Published: 01/31/2008
NFL life's a snap ... until you miss Patriot Paxton, Giant DeOssie share high-pressure, but lucrative skill se
Patriots long snapper Lonie Paxton, shown here working on his form with former New England punter Josh Miller during the 2006 season, has held the position with the Patriots since 2000. STEPHAN SAVOIA/Associated Press
Hector Longo
Both athletes are self-taught, having perfected the art of long snapping on their own.
"Everyone through their football career tries to long snap," said DeOssie. "The first snap you ever do determines whether or not you'll be able to do it - how you feel about it. Some people have a knack for it. I watched my old man (his father, Steve, was a longtime NFL long snapper and linebacker) do it. I knew the importance of it, so I just learned how to do it on my own."
Paxton first was enthralled with the chore as a youngster, attending Los Angeles Rams home games with his dad.
"By a random occurrence, we'd be out there early, and the early groups were always the special teams," said Paxton. "I was kind of amazed at the whole thing. When it came time to messing around with the football, I just said why not try giving it a shot. It just progressed from there.
"Most of the time, it was just trial and error. I actually did it one-handed through my sophomore year in high school. Then I saw that the pros used two, and I adjusted."
Come Sunday evening, both guys will look to again play anonymous yet vital roles - not including the expected bone-crunching DeOssie stick in kick coverage.
It's a position Paxton has been in many times before. Think about all those crucial Adam Vinatieri kicks - the Snow Bowl in '01, the game-winner in Super Bowl XXXVI, eight other game-winners in all. Paxton has been perfect on every one.
His consistency has been uncanny.
"We're members of an elite fraternity," said DeOssie. "Every time I see him, it's a nice little reunion."
Former QBs snap to attention
Like Zak DeOssie, who was one of the most prolific passers in Phillips Academy history (he threw 26 TDs passes in 2001-02) before switching to linebacker at Brown University, New England long snapper Lonie Paxton began his career at Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., as a quarterback.
"I played quarterback as a freshman, but in the second game I fumbled a snap," said Paxton. "I went to dive on the football and broke my center's ankle on the play. So they made me the center."
"I still remember my coach John Stillwell telling me, 'You're never going to play quarterback, and you're never going to be fullback, so start working on the offensive line.'"
