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Week Twelve kept long snappers in the news, as the normally reliable Ryan Pontbriand had another rough week for the Browns.  Pontbriand had another poor field goal snap late in the game against the Bengals.  Reports indicate that the Browns are discussing what to do about Pontbriand’s recent snapping struggles.

Cullen Loeffler of the Vikings may have has his season end Sunday due to an apparent back injury suffered against the Falcons.  Loeffler was replaced by Jared Allen, who handled his eight snaps well and even recorded a solo tackle in punt coverage.

The Bears reversed course Friday by signing veteran Chris Massey to replace the injured Patrick Mannelly.  Rookie Jake Laptad was the original choice, but had a bad practice Wednesday and Massey won the job after snapping against James Dearth and rookie Christian Yount.

In addition to Allen’s tackle for the Vikings, Jon Dorenbos of the Eagles also added a solo stop.  The NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Twelve is below.

Week Twelve NFL Long Snappers Chart

After weeks of stability at the snapping position, some uncertainty and change arose leading up to and during Week Eleven.  Cullen Loeffler of the Vikings was bothered by a rotator cuff injury during the week, but was able to snap against the Raiders.  Defensive lineman and sack specialist Jared Allen, who snapped in college, was prepared to snap if necessary.

The Bears also lost veteran Patrick Mannelly to an season-ending ACL injury in Sunday’s game against the Chargers.  Mannelly suffered the injury after a PAT snap and was replaced by fullback Tyler Clutts.  The Bears are expected to sign Jake Laptad, a rookie from Kansas, to replace Mannelly.  Laptad did some snapping for the Bears in pre-season and was a defensive end in college.

Earlier in the week, television station WGRZ in Buffalo released a video feature on former Bills long snapper Adam Lingner.  Lingner appeared in four Super Bowls and was with the Bills from 1987 to 1995.  Lingner recently learned one of the arteries in his heart was almost completely blocked and the WGRZ piece describes his diagnosis and treatment.

Garrison Sanborn, the current Bills snapper, recorded two solo tackles in punt coverage this week, while Danny Aiken of the Patriots added an assisted tackle.  The NFL Long Snappers Chart through Week Eleven is below.

Week Eleven NFL Long Snappers Chart

Week Ten of the NFL season is complete and included one of the first significant snapping issues of the season.  Two-time Pro Bowl snapper Ryan Pontbriand of the Browns had his short snap on a late-game field goal attempt hit the right leg of his guard Alex Mack and skip back to the holder, Brad Maynard.  Maynard was able to field the ball and attempted to make a good hold, but the kick was missed.

On the tackle front, snappers Jeremy Cain (Jaguars), Thomas Gafford (Chiefs), Danny Aiken (Patriots), Tanner Purdum (Jets) and Nick Sundberg (Redskins) each had tackles, with Cain and Gafford recording solo tackles.  The NFL Long Snappers Chart through Week Ten is below.

Week Ten NFL Long Snappers Chart

Week Nine of the NFL regular season has concluded and just one snapper, Zak DeOssie of the Giants, had a tackle in punt coverage.  DeOssie recorded a solo tackle, his sixth total tackle of the season.

As expected, the Bucs have activated snapper Andrew Economos, who is now recovered from an off-season injury and will resume the snapping duties this week.

Below is the NFL Long Snappers Chart after Week Nine.

Week Nine NFL Long Snappers Chart

Week Eight is complete and this coming week will bring the first change to the snapping position.  The Bucs are expected to active veteran snapper Andrew Economos from the physically unable to perform list this week.  In anticipation of that move, the Bucs waived rookie snapper Christian Yount last week, who handled all the snaps to date.

Five different snappers recorded tackles this week, with Justin Snow (Colts), Ken Amato (Titans), John Denney (Dolphins), Ryan Pontbriand (Browns), LP LaDouceur (Cowboys) each having one tackle.  Amato was an assisted tackle, while the other snappers had solo stops.

The NFL Long Snapper Chart through Week Eight is below.

Week Eight NFL Long Snappers Chart

Week Seven is complete and, like prior weeks, the snapping position remains stable.  Two teams did workout snappers recently, with the Patriots bringing in veteran Chris Massey and the Bengals doing the same with rookie Patrick Scales.

Three snappers, John Denney (Dolphins), Thomas Gafford (Chiefs) and Justin Snow (Colts), tallied solo tackles in punt coverage this week.  The NFL Long Snappers Chart through Week Seven is below.

Week Seven NFL Long Snappers Chart

Week Five is complete and saw the first significant injury at the snapping position when Zak DeOssie of the Giants suffered a concussion covering a punt.  DeOssie could not finish the game and the Giants were forced to use an offensive lineman, Jim Cordle, to handle the remaining snaps in the second half.  Cordle had just been activated from the practice squad.

Cordle earned the praise of Head Coach Tom Coughlin for the job he did replacing DeOssie, as the Giants witnessed the importance of having a capable backup snapper in the 2008 season when they beat the Steelers.  Greg Warren of the Steelers had been injured, forcing the Steelers to use linebacker James Harrison for snaps.  Harrison snapped the ball over the punter’s head which contributed to the loss to the Giants.  Despite the injury, DeOssie still had a solo and assisted tackle, giving him five tackles on the season.  Warren also added an assisted tackle for the Steelers in the game against the Titans.

Earlier this week, the Vikings extended the contract of snapper Cullen Loeffler, who has handled all of the Vikings snaps since the 2004 season.  Loeffler is now under contract through the 2014 season.

The NFL Long Snappers Chart through Week Five is below.

Week Five NFL Long Snappers Chart