Week 6 Official Game Thread - CHI @ WAS, MNF, Oct 13, 8:15PM CDT, ABC, CHI +4.5

[jason]

On 10/18/2025 at 3:38 PM, adam said:

The Long Snapper is considered a defenseless player when snapping the ball with his head down. On both of the last two kicks, the block and the GWFG, Payne is clearly on Daly's back instantly, and using him as leverage.

On the previous kicks, Payne would just rush the gap between the LS and the G, but in these two he was going over the back of Daly, which didn't give him a chance to even attempt to block him.

In the MIA game, this was called against the defense.

 

Sorry, but they’re not going to call that often. He’s hitting the A-Gap and getting squeezed into the snapper. Arm on the snapper’s back? Sure. But 99% of the time that’s not getting called unless it’s worse and more direct with the snapper.

Also, like I said before, there is no timing mechanism to the protection rule. Not one, two, or ten seconds. It’s all based on the officials’ perception of whether or not the snapper has had enough time to defend himself. Some players at lower levels, along with their bonehead coaches, think they just have to keep their head down for an extended period and that automatically results in indefinite protection. That couldn’t be further from the truth.