Football
It's a Snap...and More
By John Porentas

You trot out onto the field, you bend over, snap the football, and you trot off. It's the easiest job on the football team.

If you buy into that you haven't been watching a lot of football. The life of a long snapper involves a whole lot more than being able to launch spiral while upside down, just ask OSU snappers Drew Norman and Dimitrios Makridis. Making the snap is just the start of their responsibilities, because once the ball is snapped, there is a football play going on, and they are a part of it in every sense of the word. On punts, they are required to block, then are a part of the kick coverage team whose job it is to get downfield and make a tackle. On PATs and field goals, they must block to protect a holder and kicker who are just seven yards back from the line of scrimmage.

Drew Norman
Photo by Jim Davidson

"On the punt snap we have a matchup zone theory," said Norman.

"Usually you have a gap or an area, but usually its a man because a man is going to threaten your area.

"On field goals though its just get down and let them come and try to stand your ground.

"Coach Tressel always says he needs 1.3 seconds of perfection on field goal protection, so I figure if I can hold my ground for 1.3 seconds we're going to be just fine," Norman said.

Both Norman and Makridis were linebackers in high school, and both say that the punt snap on which they become the hunter after the ball is off is much more fun than the place kick snap when they are likely to be on the receiving end of a blow from a defensive tackle the likes of say Quinn Pitcock.

"On the punt after we snap the ball and block we get to run down just like a linebacker and it's kind of like the old days again, so it's kind of nice," said Makridis.

"I love it. I love running down trying to make the tackle. It's my favorite part," Makridis said.

Dimitrios Makridis
Photo by Jim Davidson

Makridis could have gone to school elsewhere and played linebacker, but chose to come to OSU instead.

"I had offers and all that but I wanted to come here ever since I was a kid," Makridis said.

"I could have gone to Wisconsin and actually I could have gone to Harvard to play, but obviously it would have been a little bit more money, and 105,000 come to watch us here. That's why I came here."

"I was a middle linebacker in high school, but I did the long snapping for our high school team because there was really no one else that could do it. A lot of people can't do it very well, but I could do it and I didn't have to think about it too hard. I figured I didn't have much of a chance to play linebacker here because the guys who play linebacker here are really very big and very fast, so I figured I may as well try and long snap."

According to Norman, perfection is expected on every snap, but the snappers are expected to be more than just specialists at Ohio State. They have to be able to make tackles on the punt squad, and on the place kick squad must take the wrath of angry defensive linemen.

"Coach (P. J.) Fleck came in from Northern Illinois and he's working with us now," Norman explained.

"His thing is that we're football players, we're not just specialists.

"I look at that we have guys (receivers) go across the middle and get their lunch handed to them, Troy gets hit from behind, we've got linebackers butting heads with fullbacks, so I've got my thing (on place kicks). It's something that I want do to help the team, and I kind of like a little contact. Being a former linebacker I like to get in there a little bit and mix it up a little bit. I kind of enjoy it," Norman said.

There have been NCAA rules enacted to try to protect long snappers from taking a pounding while in a vulnerable position after making a snap, but Norman says he sees little proof that those rules are making much difference.

"Before each and every field goal snap the ref says 'Stay off that snapper.' I'm still waiting for the flag. In the back of my mind it would be nice but I'm not a dummy, I know its going to happen. Usually I'm in for a battle," Norman said.

A. J. Trapasso
Photo by Jim Davidson

While long snappers sometimes go unnoticed by the fans, there is a group of people who do appreciate them, most notably kickers and holders. At Ohio State, A. J. Trapasso doubles as both punter and holder on field goal and PAT attempts. Trepasso has developed an abiding admiration for long snappers.

"I've got a lot of respect for the snappers," he said.

"They get down and they're in a real vulnerable position as soon as they let go of the ball, and they have big 280 pound guys trying to crush you. When they're down in the trenches they're working hard. Both Dimitrios Makridis and Drew Norman are having a heck of a camp. I don't think I could do it. I wouldn't want to be blocking somebody like Quinn Pitcock or somebody like that."

Trapasso says the long snapping duties are in good hands at OSU.

"Drew Norman is phenomenal," said Trapasso.

"Next to Kyle Andrews who is now playing for Pittsburgh (Steelers) he's the next-best thing. Drew will be right there with Kyle in the next year or so.

"He can fire it back there in .6, .5 seconds on punts. I catch the laces up and he's really good about putting it between your hip and your shoulders. He's great.

"On place kicks he takes a little bit off and keeps it a little bit lower. We have it down where I'm catching the laces forward every time. It never changes. I catch it with the laces forward every time. It's amazing," Trapasso said.

And he makes it look easy, like there's nothing to it, like it's just a snap.

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