They are anonymous except in times of disaster, for which they are invariably blamed. They are paid to perform an act that gives them an upside-down perspective on the world that leaves them in an absurdly vulnerable that cried out to opponents: Clobber me! Is it any wonder in an inordinately incidence of strangeness among NFL long snappers.
But not so with the Saints' Kevin Houser, a family man. a registered financial broker, and a professional player who devotes much of time to fund-raising for needy children.
Among the NFL's long-snapper number we find a poet, the co-owner of a boutique, a rock singer, and a heavily tattooed heavy-metal junkie who has sported a Mohawk. And you thought kickers were flakes.
Thursday night at 7 o'clock at Impastato's, N. Hullen and 16th St. in Metairie, Houser is hosting a Life's a Snap! dinner at $100 a person and all the money will go the Life's a Snap Foundation, a non-profit charity that helps terminally ill or sick children cope. Food guru Tom Fitzmorris of WWL and WSMB is helping House with the dinner said that Children's Hos[ital has a program called Starbrite that enable children in hospitals all over the world to communicate with each other and celebrities. They also help out wit the Children's cancer unit and the American Cancer Society.
"This fundraiser will specifically help a family in New Orleans with a child paralyzed from the waist down," said Fitzmorris. "They'll renovate their home to make it handicap accessible. The family will be found through Children's Hospital."
Other Saints will attend as well. The food is being provided by Joe Impastato at no cost, as are the wines from Glazer's.
Houser is known for his accuracy and rapid delivery and has been one of league's best since joining the Saints in 2000. He has handled all snapping duties and placements since his arrival as a seventh-round pick out of OhioState and also is one of the top contributors on the punt coverage teams.
As a long snapper, he takes a football and snaps it on a tight spiral eight yards to a waiting field goal holder or 15 yards into the hands of a punter who is facing an all-out rush. Once the long snapper gets rid of the ball, he must look up and help block the defense's charge. On a punt, once the ball is kicked, he must head downfield on assignment to help stop the returner. it is a job that is performed several times during a game, but no one notices the snapper's name unless something goes wrong, which in turn, keeps the kick attempt or punt from being successful.
Houser's responsibilities on punts are in the areas of protection and coverage. "After the snap, depending on whether the opponent is returning the ball or or they're rushing the kick, I've got a guy to block like everyone else," said Houser. "In the event of a return, I go downfield and attempt to make the tackle or help make the tackle."
The center on kick placements makes two adjustments: He has to take something off the ball because he's not trying to knock the holder over, and he has to snap laces. That means the snapper must deliver the ball so that when the holder catches it his top hand in on the laces. That way, when he puts it down, the laces are facing the goalpost.
The punt snap is more of an aggressive snap with speed. The ball must reach the punt in .8 of a second.
Long snappers do not get interviewed unless something has gone badly awry. If the snap sails over the punter or holder's head, the media will gather around the snapper after a game and asked him to explain what happened.
So why volunteer for such unappreciated duty? Because it's the best way for athletes to sneak into the NFL. Do great athletes gravitate to long-snapping? No, but long snappers have long NFL careers until they start sailing snaps over heads.
Houser was the third member of his family to play at OhioState, following father, Tom, and brother, Bob. He saw action at tight end and on special teams with the Buckeyes. He had 6 catches for 55 yards and 2 touchdowns as a senior.
If the Saints are playing on grass that week, he and his kicker spend the week practicing on grass.
During a game, he continues to snap into a net behind the Saints bench to keep warm. "I'm one of those guys who likes to stay focused and snap continuously," said Houser. "I will be on the sidelines and if our defense is out on the field, I will snap a couple of extra points in case of a turnover that turns into a touchdown. When we are on offense, I am working on punt snaps until we get into field goal range.."
His community involvement started with his wife, Kristen. "My wife and I had an active interest in doing something in the community more than what we had been doing." said Houser. "We wanted to be more active in getting programs going in different areas. After some trial and error, we came to work with Children's Hospital. We love the kids. We started with them then expanded on it.
"As a father of two (son and daughter), we wanted to ease the burden put on parents of sick children. It's amazing on how being a father puts a whole new spin on this. You never really understand the love you feel for children until you have them. What those parents have to endure is amazing. Out hearts go out to them and that's why we try to do whatever we can to help kids out."
Most long snappers will tell you they feel lucky, but not blessed. That it's just who wants to do it.
As a poet one wrote: "Some can, some can't."
HORNETS, SPURS TIED FOR LEAD IN SOUTHWEST
The Hornets lost their second straight game on Saturday night in San Antonio when the Spurs defeated them 98-89. The will enabled the Spurs to move into a tie with the Hornets for the lead in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.
The Bees shot just 14-of-42 from the floor in the first half and hit only 5 shots in the second quarter. New Hornets guard Mike James played 16 minutes and scored 5 points and new swing man Bonzi Wells played 19 minutes and scored 2 points.
Hornets coach Byron Scott's take on the game: "When you play the defending NBA champions, you can't play just two solid quarters. You've got to play four solid quarters."
James and Wells were acquired in the trade that sent Bobby Jackson to Houston.
What seemed impossible three weeks ago, the Western Conference has gotten even tougher. Through trades for taller players, most of the leaders got better. The Lakers got Pau Gasol and the Suns got Shaq O'Neal and Yao Ming, Carlos Boozer, David West and Tyson Chandler were already in the West.
After the Spurs' win over the Hornets, a sportswriter asked San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich how the West is going to shape up when he playoff seeds are official at the end of the 82-game grind.
:The West was already a monster," said Popovich. "Now it's ridiculous."
Here's how the coach sees the seeds:
Lakers (1): When they played the Suns on Wednesday in O'Neal's first game for his new team, it was Gasol who made the biggest plays in crunch time. They've still got Kobe Bryant, happier than he has been in years, and still a crunch-time nightmare to opponents.
Rockets (2): Tracy McGrady insists he will miss Bonzi Wells, but the Spurs won't miss having to keep him off the offensive glass if they meet Houston in the playoffs. Still, Bobby Jackson was a tremendous trade deadline pickup for a team that badly needed a reliable backup for Rafer Alston at the point. He already knows Rick Adelman's offense and has one of the biggest hearts in the league. Oh, yeah: They've still got that 7-foot-6 center with the sweet shooting touch.
Spurs (3): Playoff basketball always gets slower and more physical, which is one of the reasons the Spurs have won four titles over the past nine seasons. Tim Duncan is the game's best big man. His game was made for the postseason.
Jazz (4): They're the No. 4 seed because they are going to win the Northwest Division, but I have them slotted for the sixth spot in the West standings.
Mavericks (5): They will have the fourth best record and home court advantage over the Jazz in the first round, but Williams is the point guard Jason Kidd doesn't want to match up against in the first round and Boozer is not the kind of power forward Dirk Nowitzki wants to defend.
Suns (6): O'Neal is going to make Amare Stoudemire a better power forward and Boris Diaw will be more productive with Shawn Marion gone. Oh, yeah: They've still got the game's best point guard and passer.
Hornets (7): I know they neded to improve their depth, but I didn't like their trade deadline deal. Will Mo Pete sulk if Wells begins getting too much of his time? Can they replace the leadership they got from Jackson? Still, if Peja's back holds up, they've got one of the West's best starting units. Oh, yeah: The point guard known as CP3 is a legimate MVP candidate,
Nuggets (8): I was going to put the Warriors in this spot until the news broke about Andris Biedrins appendectomy. I still wonder about the Nuggets' chemistry after Carmelo Anthony lobbied for the trade for Ron Artest. Oh, yeah: Allen Iverson remains a crunch-time monster.
I was upset when Bobby Jackson was traded - that dude can really shoot - but the guys who were acquired for him played well last night. It will be a shame if the city loses this very talented team. Written by kerry fox
on 2/26/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
They are anonymous except in times of disaster, for which they are invariably blamed. They are paid to perform an act that gives them an upside-down perspective on the world that leaves them in an absurdly vulnerable that cried out to opponents: Clobber me! Is it any wonder in an inordinately incidence of strangeness among NFL long snappers.
