NC Sports Clients Phil Dawson and Dave Zastudil named Browns' best Kicker and Punter since 1999

February 17, 2012

By Craig Lyndall

We ran the polls. You voted. Now the results are in.

Did you really think we'd run the quarterbacks right away? No way. We're saving that one. Plus, I thought it would be nice to end the week on a positive note. When you are talking about the history of the Browns since 1999 and "positive notes," special teams usually comes to the top of the list.

Let's start with the toughest race. Best Browns punter since 1999 was a race between Dave Zastudil and Chris Gardocki. Zastudil scored 1141 first place votes to Gardocki's 1123. Despite his one very good season, Reggie Hodges was a distant third. In the end, Zastudil edged out Gardocki for the win.

From the most hotly contested race, we go to the least. Phil Dawson. Do I need to say anything else, really?

Josh Cribbs also had little trouble winning both punt returner and kick returner. Cribbs there really isn't much to say about Cribbs either.

Dennis Northcutt probably should have been more competitive in that race for best punt returner, but nobody was even close from a kick return standpoint.

Stay tuned until next week when we start to unveil some of the defense and quarterback.

I figured I’d end the week on a happier note than some of the other categories. No better way to do that than with some love for Phil Dawson.

Punter probably couldn’t have been much closer. The Browns have undoubtedly had some pretty good (and oft-used) punters since 1999. Dave Zastudil probably got the nod because he is also a local boy. Gardocki will forever be known as the first “Punter-As-Team-MVP” punchline for the “new” Browns.