Remember all that noise during preseason about Green Bay’s long snapper Matt Orzech? Folks were practically calling for his head, saying he was “bad” and should be released after rookie kicker Trey Smack didn’t miss a single kick with Cal Adomitis holding. Well, Week 1 hit, and the numbers are in: Orzech is absolutely delivering. Forget the chatter, this dude showed up when it counted, and it’s time we talk about what actually went down on the field.
Breaking Down the Snaps: It’s All About the Zone
Alright, so to really understand what’s happening, you gotta know a little about long snapping. It’s not just chucking the ball back there, right? There’s a whole science to it. Experts look at where that snap lands for the holder. Picture this: the ideal snap is off the ground, right where the ball is supposed to be placed for the hold. That’s pure gold. The next best? Off the ground, but hitting the holder’s body. Still good, still gives them a chance. Then you’ve got snaps that hit the ground at the snap point or on the body. Those are less ideal, but still workable enough for the holder to get the ball somewhat in place. We’re talking green zone here, not perfect, but still in the game.
What you really want to avoid are the snaps that make the holder move their entire body and get off balance. Snaps behind the holder? Bad news. Snaps near or above the head? Disaster area. You just don’t want that chaos. Now, there’s also the ball rotation for laces out, but we’re not tracking that here today. What we do know, though, is that all of Orzech’s snaps in Week 1 had good rotation. So, no issues there.
Orzech’s Week 1 Performance: Numbers Don’t Lie
So, with that breakdown in mind, how did Matt Orzech actually perform in Week 1? The man did well! We’re talking about all six field goal and extra point attempts, even accounting for the one that got wiped off due to a defensive offsides call. Every single one of those snaps landed squarely in the green zone. That’s six for six, meaning the holder had a real chance to get the ball where it needed to be every time.
But wait, it gets better. Four of those six snaps, a solid 66.7%, landed in that *ideal* quadrant. That’s the sweet spot, the best possible place for a snap. And remember that missed extra point everyone was talking about? Guess where that snap landed? Yep, you got it: right in the ideal quadrant. Up, above the spot for the hold. When you look at the snap-to-hold operations, they looked good. Kickers generally like the ball held with a slight forward lean, away from them, and that looked spot on too. Whatever went wrong on that missed kick, it wasn’t the snap. The operation itself was clean.
This is big, folks. Orzech was under fire in the preseason, but Week 1 proved the snap-to-hold operation is solid. It’s early in the season, but having that consistency on special teams is critical. Let’s see if he keeps this flawless performance going next week, because if he does, those preseason calls for his job are going to look real silly real fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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