Jeff Wolfson

Ravens have a new long snapper

by Dan Kolko View Comments

The Ravens have settled on a new long snapper. They're going with Kevin Houser, an 11-year veteran who played nine seasons with the Saints.

And hopefully, this is the last time you'll hear his name.

With Morgan Cox out for the season after suffering a torn ACL on Sunday against the Browns, the Ravens tried out for long snappers yesterday. Houser was the last one standing after Bryan Pittman failed his physical.

"A veteran guy," head coach John Harbaugh said of Houser. "Did a really nice job in the workout yesterday, and we'll see how he does today in practice. We really wanted a veteran. Those guys understand the schemes and have done the techniques and he should be ready to plug right in."

So, what does a team look for when trying out long snappers?

"You look for long snapping, that's the No. 1 thing," Harbaugh said with a smile.

Well, yes. And after that?

"Then you go short snapping. You look at protection, how he handles the movement and stuff that goes along with protection. You look at his anchor a little bit, in case they try to bull rush him. There are some things that are similar to pass protection with offensive linemen. The ability to recover off the snap and get his head up, and then how well he handles some of the calls and some of the different things we do in our protection," Harbaugh said.

Houser has been around the block a bit, which will make it fairly easy for him to step in and join a team during a playoff run. He seemed thrilled with the opportunity he's been given.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be able to represent the team," Houser said. "The team has put itself in great position. I'm hoping to do whatever I can to help them reach the ultimate goal."

Now, he'll need to try and build a chemistry with punter/holder Sam Koch and kicker Billy Cundiff as soon as possible.

"I get to do preseason and regular season, all in three days," Houser joked.

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