Meet Garrison Sanborn. He's not a musician or an American civil war general; he is a professional athlete who holds a highly specialized job - perhaps the most specialized position in sports: an NFL long snapper. He and his 31 other long snapping colleagues around the league are paid to propel footballs from the ground, backwards from between their legs, a distance of about 7 yards and about one yard off the ground for field goals and extra point attempts or about 11 yards at waist height to punters. The role of long-snapper is usually a little noticed one, unless, of course, they make a bad snap. The consequences of a bad snap can be disastrous. Good snaps, like good refereeing, are almost never discussed.
Sanborn, from Tampa, Fla, is the 4th highest paid long snapper in the NFL, earning a base salary of $910,000 in 2015. Signed as free agent in 2009 by the Bills, his contract was extended by 3 years in September, 2014 keeping him under contract to the Bills through the 2017 season. He is considered to be one of the most consistent and reliable long snappers in the league but, on Thursday night in the Meadowlands of New Jersey, late in a close game against the Jets, a bad Sanborn snap caused Bills Punter Colton Schmidt to fumble the ball for a second - long enough to prevent him from getting his punt off and giving the Jets the ball deep in Buffalo territory and down by only 5 points. The Bills defence came up big and they hung on to win the game, despite the bad snap. Sanborn hopes for no further notariety this season.
Rex Ryan kept saying, as the game approached, that his return to New Jersey was not the story of this game but his demeanor during his post-game press conference said differently. He was clearly thrilled to have been leaving the Meadowlands with a win and he spoke directly and by name to many in the New York sports press corps with whom he had developed close relationships over his 6 years as head coach there.
The Bills next game represents the ultimate test on their schedule and seems like an impossible assignment: a prime time match-up at Gillette Stadium against the undefeated Patriots next Monday night. The Bills actually won on their last visit there - a season-ending sleeper after the Patriots had home field wrapped up before going on to win the Superbowl. To win, the Bills will need not only their best game in all 3 phases but some turnovers and probably some other forms of luck.
The most entertaining game of week 10 featured those same Patriots against the Giants in the same Meadowlands where the Bills won on Thursday. The Giants literally let the game slip away with both a touchdown pass and an interception "dropped", or at least not held onto long enough late in the game. A very late 54 yard field goal after those drops preserved the Patriots perfect season. The schedule lines up nicely for them the rest of the way and it is entirely possible that yesterday's one point win over the Giants will end up being the closest call they have all season.
As I have said many times over the years, the only way that the Bills will ever have a home playoff game is by winning their division. There simply isn't any other way, I have declared over and over. But that's actually not true as I realized yesterday while hauling huge chucks of hemlock on a fridge cart along our cottage road. If the Bills were to secure the first wildcard spot - the 5th seed in the AFC playoffs, after the 4 division winners - and if both the second wildcard team, the 6th and final seed, and the Bills, were to win two road playoff games each, then the AFC Championship Game would be played in Buffalo. The chances of that scenario unfolding seem about as likely as a Bills win next Monday night. But it is possible. And I like to live in the world of the possible.
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