Snap (football)

A snap (colloquially called a "hike", "snapback", or "pass from center") is the backwards passing of the ball in American and Canadian football at the start of play from scrimmage.

The ball begins on the ground with its long axis parallel to the sidelines of the field, its ends marking each team's line of scrimmage in American football; in Canadian football, the line of scrimmage of the team without the ball is 1 yard past their side of the ball. A player, the Center, delivers the ball to another player, and that action is the snap. The Center may hand, throw, or even roll the ball to the other player. The snap must be a quick and continuous movement of the ball by one or both hands of the Center, and the ball must leave the Center's hands. The various rules codes have additional requirements, all of which have the effect of requiring the ball to go backwards to a player behind the line of scrimmage (i.e. in the "backfield"). The Center is almost always the center. The Center almost always passes the ball between his legs, but only in Canadian football is that required. Additional rules apply regarding the positioning and stance of the Center as one of several "line" players in anticipation of the snap.

For a handed snap, the Center will usually have his head up, facing opponents. For a thrown snap, especially in formations wherein the ball may be snapped to players in different positions, the Center will commonly looking between his legs. Because of the vulnerability of a player in such a position, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations ("Fed") have adopted rules providing that if a player is positioned at least 7 yards behind the neutral zone to receive a snap, opponents are not to deliberately contact the Center until one second after the snap (NCAA), or until the Center has a chance to react (Fed). However, in professional football it is common for a center to be able to practice a single "shotgun" formation thrown snap enough to keep his head up and toss it blindly.

In the National Football League (and presumably other levels), the snap is considered a backward pass and not a handoff. This rule was highlighted in a preseason 2014 game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings, when Zach Bauman picked up the ball from the turf after a bad snap and ran it six yards for a touchdown. Since the loose ball was a dropped backward pass and not a fumble, any player could pick up the ball and advance the ball—if it were a fumble, only the original carrier could advance the ball.

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