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Lonestar
11-10-2008, 05:51 PM
He may be listed as a tight end and get in on special teams, but Mike Leach makes his way in the NFL as a long snapper.

By Adam Zinser
DenverBroncos.com

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- It ain't glamorous, but somebody's got to do it.

That may as well be the motto of Mike Leach, long snapper for the Broncos. He's not the guy throwing the touchdowns or catching them. He's not running down the field and making tackles very much, save for special teams.

But in a sport where each player has his own individual assignments, long snapping become just as important as every other job on the field.

"Not a lot of people notice the snap. It's kind of a forgotten part of any kick play until it goes wrong," Leach said. "They worry about where the punt goes, the return, the coverage or if the kicker makes the field goal or not. No one notices the snap until something goes wrong."

And how right he is.

In Week 8, the snap went very wrong for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Late in the fourth quarter, the Steelers were holding on to a 14-12 lead over the Giants. But their long snapper, Greg Warren, had to be carted off the field with a knee injury. When the Giants forced the Steelers to punt from inside their own endzone, in came backup long snapper, linebacker James Harrison.

Harrison lined up over the ball, looked back between his legs at punter Mitch Berger, and he launched the ball...too far. The ball sailed high over Berger's head and out the back of the endzone, resulting in a safety. Suddenly, the Steelers and Giants were tied at 14 with under six minutes left in the game.

That may turn out to be the only time in 2008 when all eyes were on the long snapper, but either way, the Broncos are happy they've got the 6-foot-2, 240-pound Leach on their roster to handle the job.

And it wasn't even something he had ever done prior to getting into the NFL.

"It was just something I fell into," Leach said. "I had never done it growing up in high school or college. I was actually on the other end of it – I was a punter in college. I just tried it one day, and I found out it was something I could do."

At William & Mary, Leach was a two-year starter at both tight end and punter. He entered the NFL as a college free agent with the Tennessee Titans. In 2002, he signed on with the Broncos and became their long snapper.

Since coming to Denver, Leach has played his role in all 16 games each season while also contributing on special teams. He even has had to worry about coming in at quarterback should both active quarterbacks go down.

In 2007, when Jay Cutler left the game with an injury and Patrick Ramsey was getting hit fairly often, Leach he might have to step in.

"This year, I dont know what they'll do," Leach said. "If I need to go do it, I'll do it. But there may be some other guys that would hop up there and do it. I think I played quarterback once in a JV high school game as a sophomore, and it was a short-lived experiment. I was much better as a receiver than a quarterback."

No offense Mike, but I think we'd all like to see Cutler healthy and at the helm.

So while he may be listed as a tight end and while his job may not come with high notoriety or much recognition, he knows the importance of it, as do his coaches and teammates.

"I've been here seven years, nine years total in the league, and I'm listed as a tight end but I have zero catches for my career," Leach said. "I've played a bit at tight end, and I pride myself on knowing it – knowing what to do just in case something goes wrong. God forbid somebody gets hurt, I'm able to step up and fill in until they can get back in."

But there's one person in particular who watches every game, and that's who Leach cares about most -- his son.

If you ever get a chance to hang out in the Broncos locker room after a home game at INVESCO Field at Mile High, odds are you'll see a miniature Mike Leach standing in No. 83's locker, proudly wearing a miniature No. 83 jersey.

Ryan Leach doesn't quite understand all the ins and outs of football just yet, but he's working on it.

"He understands kicking the ball through the goalposts," Leach said. "The little things here and there. He doesn't understand everything, but he recognizes a nice tackle. He'll yell fumble when that happens or something like it."

But there's still work to do.

"He doesn't really know the proper way to attack a Cover 2 defense – we're not quite there yet."

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=8548


BTW to anyone that pisses and moans about him being a "TE" TOUGH..

Den21vsBal19
11-10-2008, 06:16 PM
Absolute diamond geezer :salute:

Can someone explain though, for the smallest guy on the line, and from being in the worst position (looking back with his hands under his ass), how the hell is he in on the tackles so often? :confused:

Lonestar
11-10-2008, 06:17 PM
Absolute diamond geezer :salute:

Can someone explain though, for the smallest guy on the line, and from being in the worst position (looking back with his hands under his ass), how the hell is he in on the tackles so often? :confused:



desire to do a great job.. wonder if 45 others can get this type of work ethic..

Den21vsBal19
11-10-2008, 06:57 PM
desire to do a great job.. wonder if 45 others can get this type of work ethic..
Amen to that :salute:

Skinny
11-10-2008, 07:07 PM
I bet he would make a heck of a LB. :ponder:

Lonestar
11-10-2008, 09:03 PM
I bet he would make a heck of a LB. :ponder:


hell he may have to be yet.. maybe even safety, fullback and DE ..

MOtorboat
11-10-2008, 09:04 PM
Frau just reached the Big O...

sneakers
11-12-2008, 12:26 AM
Frau just reached the Big O...

http://www.silvercrestcorp.com/gallery/images/pict0799.jpg

I like a long snapper that doesn't cry after he screws up a snap (like that guy on the Giants during the playoffs a few years back).

dendave
11-12-2008, 08:32 AM
Can someone explain though, for the smallest guy on the line, and from being in the worst position (looking back with his hands under his ass), how the hell is he in on the tackles so often? :confused:

Because the long snapper can run down the field after he snaps it, he doesn't have to wait for the ball to be kicked before he can go. All other lineman have to wait until the ball is kicked before they can run downfield.