Coach Zauner Has Always Believed, Coached and Preached That
The Long Snapper Is The ‘Vital Man’
In Your Kicking Game
.jpg) |
| One on One Snapping Lessons |
.jpg) |
| Snappers Work on Perfecting Their Field Goal Snaps |
 |
| Snappers Work To Improve Their Punt Snap Consistency |
.jpg) |
| Snappers Work To Improve Their Coverage Skills |
NFL Snapping Specialist’s Embrace Coach Zauner, LLC
The life of a Snapper can be described as all guts and no glory. Hardly any fan can ever name their team’s long snapper, unless it’s for the wrong reasons. When things go badly on a snap the whole world knows it. This is why over my 35-year coaching career, I’ve always said, “The most vital man in your kicking game is the snapper.” Every good kick or punt starts with a good snap.
Any kicker and punter will credit success to their snappers. It’s a bond that specialists have because of their operation. You may even say it’s similar to a quarterback’s timing with a receiver running routes. Kickers and punters rely heavily on comfort and concentration, and an errant or wobbly snap can throw everything off balance. A bad snap can even throw a holder off his spot by just a few inches causing a kick to sail wide. I can’t say it enough; the snapper is the most vital man in the kicking game!
When I was a punter and kicker in high school and college, I always appreciated having a good snapper because it made my job so much easier. I was only as good as my snapper was. That’s why over my high school, college and NFL coaching career, I’ve always put finding a good snapper at the top of my recruiting and scouting lists.
As a side note, when I was an NFL Special Teams Coach with the Baltimore Ravens, I petitioned for snappers to be a part of both the NFL Combine and the Pro Bowl because I felt that they are a ‘football player’ just as anyone else on the team. With the support and endorsement of several NFL Coaches and Coordinators, the petition was brought to the NFL Competition Committee and passed. Initially, the NFL Combine invited two snappers each year but has since dropped to one. As far as each team having a long snapper for the Pro Bowl, it was decided each team would have a 'need' player the coaches select and its generally understood it's always a snapper.
This just goes to show that long snappers are still at the bottom of the food chain.
When I started back into my consulting business as a kicking coach, the idea of finding and coaching snappers carried over in it. This idea seems to have caught on since several NFL teams have consulted with Coach Zauner, LLC in regards to snappers. My track record with punters and kickers has always spoken for itself, however the number of snappers finding 'A Specialist's Path to PRO Football' is ever increasing as the results are proving.
Pro scouts and personnel generally find it difficult to evaluate kickers, punters and in particular snappers. I believe because of my background and appreciation for snappers, I have a gift to find, evaluate, refine and develop them. Currently eight of the 32 starting NFL snappers have come through a Coach Zauner Program.
Also, I think it would be very interesting to train and develop positional players to be a back up snapper in case of injury. A perfect example of this is when Oakland Raiders snapper Jon Condo received a concussion and had no back-up causing a special teams fiasco. These unfortunate events ultimately cost Oakland the game. Because of the 53-man roster rule today, NFL teams no longer carry back-up kickers, punters and snappers.
Click Below To listen to this short video on Coach Zauner's PROGRAMS and how his One on One Lessons and PRO Development Camps have helped snappers improve their technique and take their games to the next level. Also, how the College Senior and Free Agent Specialist's Combines have been a platform for Snappers to show case their skills and get exposure they deserve to NFL, CFL and UFL teams.
