Hogan Hatten Q&A: Inside Detroit Lions Game-Winning Field Goal

Lions OnSI caught up with Hatten to discuss his rookie season.

Detroit Lions longsnapper Hogan Hatten (49) / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit Lions rookie long snapper Hogan Hatten won the job in the preseason, beating out veteran Scott Daly. On Sunday, he also got to check a milestone off his bucket list by snapping the game-winning kick into the hands of Jack Fox, who held it for Jake Bates to boot it through against the Minnesota Vikings.

His long snapper position is also the center of recent debates about legal methods for teams looking to gain leverage while trying to block field goals. There has been some controversy as far as the clarity of the rule, but teams pulling the long snapper down is a trend that has gained momentum in the NFL.

"It’s a weird thing to me because I don’t really agree with being able to drive a guy down into the ground and jump over the top of him and I’ve expressed that to the League before, because whether you call it a hold or a pull-and-shoot, you’re pushing the guy down and shooting the gap over the top of him and restricting him from being able to do his job," said special teams coordinator Dave Fipp. "I don’t love that. It would be kind of like if you’re snatching a guy on whatever defensive – your pass rush and you’re snatching an offensive lineman or pulling him out of the way so a guy can run through a gap."

It is interesting if the league wants to legislate leverage, but still allows long snappers to be pinned down during field goal attempts. Likely, the play will be reviewed in the offseason to determine if there is an unfair advantage.

Lions OnSI caught up with Hatten after Wednesday's practice to discuss the winning moment, his development and the new field goal block trend developing across the NFL.

Interview questions and answers are edited for length and clarity.

What was the process leading up to the game-winning field goal like and how did it feel to see the kick go through?

Hatten: “Kind of like Jake said, it’s always good having an offense where you feel like they’re capable of getting you in position to win the game. Then when we get down there, it’s really just do our job and realize that’s what we’re here to do. I’m here to snap, Fox is here to punt and hold and Jake’s here to kick. It’s great to really have confidence in a unit being so young and realizing that we all play off each other and we all feed off each other. But the emotions and the feeling are just unmatched. It’s really one of the coolest things ever in my life and I continue to hope (for) getting that feeling. Hopefully we’re just beating people, so I don’t have to snap the game-winning kick.” 

What did you think about Jake's flexing celebration after making the kick?

Hatten: “I thought it was awesome when Jake got to show a little bit of emotion, because that’s just not what he does. He’s not really a super emotional guy and it was fun to see him celebrate and really kind of give himself some credit. He’s very tough on himself and it’s just fun to see a guy like that succeed because his story is incredible.” 

Jake Bates Earns NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

What has your development looked like since making the active roster? How important is constant repetition?

Hatten: “The one thing coach Fipp’s really good at is keeping me uncomfortable, and he’s a constant reminder that you’re not good enough which is good, and it’s exactly what you want. Especially for me, having a really serious coach who pushes me and motivates me and makes me realize the league is gonna catch up to me if I don’t try to catch up to it first. That’s really what gets you better. Working certain things, and yeah, it’s meticulous long-snapping stuff, but it really comes from coach Fipp and his work ethic. The dude’s here all day long. He loves this game. If he wasn’t doing it here, he’d be doing it in high school. It doesn’t matter where he’s at.” 

Through practice and reps, is that how you remain calm when it's time to snap for the big kicks?

Hatten: “Yeah I think practice and repetition. But in all, every time I’m out here with coach Campbell and coach Fipp watching me, I feel like I’m snapping the Super Bowl snap just because they put that much pressure on you. I promise you Bates feels it too, and Fox will even feel it holding just because our coaches are so intense and they demand, really, excellence from our team. That’s the standard right now, we look like a great team and we look like a team that is coming together and melding well. It’s the same thing for our unit. I know we’re all kind of new to each other, and Jake and I are both new to the team. When it comes to Jake, Jack Fox and I being friends, like we’re great friends outside of the facility. We see each other all the time, we go out and have an occasional beer after a good win. It’s really important to just kind of find those friendships but really find people you trust. I feel like Jake and Jack trust me just like I trust them.”

Teams across the league are utilizing a new strategy for field goal blocks where they pull the long-snapper down. Did that happen to you against Minnesota and what's your view on that strategy?

Hatten: “It did happen on that play, and I don’t necessarily know the rule on whether you can push me down or pull me. I got pulled on that play and I don’t necessarily know, I don’t. That’s just one of the hazy parts of the game. If somebody is on the line and they jump over you from there. As long as you’re trying to get up, you’re usually enough in the way to where they can’t get to the kick. It’ll be interesting to see what the NFL does with that rule. But in terms of me, I have no idea.” 

We've got @DanMillerFox2 on the 🎙 for Jake Bates' game-winner ✨ pic.twitter.com/xndvsPmpAA

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 21, 2024

Was that a similar way that you've seen defenses approach your snaps in recent games?

Hatten: “For the last couple games, they’re shooting A gaps or come hard off the edge. But for some reason, they went with the pin the long-snapper move and I, for my first time in the NFL, it’s the first time it’s every happened to me. College, high school, anything, I’ve never had that happen. It was pretty foreign.”