Zach Esau may not be the sexiest signing the Valley Huskers made this offseason, but he may be one of the most important.
The Winnipeg native is a long-snapping specialist, and a very good one at that.
His presence will allow the Huskers to avoid some of the special teams snafus that have killed them in years past, like snaps sailing over the head of the punter or bouncing at his feet.
The Huskers haven’t had the chance to kick field goals or converts very often, making it all the more frustrating watching a bad snap botch the attempt.
No more of that.
Husker fans should enjoy the University of Manitoba import’s quiet reliability.
“When I was about seven years old, my dad was my coach, and at a clinic they told him, ‘If you can get a kid who can snap a ball 15 yards with a tight spiral, that kid will have his ticket to the pros,’” Esau said, recounting his long-snapper origin story. “I didn’t want to just go to the pros as a long-snapper, because, who knows the long-snapper right?
“But as I got older and matured more I thought, ‘This could be my shot at the pros so I should definitely try to take it and run with it.”
Like any seven year old, Esau started by wobbling balls back 10 yards.
Better than anyone else in his age group, but that was a very low bar.
But he kept working and working, honing technique the average fan would never think about.
Foot placement (squared) and hand placement and where to place his fingers on the seams. Eyes on the punter or the holder and strong follow-through on the snap.
“That last one’s important because I’ve seen a lot of guys who are more worried about getting downfield (on punt coverage) than they are about getting the snap right,” Esau said. “Your first job is to snap the football, then get down the field.”
Keep in mind that all of this is supposed to be done in a couple snaps of the fingers, and that goes for punts and field goals. Sluggishness on either assignment results in blocks or mis-timed kicks. Esau’s coaches stop-watched it at the U of M.
“I forget the exact number, but it was just over two seconds at Manitoba and it’s two seconds in the pros,” he said.
Complicating matters further, different punters want the ball snapped differently. Esau’s punter when he played for the Langley Rams in 2014 liked the ball up near his face, where Esau’s punter at Manitoba wanted it knee-level.
Justin Medlock, the kicker for the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, trains with Esau in the offseason and likes to receive the snap at hip level.
Give Esau 20 snaps and he estimates 17 will be perfectly placed.
“I’d like to say 20, but I think 17 with the other three just a little bit off is a pretty good ratio,” he said.
Esau met Medlock at the University of Manitoba and the two struck up a friendship. They worked out together again this past offseason and spent lots of time talking about the game, their craft and what it might take for Esau to get to the next level.
“Justin is a great guy who has helped me understand a lot more about what it takes to be a professional,” Esau said. “Taking care of your body, watching film, work ethic and things like that.
“That’s probably the biggest thing currently separating me from the guys in the CFL and NFL is what they do to take care of themselves.
“Taking the time to stretch, hit the ice or hot tub or whatever. It’s something I’m working on now and I’m doing my best to get where I need to be.”
One major difference between university and junior is Esau’s job description after the snap.
At higher levels the snapper is expected to block until the punt is away. With the Huskers Esau is the tip of the coverage spear, running down the middle of the field and forcing the return man to the left or right.
“I need to make him move so he doesn’t have a lane right up the middle,” Esau explained. “I don’t mind blocking but I definitely like getting downfield.
“Taking contact sucks because everyone saw it and it feels awful, but when you give contact everyone is excited.”
Esau may get a chance to bang around on defence as well. He’s been taking reps on the D line in practice and likes the challenge of playing defensive end.
But long snapping remains the likeliest way to get where he wants to go.
“I would like to play pro next year in the CFL or NFL, and I’ve been in contact with a few NFL teams over the last year,” Esau said. “I have a long-snapping coach in the States who conducts a lot of camps for college seniors and NFL free agents.
“I’ve talked to the (Buffalo) Bills and (Denver) Broncos and that’s definitely what I’d like to do.”
Catch Esau in action at the Husker home opener Aug. 5 when his team hosts the Vancouver Island Raiders.
Kickoff is 2 p.m. at Exhibition Stadium.