The Hidden Team Behind Every Field Goal

A field goal is a team play with one name on the stat line

The box score credits one player, the kicker. But a field goal needs a long snapper, a holder, and a line of blockers to do their jobs in about a second before the kick starts. This post introduces the unit and why it matters for how we read kicker statistics.

Who is on the unit

The long snapper snaps the ball from the line of scrimmage to the holder. On field goals and extra points the distance is about 7 to 8 yards, compared with 13 to 15 on punts. Every NFL team now carries a specialist for the job, a role that began to specialize in 1971, according to Wikipedia.

The holder catches the snap, places the ball, and turns the laces away from the kicker's foot. In many NFL units the punter holds, which is one reason a punter's value goes beyond punting.

The protection line blocks rushers so the kick can get off. A defender who gets a hand on the ball is a block, whatever the cause.

The kicker times the approach to the snap and the hold, so all three players need a rhythm they can repeat.

What can go wrong

In the 2024 regular season, 18 of 1,115 NFL field goal attempts were blocked, or 1.6%. In 2025 it was 23 of 1,088, or 2.1%. The count is small, but each block is a no-make. It goes against the kicker in the statistics even if the snap, the hold, or the protection broke down first.

That is why a kicker's percentage is a team result with one name on it. Play-by-play data tells us a kick was blocked; it does not tell us why. We will not label a block as a snapper's or protection's error without film and a credited source.

Why you rarely hear their names

A good snap is invisible. It goes where it should, at the speed it should, and no one remembers it. A bad one can lose a game, and then everyone does. According to Wikipedia's summary, no player is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a long snapper, and a Patrick Mannelly Award for the top college long snapper was only created in 2019.

How we show the unit on FootballKickingStats.com

Our Top Kicking Teams page highlights the kicker, punter, and long snapper together. The Operation pages list each specialist's role and verified credits. We do not publish snap times or "clean operation" rates until we have a defined, verified source for them. Proxy numbers will be labeled as proxies, not as tracking data.

For young specialists

If you are a snapper or holder, you are part of every field goal your team attempts. Ask your coach how your reps are tracked and how the unit reviews them. A kicker can also help: learn your snapper's and holder's names, and thank them when it goes right.

Data: nflverse (CC BY 4.0), regular seasons 2024 and 2025; calculations by FKS.