Two times through the first three games of the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Logan Cooke boomed a punt for more than 50 yards and the opposing punt returner was brought down by long snapper Ross Matiscik after picking up just four yards.
That pair of plays made by Matiscik has him tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Christian Kuntz for the league lead in the long snapper tackles race.
It’s no Mark McGwire vs. Sammy Sosa, to be sure. But it’s still a race that Matiscik and the Jaguars are keeping a close eye on.
“That would be sick,” Matiscik said of winning the long snapper tackle title. “My job is to tackle and protect and then anything after that I kind of view as extra. But I take pride in my coverage abilities. I like making plays downfield and helping the team.”
Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell said Thursday that it’s a title the entire unit wants Matiscik to win.
“It’s something that’s funny because we have a lot of fun in our room and we actually show the long snapper tackle board,” Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell said Thursday. “It’s something we have a lot of fun with, they love Ross so it’s been a little deal with them on if he can lead the league in tackles. It’s a big part of what we do in our coverage.
“At some point, other coordinators are probably going to start blocking him and not treating him like a snapper, which is a respect for him and his coverage. He’s covering fantastic.”
Matiscik, 27, was a linebacker at Baylor before winning the long snapping job in Jacksonville in 2020. After two reliable seasons in the role, Matiscik signed a five-year, $5.965 million extension with the Jaguars last offseason.
Jacksonville’s special teams struggled in Week 3, allowing a blocked field goal and an 85-yard kickoff return touchdown. But the punt coverage unit has allowed only 5.6 yards per return and it has pinned its opponent inside the 20-yard line seven times — landing the Jaguars in the top 10 in both stats. Matiscik’s coverage downfield has contributed to that success.
“You see people actually blocking him when they usually just let snappers go,” Cooke said. “He just turns into an extra cover guy.”
“He always tells me, ‘Keep them away from the sidelines so they’ll come to me a little bit,'” Cooke added with a laugh.
Last year, Matiscik finished with four tackles — one behind the Denver Broncos’ Mitchell Fraboni and Dallas Cowboys’ Matt Overton for the league lead among long snappers.
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