NFL offseason thread

Very hard for specialists to get into the Hall due to the glut of worthy candidates at the other, every down positions. But Hester's totals are amazing considering that his opponents always had the option of not kicking it to him by punting it OB, into the end zone, etc.

 

Yeah. I mean you reward the absolute best at the job and Hester, in my opinion, is the best returner in NFL history. The fact that the Colts were willing to give the Bears great field position in Super Bowl XLI after Hester returned the first kick because they felt as long as he didn't touch the ball again the Bears couldn't beat them (and they were right) says a lot about the man.

 

Who's the best long-snapper ever?

 

I get the argument you're making, but - The gap from the best long snapper to the worst long snapper isn't that big. Most teams don't struggle to find a decent long snapper. The advantage Hester provided was huge. I don't know if it's Hall-worthy - ultimately, returners have less opportunity to effect the game than kickers and punters, and I think there are 5 players from those positions in the Hall - but it's at least a debate.

 

Yes.

 

My long snapper story is about Sam Anno, who had a seven-year career. I don't know how he ranks among the best, but I will say he got the most out of his ability and excelled at long snapping.
At a high school we covered, Anno made varsity as a sophomore (it was a three-year school) because he could long snap. He also played linebacker. He was a teammate of a blue-chip recruit named Keith Davis, another linebacker. USC and all the big schools came to recruit Davis and saw Anno as a competent linebacker, too. The Trojans landed Davis and Anno.
Anno made the Trojans as a true freshman as long snapper. Davis redshirted. They started alongside each other eventually. Anno was the long snapper for four years, got drafted 1987 by the Rams.

• Los Angeles Rams (1987)
• Minnesota Vikings (1987–1988)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1989–1991)
• San Diego Chargers (1992–1993)

 

As I look backwards this year and especially the draft season, I think there is a great deal of substance to this:

The Ugly Narratives Surrounding Justin Fields’s Tumbling Draft Stock

Comparing Fields to Jones and the implicit bias is unavoidable. The coding is there. I personally want Lance. But definitely Fields instead of Jones. When was the last time a QB of color was given elite grading for any decision-making? Or anything other than athletic skills? I certainly can't recall any such instance, every time they have been chosen as a high first rounder, it was for spectacular physical traits.

 

You’re a specialist because you don’t hold enough value at your regular position.

There's a reason Deion only returned punts when it mattered.

 

I don't get the argument at all. No one game plans around a long snapper, unless he's the shits and they can block every kick. I can't see a coach saying "better not let them punt because that long snapper is Hall worthy".

 

I assume the argument he was making was that a kick returner was a part-time player like a long snapper is. That's kind of true, but obviously, you have to judge it on a sliding scale with impact.

Also with Hester, I'm kind of curious - I wonder if we got the "worst" version of his career that could have played out. His rookie year he was 24, and his QBs from then to age 31 were Brian Griese, Kyle Orton and Jay Cutler. I have to think a modern coach would have gotten way more out of his skill set.

 

Maybe he doesn't "interview well."

I'll never understand the NFL, but I do think anyone who thinks the people making these decision are infallible or have some great wisdom are kidding themselves. The only explanations for why college players drop in status after playing their last game is a drug situation/arrest, a horrible combine raising questions about off-season work habits, or coaches finally sitting down an evaluating film on a player and weighing in (I imagine they don't spend much time thinking about players in the draft until the NFL season is done).
I remember when Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray weren't even thought to be top of the draft talent during their final years in college. Then the season ended and boom.
I do wonder if coaches and GMs look at qbs and ask themselves - "is this someone I can trust with my job."