DeOssie's job on Giants? Hey, it's a snap

He gets the biggest cheers at home and the loudest boos on the road, yet his impact on each game is almost imperceptible. As long as he doesn't screw up, that is.

Zak DeOssie was drafted as a linebacker out of Brown in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. But in his four years with the Giants, his role has evolved to the point that during the offseason, he stopped attending linebacker meetings and participating in defensive drills.

These days, DeOssie is a long snapper, period. And after fostering dreams for most of his life of playing linebacker in the NFL, it's a reality that he's grappling with.

"There are pros and cons," DeOssie said. "It's a certain skill that every team needs, and in that respect, if I consistently do my job, I can play for a long time . . . Do I wish I could play linebacker? Yeah, of course. But then again, I have a job in the best organization in the best city in the world. I can keep my body healthy for a long time and keep doing this job for a long time, and that'd be great."

The key for DeOssie in games such as last night's against the Bears is to go unnoticed. Long-snappers have their names announced only when they screw up, and so far, DeOssie has been very adept at anonymity. It's even taken him to a Pro Bowl in Hawaii; Giants punter Jeff Feagles and kicker John Carney brought him along after the 2008 season.

About the only time DeOssie does go noticed is about 10 minutes before each game. The special-teams players come out of the locker room first, a few minutes ahead of the rest of the players. It's usually when fans are just settling into their seats. So when DeOssie comes sprinting out of the tunnel, most assume the rest of the Giants are behind him. Thus the cheers or boos, depending on the location.

DeOssie has been at it for a comparatively short period of time. Patrick Mannelly of the Bears is in his 13th year as a long-snapper. The Chargers' Dave Binn just went on IR with a hamstring injury that ended his 17th NFL season. For a player with marginal skills at other positions on the field, the ability to be a long-snapper can quadruple the length of a career in the league.

"If guys play well, they're with teams for a long time," DeOssie said. "There are so many guys who have been snapping for such a long time, it can be a hard spot to break into. Coaches realize how reliable that spot is, and if you are a reliable guy, you can stick around for a long time."

DeOssie already knew that before he was drafted. His father, Steve DeOssie, played for four teams in his NFL career as a linebacker and, of course, a long-snapper. It was Steve DeOssie who delivered the snap for Matt Bahr's 42-yard field goal with no time remaining that beat the 49ers in the 1990 NFC Championship Game.

Thus, DeOssie asked his college coaches to let him long-snap as a senior even though he was a star linebacker for Brown. He knew it would add to his value in the draft and help him land on an NFL roster. He was right.

DeOssie first shared long-snapping duties with Jay Alford, who handled the field goals and PATs. But as Alford's role in the defense grew, DeOssie took over both snapping situations last summer.

DeOssie knows he's on perhaps the shortest leash of any player on the roster. One bad snap would raise the ire of the coaching staff. A second one probably would mean someone else would step in.

"You talk about volatility position-wise; kicker and snapper, there's no room for error," DeOssie said. "That's part of the job description. It's not that it's an intimidating factor, that's just how it is."

Last night the Giants faced one of the most dangerous punt returners in the NFL in Devin Hester. The Giants have been focused on special teams all week because of it. Did it alter what DeOssie tried to do?

"It doesn't change," he said. "Whether it's Hester or whoever is back there, I'm just running like a maniac trying to make a tackle."

Notes & quotes: The only surprise among the inactives really wasn't much of one. LB Keith Bulluck, listed as doubtful with a turf toe injury, did not play. It was only the fourth time in his 11-year NFL career that Bulluck missed a game because of injury.