapping in the NFL and how roster expansion has allowed teams to keep a roster spot for a snapper.

A link to the transcript of the press conference is below and is worth reading.

Belichick Press Conference

The Giants are the only NFL team to divide snapping duties between two different players, but it looks like that will not be possible this season.  Short snapper Jay Alford was injured in the game against the Bears and may be placed on injured reserve.  Punt snapper Zak DeOssie will now handle both duties, although the Giants have indicated that DeOssie may have done both this season even if Alford had not been injured.

The Bills waived incumbent snapper Ryan Neill today, leaving Garrison Sanborn as the snapper.  Neill had been the snapper in Buffalo for the last two seasons.  Sanborn went undrafted last year out of Florida State but impressed the Bills at a workout last year that led to his signing this off-season.