Best Specialists

On the heels of his attention-getting "Best Players" lists, Gil Brandt recently went so far as to list his "Best Holders" and "Best Deep-Snappers." Some might say that this is going way too far but, as Rich Eisen famously says of punters, holders and long-snappers are people too. They are also football players. Unfortunately, the only time we ever notice these football players is when they do something wrong. When they do something great it looks routine. Brandt listing these players and me acknowledging those lists here probably says more about where we are on the football calender than it says about anything else. Here are Gil Brandt's "Greatest Holders All-Time" and "Best Deep-Snappers All-Time." I have no idea why he designated one the "Greatest" and the the other the "Best."

Greatest Holders All-Time:

1. Shane Lechler

2. Danny White

3. Paul Krause

4. Joe Theisman

The two that stand out for me are Minnesota Vikings safety Paul Krause and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White. As an itty-bitty Vikings fan learning the game all of football's little things interested me, even the holding for place kicks. Krause was automatic. He was such a great athlete and the whole process seemed so smooth. It was fun to watch the ease with which he placed the ball and the coordination with Fred Cox kicking. Krause's athleticism also allowed him to improvise easily. It never seemed to matter whether his improvisation was intended or forced. White was intriguing to me because he was also the Cowboys punter and quarterback. He was always a threat to throw the ball on fakes because he was so comfortable offensively with the ball in his hands. 

Best Deep-Snappers All-Time

1. Cullen Loeffler

2. Patrick Mannelly

3. Lonnie Paxton

4. David Binn

5. D.D. Lewis

6. Vic Lindskog

7. Ethan Albright

Brandt's pick of Cullen Loeffler as the best deep-snapper that he's ever seen is what grabbed my attention. I knew that Loeffler was very good at what he did because things rarely went awry with his snaps. They were routine. I took the ease with which the punter caught and kicked the ball and the holder caught and placed the ball for granted. All aspects of the Vikings kicking game were sound when Loeffler, Ryan Longwell, and Chris Kluwe were a part of it. From the standpoint of long-snapping these years were worry-free years for this Vikings fan. I just never really knew where that put Loeffler among the other long-snappers of his day and historically. Patrick Mannelly, Lonnie Paxton, David Binn, and Ethan Albright were among Loeffler's long-snapping peers. It's great, and no surprise, to see Binn on Brandt's list. I've followed him from his Cal days. Cal might even have the reputation of "Long-Snapping U." If there really is such a thing. Long-snappers should be good at their job since that's all that they're called upon to do. It wasn't always that way. D.D. Lewis is one of the last players that I can recall that long-snapped as a side gig. He snapped the ball, ran down to cover the punt, and stayed on the field for his main gig as a linebacker. Brandt went way back to the 1940s to honor the career of Vic Lindskog. He played on the offensive line as well as handling the long-snapping for the two-time league champion Philadelphia Eagles.  

More fun, pre-training camp stuff from Gil Brandt.