CLEVELAND, Ohio — In the world of NFL roster construction, where every spot is precious, one position frequently draws questioning from fans: the long snapper. Why dedicate an entire roster spot to someone who might only play a handful of snaps each game? Why not just use a backup lineman or tight end?

On a recent episode of Orange and Brown Talk podcast, Cleveland Browns film analyst Lance Reisland delivered a passionate, data-driven explanation that should forever silence this debate.

“If you block a punt at all levels of football, you win that game 90% of the time,” Reisland revealed, highlighting the game-changing implications of special teams errors. “That’s a crazy stat at all levels. So you don’t want to get your punt blocked.”

This striking statistic undergirds the entire philosophy behind specialized long snappers. In a league where margins are razor-thin, eliminating catastrophic special teams failures isn’t just advisable — it’s essential.

“In the NFL last year, 67 games through Week 8 were decided by seven points or less,” Reisland continued, further emphasizing why the reliability of special teams operations becomes non-negotiable at the professional level.

The specialized nature of long snapping extends far beyond what casual observers might recognize. As host Dan Labbe noted from his conversation with former Browns special teams coach Chris Tabor: “They knew the rotations down to like a half a spin, how to get it to the punter ... it is a much more specialized thing than I think people realize.”

This precision can’t be developed as a secondary skill. When Reisland discussed using position players as snappers at lower levels of football, he painted a vivid picture of the challenges: “When you get guys who are tight ends and linebackers, they’re doing other stuff all practice ... Their hands are beat up. They’re real sweaty. Maybe they just ran a route and got absolutely leveled by a safety in the middle of the field.”

These realities create unavoidable risks that NFL head coaches simply cannot accept, especially considering how special teams failures directly correlate with losing. Reisland reinforced this point repeatedly: “I said it every week as a high school coach ... if you get a punt block, you lose. It’s really, really simple.”

The specialized demands extend to the entire operation — snapper, holder, and kicker — working in perfect unison. “That operation on both punt and extra points have to be perfect,” Reisland insisted. “The only time you hear about the punt team is when a punt is blocked. The only time you hear about a kicker getting yelled at is when he misses a kick. It’s not always their fault.”

Beyond just blocking concerns, the consistency required for field goals and extra points adds another dimension to the argument. With many NFL games decided by a field goal or less, the ability to reliably convert these opportunities becomes mission-critical.

“Those have to be automatic points regardless,” Reisland emphasized. “Extra points and field goals have to be automatic because if they’re not, you lose football games.”

This philosophy explains why NFL teams universally employ specialists for these roles. While roster constraints create tough decisions elsewhere, the cost-benefit analysis for long snappers is unambiguous: the risk of catastrophic special teams failures far outweighs the benefit of an additional position player.

“At the NFL level, those guys are all specialized because they’re working on that all practice,” Reisland concluded. “It’s what those guys do all day. They better be good at it and it better be non-negotiable.”

In a league where championships can be decided by inches and points, the reliability long snappers provide isn’t just valuable — it’s essential.