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From Josh Weinfuss's "Fitzgerald finally reaches 100"
December 24, 2012
Punter Dave Zastudil set a new single-season NFL record Sunday with his 44th punt downed inside the 20-yard-line.
He tied the old mark of 42 with 1:54 left in the third quarter on a 49-yard boot that was downed at the Bears 1. He broke the record early in the fourth quarter with a 33-yard punt to the Bears 7 and extended it on the Cardinals’ next drive when Devin Hester was tackled at the Bears 8.
“If you’re backed up and you’re punting inside the 50, you just try to do your job,” Zastudil said. “Stats like that, inside the 20, just come with it. Yeah, it’s a cool honor but I’m not happy we didn’t win the game.”
Zastudil entered the game with 38 punts downed inside the 20 and was on pace to finish the season with 44. Earlier Sunday, Kansas City punter Dustin Colquitt tied San Francisco’s Andy Lee, the Giants’ Steve Weatherford and former Cardinal Ben Graham with his 42nd, only to have Zastudil kick past all of them later a few hours later.
“We’ve been playing football in the NFL for 90 years and to do something no one else has done – obviously we’re disappointed in the season and the losses that we’ve had – you have to give him credit for what he’s accomplished,” kicker Jay Feely said. “That’s phenomenal. He’s got a chance next week to put a lot of distance in there, to make it untouchable hopefully.”
