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Ideally, the life of a long-snapper borders on complete anonymity. If there isn’t any publicity, it means that the snaps are true and nothing has gone awry.

“That’s exactly it,” Hus says. “It is kind of nice (to rarely receive publicity). I see some of these guys and they’re always getting bugged and stuff. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that, because it could get annoying after a while.

“When people know your name (as a long-snapper), it’s usually not for a good reason. The less people know, the better it is — and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Even so, Hus has made a name for himself as a reliable long-snapper.

“When I was in grade 9 or 10, a coach told me, ‘If you want to have a long career, learn how to snap,’ ” he recalls.

“I played linebacker and worked hard at that. I also practised snapping on the side because I knew that would be the case, and that has held true.”

One of the benefits of being a long-snapper is that the skills can be honed year-round, outside of a regimented practice setting.

“Other than protection and blocking and stuff like that, it’s something where you can pick up a ball in the winter and go to a gym and snap and virtually do the same thing as you do on the field,” he says. “Anyone can work on it. Anyone can pick it up.

“(Winnipeg Blue Bombers long-snapper) Chad Rempel is a great example. He started his career as a receiver and four, five or six years in, he started snapping, and he’s one of the best in either league.

“I tell every young kid, ‘Listen, start snapping. Even if you want to play another position, that’s great. Learn how to snap and you’ll always make that next team.’ That’s what happened for me and I know it could happen for anyone else, because not a lot of guys know how to snap.

“Every training camp, the coaches ask, ‘Who can snap here?,’ and hardly anybody even puts up a hand. If you can do that, you can make a team even as a backup.”

rvanstone@postmedia.com

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