For all his brilliance and methodology in winning four Super Bowls, Chuck Noll disdained the idea of specialization. In particular, the longtime Steelers coach scoffed at the idea of wasting a roster spot on a long snapper.
So what happened?
The Steelers lost a 1988 game in Cleveland when Hall of Fame center Mike Webster, whose bent fingers were too banged up to long snap, fired two snaps over the head of punter Harry Newsome.
Webster was one of four players Noll used as the long snapper that year, causing Newsome to have an NFL-record six punts blocked, even though he led the league with a 45.