You’ll have a long career if you learn to snap: Hus
Jorgen Hus knows that his job is a snap.
And the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ long-snapper is cool with that.
That said, the St. Joseph Guardians, Saskatoon Hilltops and University of Regina Rams alumnus still gets the occasional itch to bare his linebacker fangs.
“A little bit, yes,” the Saskatoonborn Hus says with a smile. “But then when I see the injuries and the bodies and stuff like that, I don’t need to be banging my head in there. I’m kind of over that in some regards. Some days it does come out, and you kind of wish you were in there. I kind of miss it, but I’m happy to be snapping and playing so it’s fine with me.”
How does he describe the life of a long-snapper?
“You do a lot of watching, just observing the team and the guys,” the 28-year-old Hus says. “You try to do your best and be as prepared as you can be when your time comes.
“You don’t want to go out there and botch a snap or put one over (Josh) Bartel’s head because it could be detrimental. Knock on wood that doesn’t happen. You know your part. You just do your thing on the sidelines and get ready.”
Ideally, the life of a long-snapper borders on complete anonymity. If there isn’t any publicity, it means that the snaps are true and nothing has gone awry.
“That’s exactly it,” Hus says. “It is kind of nice (to rarely receive publicity). I see some of these guys and they’re always getting bugged and stuff. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that, because it could get annoying after a while.
“When people know your name (as a long-snapper), it’s usually not for a good reason. The less people know, the better it is — and I’d like to keep it that way.”
Even so, Hus has made a name for himself as a reliable long-snapper.
“When I was in Grade 9 or 10, a coach told me, ‘If you want to have a long career, learn how to snap,’” he recalls. “I played linebacker and worked hard at that. I also practised snapping on the side because I knew that would be the case, and that has held true.”
One of the benefits of being a long-snapper is that the skills can be honed year-round, outside of a regimented practice setting.
“Other than protection and blocking and stuff like that, it’s something where you can pick up a ball in the winter and go to a gym and snap and virtually do the same thing as you do on the field,” he says. “Anyone can work on it. Anyone can pick it up.
“(Winnipeg Blue Bombers longsnapper) Chad Rempel is a great example. He started his career as a receiver and four, five or six years in, he started snapping, and he’s one of the best in either league.
“I tell every young kid, ‘Listen, start snapping.’
“Every training camp, the coaches ask, ‘Who can snap here?’ and hardly anybody even puts up a hand. If you can do that, you can make a team even as a backup.”