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Newest Senior Bowl Position: Long Snappers

Jan 28, 2007 – 7:33 PM
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Michael David Smith

Michael David Smith %BloggerTitle%

Every NFL team has one player whose job is to snap on punts and field goals, and yet these players are hardly ever discussed. Even if you're a hard-core fan, there's a good chance that you can't name your favorite team's long snapper.

Maybe that will start to change if long snappers are drafted regularly. For the first time this year, the Senior Bowl has long snappers on its rosters. Nick Leeson of Virginia Tech and Brett Goode of Arkansas became the first players ever invited to the Senior Bowl solely to be long snappers.

I think that's long overdue. We're way past the days when position players could be counted on for long snapping, and it's time that long snappers' unique skills get recognized. It's also a reminder to young players everywhere of one of the universal truths of football: Even if you're not a good athlete, if you can learn to long snap, you'll get playing time.
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