Whoever decided to name the act of hiking the ball to the quarterback a โsnapโ probably never tried it.
Itโs not as easy as that word makes it sound.
Arizona Wildcats fans know this all too well. They endured the snapping struggles of Cayman Bundage last season. Bundage, a two-year starter at guard, was pressed into center duty in training camp when Carter Wood aggravated what turned out to be a career-ending foot injury.
โThe biggest thing about snapping is consistency,โ Arizona offensive line coach Jim Michalczik said. โLast year, unfortunately, we had some inconsistent moments that cost us.
โI think guys understand the importance. Itโs something they have to work on on their own, because we canโt work with them with the ball when weโre not at practice.โ
Zach Hemmila has been working on it. For years.
Hemmila was the first man up at center when the Wildcats opened spring practice last week. Coach Rich Rodriguez made it clear that no positions will be decided now, saying, โThereโs no depth being determined in the spring.โ But Hemmila getting the first crack to succeed Bundage is a good sign for the fifth-year senior from Chandler.
Hemmila believes heโs ready to take over the critical center spot โ or at least more ready than heโs ever been. His snapping, among other things, has come a long way.
โIt took me a year and a half to two years to get it down to where I wouldnโt get yelled at by Coach Rod,โ Hemmila said.
โI used to have wild pitches where the quarterback canโt catch it. I usually had four or five of those a practice. Last fall camp I had one or two the whole camp.โ
Of course, accurately sending the ball back to the quarterback โ whoโs usually 5-7 yards behind the center in Rodriguezโs system โ is just part of the job. You also have to block the man in front of you โ a man who often weighs 300 pounds and has no such worries about the ball.
Hemmila is right-handed and uses that hand to snap. He places his left hand on his thigh. His description of what happens next illustrates how challenging the mechanics of playing center can be.
โWhen I snap it, I try to move my left hand onto the defender and then bring my right hand (up), so I at least get some point of contact,โ Hemmila said. โOnce you get the snapping part, thatโs what you have to work on โ being able to move one hand one way and the other one the other way.โ
Did we mention that the center also has to identify the defensive front, communicate that information and get everyone going in the right direction? No position on the offensive line is more mentally taxing.
Hemmila knows the offense well. As Rodriguez noted, โHeโs been here a long time โ longer than me.โ
Hemmila began last season as the starting left guard but lost the job after five games. He knows exactly why.
He struggled in pass protection. He had trouble keeping his balance when engaging with rushers. Heโs been working on โnot lunging or falling forward when I punchโ and โbeing able to punch without having my butt come up.โ
None of those movements comes naturally, for Hemmila or anyone.
โEverything we do as offensive linemen is unnatural,โ Michalczik said. โEverybody thinks you (just) take the biggest guys and put them out there. You can get away with that in high school. But at this level, everybodyโs athletic. Everybodyโs quick. Everybodyโs fast.
โYouโve got to work those fundamentals so you keep that balance, you donโt get yourself out of position. Heโs been working hard on that stuff.โ
The work includes film study. Hemmila and his fellow blockers participated in an offseason project in which they each drafted a Pro Bowl offensive lineman and broke down his strengths and weaknesses. They had to write an evaluation, put together a 10-play highlight reel and present their findings to the group.
โIt kind of blew me away how good a job they did,โ Michalczik said. โI told them a one-page paper. I got two pages, three pages, single-spaced. All kinds of stuff. It was really good.โ
Hemmila examined Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey. Hemmila learned from watching film of Pouncey and other pros that โwhen they punch, itโs just a quick punch. They donโt fall forward. Itโs quick. It just stuns them. Itโs all about the feet then.โ
Hemmila is one of three players rotating at center in spring practice, which resumes Saturday. The others are redshirt sophomore Levi Walton and redshirt freshman Nathan Eldridge.
Michalczik actually has seven players snapping the ball. As all offensive line coaches do, heโs preparing for every conceivable scenario.
โI need to get the best five guys on the field,โ Michalczik said. โIf itโs five centers, then two have to play guard and two have to play tackle. If itโs five tackles, weโve got to find one that can snap. They better be able to snap.โ
