PHILADELPHIA -- Long snappers are the most overlooked starters in the NFL until they mess up or get hurt.The Philadelphia Eagles were down to the No. 3 guy on their depth chart after Jon Dorenbos broke his wrist and backup Brent Celek suffered a stinger in a 27-22 loss to Washington last Sunday.Things got comical at that point.Linebacker Mychal Kendricks decided to try out for the job on the sideline. Defensive end Bryan Braman also attempted a few snaps.But versatile tight end Trey Burton got the call in a clutch spot in the fourth quarter. Burtons snap sailed high, punter Donnie Jones reached up to make the catch and put it down in time for Caleb Sturgis to stutter-step and kick a 41-yard field goal that gave the Eagles a short-lived lead.Donnie made an unbelievable play, Burton said. Hes obviously really good at what he does.Celeks only snap on a 50-yard field goal try was low and Jones couldnt handle it. Neither Celek nor Burton knew kicking balls arent the same as game balls. Theyre much slicker.I dont know why they do that, but it was real waxy, Celek said.The Eagles signed Rick Lovato to replace Dorenbos, who had played in 162 straight games since 2006. Celek and Burton now plan to snap a little more in practice. They may even use kicking balls.I havent done it since training camp, Burton said.Lovato played two games for the Redskins last month after Nick Sundberg was injured. Washingtons emergency long snapper is backup quarterback Colt McCoy. He doesnt fit the profile for the position, but McCoy volunteered for the job in the summer.I told them I could do it, which was a lie, McCoy said. Ive never done it before. But when I went out to do it, I was good at it. I was serviceable. Ive gotten a lot better ever since, and if they need me, Ill step in and do it.McCoy also is the backup punter and holder.We tried everybody who had shoulder pads -- everybody who was dressed, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. Hes pretty good actually. Not much of a blocker, but hes pretty good.The Ravens once turned to star defensive tackle Haloti Ngata after Morgan Cox tore his right ACL in a game in 2014. Ngatas snap on an extra point was successful. Baltimore almost used running back Willis McGahee when Cox tore his left ACL in a game in 2010, but Cox finished the game out.Most teams have more traditional backups -- linemen, tight ends, linebackers.Travis Kelce, a 2015 Pro Bowl tight end, is one of Kansas Citys backups. His brother, Jason Kelce, is Philadelphias starting center. But snapping the ball on punts and kicks is a different, tougher task. Thats why Travis Kelce is the Chiefs No. 2 guy on punts and fullback Anthony Sherman is the backup on kicks.The idea behind using both guys is that its so hard to be a snapper, to do a long snap and then shift to a short snap so I just wanted Kelce to focus on long snapping and then Sherman is another guy that we can use in a short snapping situation, Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said.Long snappers have to fire spirals to a punter standing 15 yards away and to a holder 7 or 8 yards deep. It requires speed and perfect placement because timing is crucial for kickers.Those guys are specialists for a reason and theyre so good and you dont realize how bad youre going to miss them until something like that happens, Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer said.Tanner Purdum has been New Yorks long snapper since 2010. Jason Taylor, the six-time Pro Bowl defensive end, was Purdums backup that year. But Boyer wouldnt reveal what the team would do in an emergency now.Its a scary deal if youre in our position, said Boyer, who played with Eagles special teams coach Dave Fipp in college at Arizona. Thats a doomsday scenario, for sure.NFL teams didnt always dedicate a roster spot to a player who was only a long snapper. They used guys who also played other positions. Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews was a long snapper throughout his career for Houston/Tennessee. His son, Jake Matthews, is Atlantas starting left tackle and backup long snapper behind Josh Harris.Ive been doing it since like peewee, Jake Matthews said. My dad did it forever in the league. That was one of the first things he taught us because its definitely got a lot value. It can take you a long way.Thats why Kendricks started practicing on his own earlier this season with the Eagles after his playing time on defense was reduced.The more you can do, the longer you can stay in the league, Kendricks said.The role has become so specialized that each team has a player who serves only as a long snapper. The Denver Broncos even have two long snappers on their roster because Casey Kreiter strained a calf a month ago so they signed veteran Thomas Gafford.---AP Pro Football Writers Arnie Stapleton and Teresa M. Walker and AP Sports Writers Stephen Whyno, David Skretta, Josh Dubow, Dennis Waszak, Dave Ginsburg, Steven Wine, Charles Odum, John Wawrow and Tom Canavan contributed to this report.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddiNew Balance Shoes Nz Sale . 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LOS ANGELES -- The protesters who ambushed Ryan Lochte on Dancing with the Stars are defending their actions after being released from jail.Sam Satoodeh and Barzeen Soroudi were arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing and each held on $1,000 bail after the pair rushed the stage Monday to protest the Olympic swimmer on the ABC ballroom dancing competition.Our purpose is to get the message out that Lochte is a coward, a liar and under Brazilian law, a criminal, Satoodeh told ABC News outside of jail Tuesday.Soroudi added that he believed Lochte embarrassed Americans on the worlds stage, and this was our form of protesting against that.Lochte and his swimming teammates have faced criticism since they were involved in an early-morning drunken encounter during the Olympics last month at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They later claimed they were threatened and robbed.Satoodeh and Soroudi rushed the stage in anti-Lochte T-shirts while the swimmer was receiving scores from judge Carrie Ann Inaba for his debut performance during a live installment of the celebrity ballroom dance competition.dddddddddddd.Hey, back off, Inaba said as the altercation was occurring off screen.ABCs Good Morning America aired video that wasnt shown during the live broadcast of Satoodeh being tackled on stage by security and other protesters in the audience chanting liar as they were escorted out of the soundstage.During the episode, the Olympic medalist performed a foxtrot routine with professional partner Cheryl Burke to Call Me Irresponsible. They received a combined score from the judges of 24 out of 40.When I was asked to do the show, the one thing that I kept hearing was that it was like joining a big family, Lochte wrote in a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram. After Mondays incident, I now know what that means. I have gotten so much love from everyone on the show, including my partner Cheryl, my fellow competitors, the producers, the security team and its fans. ' ' '