Long snapper, gregg warren, tore his a c l while running down field to pursue the punt returner. With their regular long snapper out, they turned to james harrison, but a line backer trained not in long snapping, but in chasing and tackling offensive players. As great warran was carded off, h Harrison had produced what's called a botched snap. The ball went clear over the punter's head. And the stealers went on to lose 21, 14.
Adam Smith famously argued that specialization is the key to prosperity. In the N.F.L., the long snapper is proof of that argument. Just in time for the Super Bowl, here’s everything there is to know about a job that didn’t used to exist.