News and Notes From Kevin Gold

NEWS & NOTES
March 27, 2001

It is an exciting and nervous time for pro snappers and prospective pro snappers as the free agency period is underway and the NFL Draft is just around the corner. The free agency period began with the release of over 100 veteran NFL players, as teams scrambled to get under the salary cap.

Although many big salary players were the primary source of the cuts, the snapping position was not immune. Ethan Albright (Bills), Rich Griffith (Jaguars), Quentin Neujahr (Jaguars), Mitch Palmer (Vikings), Dale Hellestrae (Cowboys) and Brian Kinchen (Panthers) were all let go. Albright later signed a three-year deal with the Redskins, who subsequently released incumbent snapper Joe Zelenka and Palmer, a restricted free agent,
later resigned with the Vikings at a minimum salary. The Panthers signed Jason Kyle as a possible replacement for Kinchen, while Longsnap.com's Rob Davis signed a long-term deal with the Packers. The Dolphins have also re-signed snappers Ed Perry and Brody Heffner-Liddiard, while the Broncos retained offensive lineman and short snapper Matt Lepsis. Mike Schneck, an exclusive rights free agent, also re-signed with the Steelers. On the coaching front, Fred Von Appen replaces Larry Mac Duff as the Giants special teams coach.Next month's issue, which will be mailed April 24th, will highlight
any snappers who are drafted or who have signed as an undrafted free agent.

Given the release of many veterans, combined with the veteran minimum increase to $477,000, it is expected that many teams will seek to fill the snapper position with a rookie player. Among the snappers who have had strong campus workouts include Trey Langley of LSU, Ryan Diepenbrock from Bowling Green and Ryan Benjamin from South Florida.

Because Longsnap.com appeals to snappers of all ages and levels, I wanted to highlight some of the instructional and pro exposure camps that are available to readers. For younger snappers seeking college exposure, the American Football Specialists camps and its National Longsnapping Academy offers instruction and scholarship opportunities.

For 2001, the camp has 13 locations nationwide for improving longsnapping skills and gaining college and even pro exposure. You can link to the site from the Related Sites area on Longsnap.com or go directly to the site at prosnapper.com.

Paul Assad will also debut a long snapping component to his successful pro exposure camp, held annually in April. At the Reno camp, conducted in conjunction with Scout Camp, kickers and now snappers can gain valuable exposure to pro scouts. Finally, for the serious snapper, Longsnap.com's Kendall Gammon offers personal instruction in a one-on-one setting. The session is conducted in two parts; either in the morning and noon of the same day, or the afternoon and morning over two days. The session will be videotaped and includes a copy of SNAP RIGHT, Kendall's exceptional video for snappers. For more information, email me at kevingold@longsnap.com.

Finally, as promised, I have gathered the pro grades for all NFL snappers from last season. Using the typical grading system of 4.0 to 8.0 used by many clubs, Brian DeLucia of NFL Draft Digest, a prominent independent talent evaluator, has given grades to all NFL players.

By way of reference, although the grading scale is difficult to apply to snappers due to the nature of the position, grades in the 5 range are solid backups while the 6 range is for "red chip" solid starter players. The grades are below in order from highest to lowest. A "+" or "-" indicates the player has an upside or is on the down swing.

Snappers who also play a position were given separate grades for their contributions at the position and as a snapper, however, only the snapping grades are reflected below.

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