I decided years ago that if I’m ever so blessed as to have a son, I’m going to tie his right arm to his side for the first 12 years of his life and teach him to be a left-handed pitcher in an effort to provide him some sort of job security (it seemed to work for Jamie Moyer).

Failing that, I’m going to teach my son to be a long snapper. That path to pro sports success looked a little clearer after watching the Oakland Raiders on Monday night. With normal long snapper Jon Condo out with an injury, it was a nightmarish evening for his replacement, Travis Goethel. Goethel flubbed three different snaps in Oakland’s loss to the San Diego Chargers, mostly affecting punter Shane Lechler.

If you own Sebastian Janikowski, you’re probably concerned that he’ll be affected by the scourge of bad long snapping. After all, what’s the point of having one of the best kickers in the game if the ball never reaches him?

Never fear, this week’s snapping problems should be an anomaly for Oakland. NFL teams don’t carry backup long snappers. When an injury befalls the normal guy, the person pressed into duty usually hasn’t done the job in awhile. In Goethel’s case, he hadn’t long snapped since high school. Head coach Dennis Allen (like anyone with a TV last night) knows it’s a problem and they’ll have a contingency plan in place for the future.

– Marcas Grant

Follow Marcas on Twitter @MarcasG

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