This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/BananerRammer on 2023-12-08 21:10:08.

There were a lot of words being said last night and today regarding the false start by the Steelers long snapper in the 4th quarter of last night’s game. Including a lot of “snappers move their head on every play.”

Well, I wanted to test that theory, so I took a look a look at all nine of the times Kunitz came out to long snap. You need a Prime account to view these, but that’s all I have access to, and I’m not savvy enough to cut these and gif them. If someone else knows how to do that, be my guest, and I’ll edit the post, but until then, here is the link to the broadcast of last night’s game.

0:18:00- 1st Q, FG From NE 38- Kunitz’s first snap of the night. His head is down for the whole pre-snap process, and he does not lift it until after the snap is away.

0:29:43- 1st Q, Punt from PIT 25- Not the clearest of views pre-snap, but it looks like Kunitz has his head down for the snap, and he does not raise it until after the snap is away.

0:52:30- 2nd Q, Punt from PIT 27- Pre-snap not shown. By the time the broadcast cuts back to the action, snap has already gone off.

0:59:05- 2nd Q, Punt from PIT- Again, Pre-snap not shown, but same as prior, Kunitz’s head appears to be down after the snap.

1:14:12-2nd Q- Try from NE 15- We have a good look this time, and Kunitz’s head is clearly down for the whole pre-snap process.

1:52:44- 3rd Q, Punt from PIT 49- Does not lift his head until after the snap is away.

2:07:07- 3rd Q, Punt from PIT 33- Again, does not lift his head until after the snap is away.

2:41:07- 4th Q, 4th & 3, PIT 38- The now infamous play. Unlike the seven previous long snaps, Kunitz decides that now is a good time to lift his head and look forward for his long snap, instead of looking through his legs. From the skycam view, also notice that he moves his hands pretty suddenly while lifting his head.

2:42:25- 4th Q, Punt from PIT 38- One play later after the penalty, Kunitz comes out again, and just as he had earlier in the game, he is back to not lifting his head during the pre-snap. He doesn’t lift it until after the snap is away.

So, out of the 9 times Kunitz comes out to long snap, only once does he move his head prior to snapping the ball, and it happens to be in a critical situation where an offside penalty will keep their drive going. Here is the official language from the rules…

It is a False Start if the ball has been placed ready for play, and, prior to the snap, an offensive player who has assumed a set position charges or moves in such a way as to simulate the start of a play, …

Any quick abrupt movement by a single offensive player, or by several offensive players in unison, which simulates the start of the snap, is a false start.

Since normally Kunitz does not lift his head until after the snap, shouldn’t moving his hands and lifting his head, be considered simulating the start of the snap? There are legal ways to try to draw the defense off, like hard counts and such, but the Patriots are notoriously disciplined in that regard. I think the Steelers knew that and drew this up thinking they might fool the officials in addition to the Pats. (Hell, it fooled Terry McAuley, and the broadcast team, so why not?)

Give them credit though, the officials were not fooled, and I think they got this one right.