Steelers Sign Long Snapper Currently Making $15 an Hour Moving Furniture

When you're a specialist -- kicker, punter, long snapper -- and you're invited to NFL training camp to serve as a warm body in case catastrophe strikes the guy atop the depth chart, it's just a matter of time before you're back to humping some crappy 9-to-5. Jared Retkofsky's story fits the description, except he's been given a second chance.

A few weeks ago he was making $15 an hour as a furniture mover and now he'll make at least twice that with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The former TCU defensive end spent two summers as the Steelers' backup long snapper, and after incumbent Greg Warren went down with a season-ending knee injury last week (which lead to all sorts of hijinks when James Harrison was forced into emergency duty), Retkofsky's back. Barring any Harrisonian moments, he'll likely keep the job, but credit him for knowing enough to keep his Harrison-as-long-snapper comments completely laudatory in nature.

"You know, James can snap," Retkofsky said. "He does it on a regular basis. He can do it and get it done. I don't doubt one second that he would do if again if he had to. It kind of stinks the way it happened."

Retkofsky and Warren became friends despite competing for the same job, and Warren's dad called Retkofsky on Sunday to tell him of the injury. After the game, Warren called his former teammate and urged him to have his agent contact the Steelers.

"He obviously trusts me with his position, which is nice," Retkofsky said.

And even if James can't snap, the right answer is: "you know, James can snap"; I suspect head coach Mike Tomlin and punter Mitch Berger are hoping it never again comes to that.

For now, Pittsburgh seems to have their special teams problems under control, although Berger looks one or two punts away from having his leg fly clean off his body. Kicker Jeff Reed would be Berger's interim replacement, although I'd be for letting Harrison give it try. Just to see what happens.