In football, LS stands for long snapper. In football, LS is a special team position that snaps the ball for field goals and punts.
Since these players only play punts, field goals, and extra points, they are only on the field for a few plays a game.
Many people seem to discredit the long snapper position, believing that a center could snap the ball effectively on these plays. However, anyone who has spent enough time around football knows that a long snapper is an important position.
This point is further supported by the fact that every NFL team uses a long snapper among their 53 roster spots.
Our guide to KOS position in football and WDE position will help you learn other special teams’ position acronyms like LS.
What Does An LS Do?
You may be wondering what sorts of responsibilities this position has now that you know what LS stands for.
We will cover all the roles that a long snapper plays on a football team below.
Long Snapping On Punts
In football, the long snap is one of the main responsibilities of the LS. The punt may be placed between ten and fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage.
Therefore, the long snapper must snap the ball up to fifteen yards through his legs into the punter’s hands.
A snap that is inaccurate can have grave consequences. It is a feat that is surprisingly difficult to accomplish.
There will be a lot of defensive players rushing the punter in hopes of blocking the punt. If the snap misses the punter, there is a good chance the defense will recover the ball.
There is a race between the punter and several defenders to come down with the ball if the snap goes over his head. This usually results in the defense getting the ball and oftentimes scoring a touchdown.
Long Snaps On Field Goals And Extra Points
Besides long snapping for punting plays, long snappers also assist with field goals and extra points.
A kicker will be about seven yards from the line of scrimmage when attempting a field goal.
For the kick to be successful, the long snapper must snap the ball into the hands of the holder.
For this reason, the long snapper must make sure to snap the ball at a good speed, just like a punt.
It is so important to measure a long snapper’s ball speed when evaluating him as a prospect that teams often measure it.
Punt Coverage
Once the punter kicks the ball, the long snapper becomes one of the players on the punt team looking to bring down the punt returner. Punt coverage is the only aspect of a long snapper’s job that does not involve snapping the ball.
In these plays, the long snapper works his way downfield to attempt to tackle the player. Because long snappers are not typically the most talented athletes, they aren’t likely to make the tackle.
There are times, however, when the LS is the one who finally brings down the punt returner.
That’s all for the LS position in football. Check out some other guides on position acronyms such as WR or TE.