According to a published report in today's Boston Herald the Patriots have signed their second long snapper in as many weeks, after placing veteran Sean McDermott on injured reserve yesterday with an undisclosed injury. New England added veteran Brian Kinchen to the 53-man roster on Tuesday to replace a guy who himself had replaced consistent veteran Lonie Paxton just a week earlier.
The 38-year-old Kinchen was the long snapper for Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick in his days with the Browns from 1991-95. He hasn't played in the NFL since 2000 with Carolina when his season ended thanks to a knee injury after just two games. Since that time he has reportedly been a fixture on the Celebrity Players Golf Tour.
With the injury to McDermott, suffered in his first game with the Patriots, New England reportedly tried out a number of snapping options on Tuesday including Harper LeBel, Dan O'Leary and Chance Pearce before settling on Kinchen.
The New England special teams unit has been a bit unsettled in recent weeks with veteran punter Ken Walter leaving and then re-signing with the team, backup quarterback Damon Huard filling in for Walter as the holder on kicks for a week, rookie Brooks Barnard handling the punting duties for a week and the three moves at the long snapper spot. In that time kicker Adam Vinatieri has remained the only constant in the special teams skill positions.
