Zastudil's punting prowess deserves praise

December 10, 2013

By Josh Weinfuss | ESPN.com

TEMPE, Ariz. – Dave Zastudil may not have the best leg or the longest kicks in the NFL, but when it comes to helping his team flip the field, there are few punters as good.

In the Arizona Cardinals' game Sunday against St. Louis, Zastudil landed three of his four punts inside the 20-yard line, including one that was downed at the 1. The fourth punt was initially thought to be downed at the 1 as well, but it was ruled a touchback.

Thanks to Zastudil, Arizona’s opponents have started a league-high 33 drives inside the 20 after punts, according to ESPN Stats & Information. And that’s not good news for opponents. The Cards have the best defense in the league against drives that started inside the 20 off punts, allowing .55 points on those drives, fourth-best in the NFL.

On average, Zastudil's punts inside the 20 have pinned opponents at their own 10-yard line and Arizona has not allowed a first down or touchdown on 51.5 percent of those drives. Thanks to Zastudil, Arizona’s defense is working with a large field and has been able to quash offenses quickly, with opponents having to punt 60.6 percent of the time.

The defense should be showering Zastudil with gifts the way quarterbacks do with their offensive linemen.

But this isn’t an anomaly.

Last season, Zastudil set the NFL record for punts inside the 20 with 46. After Sunday, he’s tied for the league lead in that category with 31, alongside Kansas City’s Dustin Colquitt. Yet, in the NFL’s annual popularity contest, Zastudil’s achievements seem to be forgotten.

In the most recent update on fan voting for the Pro Bowl, Zastudil wasn’t in the top 10 despite being among the 10 best in net punting average. However, he’s not completely being ignored: ESPN Stats & Info named him an honorable-mention punter this week for his performance against the Rams.

Cardinals spread holiday cheer with Phoenix Children's Hospital visit

Punter Dave Zastudil was one of several Cardinals players to visit Phoenix Children's Hospital Tuesday.

December 11, 2013

By Bob McClay

PHOENIX -- The Arizona Cardinals took a timeout from preparing for Sunday's game against Tennessee Titans to spend time with kids at Phoenix Children's Hospital Tuesday.

They gave away teddy bears during their "Teddy Bear Express" event.

Back-up quarterback Drew Stanton was glad to help out.

"I think especially now, being a father, and having a child, and trying to empathize with those parents in that situation, to be able to see a change in mood or a smile on a child's face when they're going through a tough time can really turn things around for that day and hopefully turn things in the right direction," said Stanton.

Kicker Jay Feely, quarterback Ryan Lindley and center Lyle Sendlein were also among the Cardinals players who were there to help out.

Cardinals cheerleaders were there as well, along with a 180-pound dog named Barney, who climbed on to beds with kids and let them pet him.

Punter Dave Zastudil said the visit was rewarding for him.

"It means a lot, especially around the holidays," Zastudil said. "These kids have been through a lot, have suffered, and most of them will continue to suffer for a little while. If we can come in here and put a smile on their face and make them forget the pain that they're going through, it makes you feel real good."

This is the third straight year that Zastudil has made a holiday season trip to PCH.

Zastudil shares punter of the week honors

November, 12, 2013

By Josh Weinfuss | ESPN.com

TEMPE, Ariz. -- It’s hard to compete with 50,000 career yards, but Arizona Cardinals punter Dave Zastudil gave it his best shot Sunday against the Houston Texans.

While Texans punter Shane Lechler was across the field booming kicks, averaging almost 59 yards per punt and soaring past the 50,000-yard mark for his career, Zastudil was punting with the precision of a heart surgeon. He had two punts downed at the 1-yard-line.

And for that, Zastudil and Lechler were named co-punters of the week by ESPN Stats & Information.

Lechler, in his 14th season, is the all-time leader in punting average with 47.6 yards per kick but has been even better this year, averaging 48.7 yards per kick. Even Zastudil had to salute Lechler for his seven-punt day.

But as much respect as Lechler received this week for surpassing 50,000 yards, Zastudil was equally praised.

Downing one punt at the 1-yard-line is hard enough. But doing it twice? On Monday, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians compared it to hitting a hole-in-one. A punter has downed the ball at the 1 just three times in the past five seasons. Zastudil is responsible for two of them.

When ESPN Stats & Information debated between Lechler and Zastudil this week, the input fromNew York Giants punter Steve Weatherford swayed the decision to split the honor. Weatherford, via Twitter, threw his support behind Zastudil because two punts inside the 1 “will impact the game greater.”

Punter Dave Zastudil and cover man Justin Bethel flip the field for Arizona Cardinals

By Kent Somers

October 9, 2013

When it comes to sexiness, punting is the flannel pajamas and pounding headache of football.

No one yells at the spouse and kids to run to the TV room because the punt team is running on the field.

But it’s an important part of the game, especially for a team with a terrible offense and a stout defense.

That’s why what punter Dave Zastudil and cover man Justin Bethel are doing is so important to the Cardinals. They have flipped field position when the offense hasn’t and are a big reason the team isn’t worse than 3-2.

“It started last year, really,” Bethel said. “Trusting — I trust he’s going to put the ball where he says he’s going to put it, and he trusts me to get down there and make the tackle. It’s a great combination.”

Zastudil has put 16 punts inside the 20-yard line, the most in the NFL this season. Of those 16, 10 have been downed inside the 10-yard line.

Last year, Zastudil set an NFL record with 46 downed inside the 20.

The Cardinals, of course, would prefer to see less of Zastudil and more of quarterback Carson Palmer and receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

Zastudil’s heavy workload is a result of the Cardinals’ anemic offense. He punted 112 times in 2012, 21 more than the second-hardest-working man in the NFL punting business.

He’s punted 28 times this season, which means more than half of his kicks have been downed inside the 20 and 36 percent inside the 10.

This season, coach Bruce Arians has spent Mondays trying to explain what went wrong offensively the day before. That was true this week, too.

Until the offense can do more than “scratch some points out,” as Arians put it, the Cardinals will rely on defense and special teams.

That’s what they did last Sunday against the Panthers. A 56-yard punt by Zastudil from the Cardinals 29 contributed to Carolina starting a possession at their 21.

The defense sacked Cam Newton, and after a punt the Cardinals took over at their 46.

The offense didn’t do much but the Cardinals did get a field goal to tie the game at 3.

That’s scratching out points.

It isn’t attractive, and it probably won’t be enough to beat good teams. But it’s a big reason the Cardinals have more victories than 10 of the other 15 NFC teams.

What’s remarkable about Zastudil is that he missed half of the 2009 season and all of 2010 because of a severe knee problem. He was 32 and thinking that maybe his career was over when the Cardinals called in 2011.

Zastudil beat out Ben Graham for the job then and learned something in the process, too. Graham, who had played Australian Rules Football, was deadly at getting the ball to die deep in opponents’ territory.

He used the “Aussie kick,” which was brought to the NFL by former Chargers punter Darren Bennett. Zastudil watched how Graham did it and started to work on it.

“You drop the nose straight down and try to hit toward the bottom and middle of the ball,” Zastudil said.

The kick is even more effective when a team has a gunner with Bethel’s speed.

“Justin is one of the elite gunners in the league,” Zastudil said, “and the crazy thing is he’s getting better.”

Both Bethel and Zastudil know they aren’t going to receive much attention unless something goes wrong. Their names aren’t likely to show up in scoring summaries, but through five games, they have been the Cardinals’ most consistent offensive tool.

“I love doing what I do,” Zastudil said. “Coach Arians always says, ‘Know your role.’ I love doing my role. I’m just trying to get better. I still don’t think I’m hitting the ball exactly where I want to yet.”

Zastudil named Punter of the Week

October 8, 2013
By Josh Weinfuss | ESPN.com

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Dave Zastudil has quietly become one of the league’s top punters and that hasn’t gone unnoticed.

After another day of controlling field position with his left foot, Zastudil was named Punter of the Week by ESPN Stats & Information. He had kicks of 48, 56, 55 and 40 yards, the last of which pinned the Carolina Panthers on their own 6 in the fourth quarter.

Zastudil, who set the NFL record in 2012 for punts inside the 20, is in another close race this season. He leads the league with 16, one ahead of Kansas City’s Dustin Colquitt and two ahead of Houston’s Shane Lechler.

“He’s great inside the 20,” Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. “He’s also become great (directionally) -- I mean, that ball landed probably four yards from the sideline and (gunner) Justin (Bethel) was on top of it. Dave is doing a great job.”

Zastudil, with the help of Bethel, didn’t allow the dynamic Ted Ginn Jr. to hurt the Cardinals. Ginn had just one return for six yards.

“Justin made a great tackle there,” Arians said. “They had a field return on and Dave really did outkick the coverage other than Justin, but he pinned him and made him move and Justin made a great play.

“Had Teddy gotten out to the open field, it might have been trouble.”

Cards have one Zasty punter

By Darren Urban

September 20, 2013

Back when the Cardinals brought in punter Dave Zastudil at the tail end of 2011 training camp, it raised some eyebrows. And there was definitely some fan backlash when favorite Ben Graham was released, and a little more when Zastudil’s past leg injuries crept back here and there that season. The Cardinals — and then-special teams coach Kevin Spencer — believed Zastudil had a lot left though. They were right.

Finally healthy last season, Zastudil was put to the test much too often because of a faulty offense and he was very good. He averaged 46.5 yards a punt, netted 41.4 and set an NFL record with 46 punts (out of 112, easily a career-high) inside the 20-yard line. His 46.5 average was second all-time in franchise history, behind Graham’s 2009 year of 47.0. Zastudil also had a career-best 70-yard punt last season, and both his gross and net averages were career-bests.

His average is slightly down through two games this season (44.6) but that’s in part because Zastudil is getting a shorter fields on which to kick thanks to a much-improved offense. But his net is still stellar (42.0) and already he has had seven punts inside the 20.

Zastudil benefits from the emergence of star gunner Justin Bethel, who has been amazing in locking down most punt returns (Opponents have three yards on four punt returns in two games). But it starts with the punter, and Zastudil has been impressive.

Dave Zastudil named to USA Today's 21st All-Joe Team

From Nate Davis's "USA TODAY Sports' 21st All-Joe team"

February 13, 2013


SPECIAL TEAMS
Returner — Leodis McKelvin (Bills): His 18.7-yard average on punt returns was the second-best since the 1970 merger, and he brought two back for TDs; he also averaged 28.3 yards on kickoffs.

Kicker — Justin Tucker (Ravens): Impressive rookie connected on 91% of his field-goal tries (30-for-33) and didn't miss inside 40 yards. Among those with at least 40 kickoffs, no one whose home field didn't have a dome drove it better than Tucker (67.5-yard average).

Punter — Dave Zastudil (Cardinals): Dropped 46 punts inside opponents' 20-yard line, a new NFL record. Despite the horrid field position Arizona often had, Zastudil didn't merely bomb away and instead maintained an excellent net (41.4 yards) while forcing a league-high 36 fair catches. And he did a lot of work, his 112 punts 21 more than anyone else last season.

Ace — Bryan Braman (Texans): Playing as if his flowing hair was on fire, he blocked two punts, both returned for Houston TDs (one by Braman himself) and was a demon in coverage, making a team-high 16 special-teams tackles.

ESPN votes Dave Zastudil one of top two punters in NFL

By Mike Sando

January 3, 2013

Just wanted to pass along a quick note from Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information: The San Francisco 49ers' Andy Lee recently edged the Arizona Cardinals' Dave Zastudil for the NFL's 2012 punter of the year in voting by ESPN writers, researchers and data analysts.

I listed Lee first and Zastudil second on my ballot. Seattle's Jon Ryan finished fifth. New Orleans' Thomas Morstead was third. Kansas City's Dustin Colquitt was fourth.

Punters are a bit like home-field advantages. They're not going to make a bad team win games, but they can put a good team over the top in close ones.

Here's what Simon had to say about the punters and the voting process:

"Lee edged out Zastudil in an extremely close vote. Lee edged out Morstead for the NFL’s net average crown (43.2 yards). Lee finished with 36 punts inside the 20 and four touchbacks. His 9-to-1 ratio of inside-the-20 punts to touchbacks ranked tied for fourth-best in NFL. His 36 punts inside the 20 ranked third. Lee had the second-highest percentage of punts inside the 20 (53.7 percent). He was also a two-time winner of "Punter of the Week" honors this season.




"Zastudil led the NFL in punts with 112, 21 more than the player who finished second. He set NFL single-season records for total punt yardage and number of punts inside the 20. Zastudil also fared well by the advanced metrics kept by ESPN's analytics team. His average punt added 1.4 percent to the Cardinals' chances of winning, which was an NFL best, as was his average expected points added per punt (0.33).

"Lee received seven of a possible 15 first-place votes and was named on 15 of the 20 ballots. Five points were awarded for a first-place vote. Three points were given for a second-place vote. Zastudil received five first-place votes and five second-place votes. Lee won our points voting by four points (44-40). Morstead finished with 17 points, Colquitt 14, and Ryan 5."

Congrats to all the nominees. Punters don't get a ton of attention. We've got some good ones here in the NFC West.

Zastudil holds on to NFL record

From Josh Weinfuss's "Floyd Breaks Out In Finale"

December 31, 2012

Punter Dave Zastudil held off Kansas City’s Dustin Colquitt to earn a spot in the NFL record books Sunday afternoon. With two punts downed inside the 20-yard-line, Zastudil finished with 46 for the season, the most in NFL history. Colquitt, who came into Sunday with 42, had three punts downed inside the 20 against the Denver Broncos.

“Now that it’s official, it feels good,” Zastudil said. “Records like that are a great accomplishment. Thinking about it, you can’t take it for granted.”

Zastudil said he didn’t think about the record very much this week, but knew he was two ahead of Colquitt after last weekend. The 11-year punter deflected much of the praise to his gunners and offensive line, but his teammates, kicker Jay Feely and Mike Leach, who snapped to Zastudil on all 46 record-breaking punts, wouldn’t let him celebrate in peace following the game.

“I’m humbled to be among some great punters,” Zastudil said.

Dave Zastudil sets NFL record

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.”

Arizona Cardinals' Dave Zastudil closing in on record-setting year

By Bob McManaman

December 19, 2012

Chris Gardocki might be a tad biased, but when the former longtime NFL punter was asked Wednesday which punter from the NFC should be named to the Pro Bowl next week, he had only one answer.

"Dave Zastudil, without question," Gardocki, who spent 16 seasons in the league, said from his home in Hilton Head, S.C. "He deserves it, absolutely. Will he get it? I don't know. There's a lot of stuff that goes into who goes to the Pro Bowl and who doesn't.

"But he should get selected. I mean, he's had himself a phenomenal year."

Zastudil, now in his second year as the Cardinals' punter, spent a year and a half out of football recovering from patellar tendon surgery in his left (punting) knee. It was so bad, he wasn't sure if he should retire or attempt a laborious rehab.
"When you're out of the league for that long," Zastudil, 34, said, "sometimes it's pretty tough to get back in."

Zastudil is glad he chose the hard route and decided to work his way back because, entering Sunday's game against the visiting Chicago Bears, the punter is on the verge of setting an NFL record.

After placing a franchise-record six punts inside the 20-yard line in Arizona's 38-10 win over the Detroit Lions, Zastudil needs to drop just five more inside the opponents' red zone to have the most by any punter in a single season.

The record for punts placed inside the 20 is 42 and it's shared by three punters, including the Cardinals' Ben Graham in 2009. Andy Lee of the 49ers also did it (2007), as did Steve Weatherford of the Jets (2010).

"I don't care who you are, that's just damn impressive," Cardinals special-teams coach Kevin Spencer said.

It was Spencer who convinced the Cardinals to give Zastudil a chance last year. The punter had several good seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns until his knee started to erode and Spencer had a feeling.

"Honest to God, and I'm not trying to sound like a soothsayer or anything," he said, "but I was like, 'Wouldn't it be cool if things would turn out like this, that once he gets healthy, he might have a fresh leg for a man of his age and he could come in and do what he's doing now?'

"He worked his fanny off to get back, but man, it's been satisfying to watch."

Zasdtudil's 46.4 yards-per-punt average this season puts him within striking distance of Graham's 2009 club record (47.0) and although he might get overlooked for Pro Bowl consideration in part because of the Cardinals' 5-9 record, he's been the team's MVP on special teams.

"He has such a strong leg that it gives us more room to run down and get away from whoever is guarding us and be able to make a play on the ball or make a play on the returners," Cardinals special-teams gunner Justin Bethel said.

"It's a dangerous weapon to have. I mean, when a guy can put the ball inside the 20 and make it stay there, it totally flips the field for your team. It's a huge advantage."

Gardocki, who retired following the 2006 season after punting for the Bears, Colts, Browns and Steelers, has played a big hand in Zastudil's comeback. Spencer, a longtime friend and Gardocki's former coach in Pittsburgh, invited him to work with Zastudil during training camp in Flagstaff.

It also helped that Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt was once Gardocki's special-teams coach with the Browns.

"I would do anything for those guys," Gardocki said. "They're great people. But so is David. I got to know him when we were division rivals and we used to talk a lot and we became friends."

The two spent about three weeks together in Flagstaff and to this day, they talk on the phone at least once a week.

"It's been so cool to get feedback from him," Zastudil said. "I've never had a guy I could do that with. I take what he says, write it down and take it to practice with me and work on it.

"I've always had a lot of respect for him and it's been great to bounce ideas off of him. He's been a huge help to me."

Zastudil's play, which has included an NFL-high 98 punts for a league-most 4,546 yards, certainly has the full attention of Bears head coach Lovie Smith. During a conference call with Arizona reporters on Wednesday, Smith said that the special-teams matchup with the Cardinals will probably be the key to Sunday's outcome.

"It's a big challenge," Smith said. "There's a lot of different matchups we have, but that may be the most important matchup, just special teams vs. special teams."

The Bears and Cardinals have two of the game's elite punt returners, Devin Hester and Patrick Peterson and although neither has taken one back for a touchdown yet this season, both are capable of doing so on any given punt.

"I know that (long snapper) Mike Leach and (kicker) Jay Feely and I always feel every game comes down to special teams," Zastudil said. "Field position is so crucial and I know I'm going to be punting to a great returner, but we're excited for this challenge."

Zastudil, though, is just excited to still be punting in the NFL. Spencer admittedly wasn't completely sure Zastudil could make it back. Neither was Zastudil.

"I was just blessed the coaching staff here gave me a chance to play again," he said. "But I knew I had to earn it."

Dave Zastudil’s work in Arizona Cardinals' victory should not be overlooked

By Kent Somers

December 17, 2012

It was easy to overlook punter Dave Zastudil’s performance in Sunday’s victory over the Lions, because there were a lot more glamorous things to discuss than punting.

The Cardinals won for the first time since Sept. 30. They returned two interceptions for touchdowns and another set up a score. They recovered a muffed punt that led to another touchdown.

But Zastudil played a key part in the 38-10 victory. He punted nine times (yep, that offense still needs work), and six of them were downed inside the Lions’ 20. That’s a Cardinals franchise record.

Let’s take a look at Zastudil’s punts and how they helped the Cardinals win.

First quarter

1. Zastudil hits a 29-yarder that Stefan Logan fair catches at the 9. The Lions don’t gain a first down, and after a punt, the Cardinals take over at their 43. That favorable field position can be traced directly to Zastudil’s punt. Ryan Lindley’s pass on first down was intercepted, but Zastudil did his job.

2. Zastudil hits a 55-yarder that Logan fair catches at his 20. The defense again holds, and the Cardinals take over at their 38. Again, the offense does nothing with the field position.

3. Zastudil punts 46 yards to the Lions 12. The Cardinals down the ball there but an unnecessary roughness penalty on Michael Adams gives the Lions 15 more yards. Not Zastudil’s fault, obviously.

Second quarter

4. Zastudil hits a 47-yarder to the Detroit 17. Logan muffs the punt because Adams shoves a blocker into him. Adams recovers at the 5. Adams doesn’t have a chance to make that play if Zastudil doesn’t hit a good punt that pinned Logan near the sideline. The Cardinals scored their first touchdown on the next play. Credit can be traced back to Zastudil.

5. Zastudil punts 51 yards to the Detroit 7. Justin Bethel stops Logan for no gain at the Lions 7. On first down, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s pass attempt to Calvin Johnson is intercepted by Patrick Peterson, who returns it 31 yards to the Lions 3. The Cardinals score a touchdown to take their first lead. Again, partial credit for the score can be traced back to Zastudil.

Third quarter

6. Zastudil’s 28-yard punt is fair caught by Logan at the 8. The Lions don’t gain a first down, and the Cardinals next possession starts at the Detroit 49. It goes nowhere, but, again, Zastudil and the defense combined to give the offense great field position.

Fourth quarter
7. Zastudil makes his only mistake in 9 attempts, launching one 49 yards to the Lions end zone. The defense holds.

8. Zastudil hits a 54-yarder that Logan fair catches at the 13. The Lions drive to the Cardinals 4 and Greg Toler then returns an interception 102 yards for a touchdown.

9. Zastudil punts 39 yards to the Detroit 24. The ball goes out of bounds, but hardly anyone cares. The Cardinals are ahead 38-10, with Zastudil playing a big role in the victory.

In all, Zastudil averaged 44.2 yards a kick and had a net average of 42, well above the Cardinals’ weekly goal of 38.

Dave Zastudil Makes Second Chance Stick

Punter Dave Zastudil launches a kick Thursday night against the Rams.

By Josh Weinfuss

October 6, 2012

Dave Zastudil’s right knee was finally feeling better during the summer of 2011.

It had been 21 months since he last punted in an NFL game, a 49-yarder against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 1, 2009 that Devin Hester returned for 69 yards. Zastudil spent those months recovering from a knee surgery that shut him down midway through the 2009 season through the balance of 2010.

Years of planting his right leg before kicks had caused tendonitis, which resulted in dead tendons. They wouldn’t rebuild or regenerate on their own and by the bye week in 2009, with eight games left in the season, Zastudil couldn’t bear the pain anymore and opted for surgery. Doctors had to rupture his patella tendon during surgery in order to reattach it.

“The only thing that made it OK was that I knew I couldn’t play. Physically I couldn’t do it,” said Zastudil, who faced a long recovery period. “It was hard. You miss the locker room, you miss the guys, you miss the lights, the atmosphere and the game. I missed that.

“But I knew that if I got healthy and I worked I could come back and be effective for a team again.”

The Houston Texans wanted to try out Zastudil, and flew him to Texas last summer. The workout was going well, Zastudil said, until he tweaked his oblique muscle. Zastudil left Texas and headed home to Ohio without a job.

For the first time in his career, he thought he may never play football again.

“I thought maybe that was it,” Zastudil said. “I felt maybe I just wait until someone gets hurt and get a tryout or something. That was probably the lowest part of my career.”

Then the Cardinals called.

As the special teams coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kevin Spencer watched AFC North rival Baltimore draft the punter out of Ohio University in the fourth round in 2002. But Spencer wasn’t a Zastudil fan just because he was among the top five punters in college or because he was an All-American.

What stood out most to Spencer was that Zastudil was one of Ohio’s captains.

“I mean how many times is your punter the captain?” said Spencer, now the Cardinals’ special teams coach. “That speaks volumes about who Dave Zastudil is.”

Zastudil had punted against Spencer-coached teams 49 times since 2002, averaging 40.8 yards per punt.

“I was always impressed with Dave,” Spencer said. “I was impressed with him when he was at Baltimore, I was impressed him obviously when he was at Cleveland, and you think sometimes you might be able to find a nugget.”

Zastudil is in his 11th year in the NFL and he’s seen enough that not much excites him anymore. But when Spencer called him during training camp in 2011, Zastudil said it surprised him “a little bit.”

He dropped everything and jumped at Spencer’s offer to join the Cardinals late in training camp. Life was breathing back into his then-33-year-old legs but he came with questions. The job wasn’t handed to Zastudil. He had to earn it. His first opponent was the Cardinals’ incumbent punter, Ben Graham.

“I knew I couldn’t blow this shot because of my past injuries,” Zastudil said. “And teams eventually don’t like to take chances on guys who’ve had a past. I knew deep down if I got healthy I could be effective for a team.”

Zastudil won the starting job and punted a career-high 87 times last season, averaging 45.2 yards. His 3,929 yards were also a career high by almost 300. His season average and season long of 66 yards were both the second best of his career.

Zastudil answered his questions but he still wasn’t where he wanted to be.

With a full offseason ahead of him, Zastudil dedicated himself to training his body and his mind. Listening to former Mike Tyson trainer Teddy Atlas, Zastudil heard something that stuck with him.

“He says, ‘When you get to a point in your career, you’re either surviving or you’re winning,’” Zastudil said. “And I think for a little bit of time, maybe I was surviving. I was surviving with the injuries, just trying to get back. This offseason, I made a goal to myself that I needed to start winning again.”

He let go of any doubts that filled his head, whether about his health or ability. He stopped paying attention to numbers and stats, except for one: field position. And he made a few tweaks to his technique with the help of former NFL punter Chris Gardocki, who spent time at training camp in Flagstaff and still advises Zastudil.

Zastudil ranks seventh in the NFL in net punting average at 42.4 yards per punt and is first in total punts (33), total yards (1,556) and punts downed inside the 20 (12).

“He might be our most valuable player right now,” Spencer said. “And that’s with the likes of Patrick Peterson on your team.”

Zastudil doesn’t throw the ball or catch it. He doesn’t cover receivers or rush the quarterback. He doesn’t score.

But Zastudil may be the most important player on the Cardinals’ roster. He punted seven times Thursday night against the St. Louis Rams, and all but one pinned the Rams on their side of the field. The one that didn’t was returned to the 50. Of those six, three punts forced the Rams to start from their own 8, 4 and 11-yard-line, respectively.

“It helps a lot as a defense,” safety Rashad Johnson said. “You put the guys on a long field, backed up, it’s an opportunity. He changes the whole field position for our team when he gets it inside the 10-yard-line.”

Zastudil saw what life after football could’ve been like. He felt the emptiness of not driving to the stadium on Sundays. He felt the adrenaline tug at him. He tasted the football afterlife and didn’t like it.

“I think it makes you appreciate the game more,” he said. “Being out for a year, year and a half, you realize what you’ve missed.

“Everybody’s going to eventually have to walk away from the game. I wasn’t ready. I was ready to come back and still play. Fortunately, Arizona gave me the opportunity.”

Zastudil has always been preparing for life after football. In 2006 and 2007, Zastudil took classes at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Kellogg Business School at Northwestern, respectively, through NFL programs. He interned in a fixed income department while playing in Cleveland. He’s seen teammates lose money on bad investments and he wants to be prepared. Zastudil majored in finance at Ohio and is leaning toward a career in it after he retires.

“I’m going to play until they kick me out or my body doesn’t let me,” he said. “I love the game. I love what I do. I wouldn’t change it for the world. Someday you got to know it’s going to end. For me hopefully it’s not anytime soon.”

Jay Feely And Dave Zastudil Have Anchored Arizona Cardinals Kicking Game

October 3, 2012

By michaelfromct

The Arizona Cardinals defense has gained most of the credit for the team’s perfect record. However, lost in the accolades is the fact that their punter, Dave Zastudil, and their field goal kicker, Jay Feely, have both been superb.

Punters are the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL — they get no respect. But let’s give a little credit where credit is due. Zastudil has punted 26 times, and 9 of those kicks have landed inside the 20-yard line. He’s forced 9 fair catches, and when opponents do rerturn a punt, the yardage gained has usually been minimal because his punts are high. He’s averaging a solid 47.5 yards per kick, forcing Cardinals opponents to start with poor field position almost every time he punts. He was particularly good in the Cardinals last game against the Dolphins.

Kicker Jay Feely has been perfect in his seven field goal tries this season. In fact, he has nailed 18 in a row going back to last season. He hasn’t tried any 50-plus yard field goal this year, but he has kicked several 40-plus yarders through the uprights. And he also has been perfect on his extra point tries.

It’s nice to have a punter and a field goal kicker that are both so consistent and reliable.

Special mention for an overlooked weapon

October, 2, 2012

By Mike Sando

The Arizona Cardinals' overtime victory against Miami in Week 4 was remarkable on several fronts.

We discussed many of them after the game.

Two special-teams aspects went relatively unexplored.

One, field goal kicking has improved to the point that Jay Feely's winning 46-yard kick wasn't a big part of the story. Missing from that distance in that situation would have commanded more attention than succeeding commanded. We expect NFL kickers to convert from that range (and if you're a St. Louis Rams fan, you expect to convert from much, much longer).

Two, Cardinals punter Dave Zastudil and Arizona's coverage team helped swing field position.

As noted last week, ESPN's Mark Simon tracks and honors the best NFL punters each week.

Seattle's Jon Ryan received special mention for work performed during the Seahawks' victory over Green Bay. Simon named Zastudil his top punter for Week 4, filing this report:

Dave Zastudil was the busiest punter in the NFL this past weekend.

He was also the league’s best punter.

The Arizona Cardinals veteran is our selection for Punter of the Week for Week 4.

Zastudil’s had a career-high nine punts in the Cardinals overtime win of the Dolphins.

Eight of the nine punts resulted in an increase in the Cardinals win probability for the game (it’s also worth noting with that that all nine of the punts came with the Cardinals losing or tied).

Zastudil’s average punt helped the Cardinals chances of winning 3.3 percent, the best average in the league for the week, the fourth-best by any punter in a game this season.

That included punts that netted 51 and 48 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime that each increased the Cardinals chance of winning by 4.7 percent.

Seven of Zastudil’s nine punts were either downed, out of bounds, or fair caught.

Zastudil got credit for three punts on which the Dolphins ended up with field position inside their 20-yard line, but also had three more in which they were on their own 21 or 22, and another in which a holding penalty on the return pushed Miami back to its 11.

How good was Zastudil?

Consider this:

In the last 20 seasons there have been 354 instances of a punter punting at least nine times in a regular-season game.

Zastudil’s 47.3 gross punting average rates second-best among them, trailing only a 49.6 yard average from Dolphins punter Brandon Fields against the Jets in 2010.

Cardinals' Dave Zastudil sets Hall of Fame game record

From Darren Urban's article "Hall of Fame game aftermath"

August 5, 2012

It is way, way late – going on 2 a.m. local time – and I have to get up much too early to catch a plane to Missouri on our next stop of this magical mystery tour of the preseason. So this aftermath is going to be short and sweet (OK, let’s see if it really is once I finish):

Dave Zastudil had a great day punting in his home state, including a Hall of Fame game record 79-yarder.

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.

Zastudil's big punts

From Darren Urban's "Defense Continues Hot Streak"

December 5, 2011

In a game where field position was crucial, the Cardinals got kicks from punter Dave Zastudil that were the reason they wanted to bring him on as a replacement for Ben Graham.

Zastudil averaged 50.1 yards on seven punts Sunday, with a net of 45.0, as the Cards found themselves constantly backed up deep in their own end and needed to change field position. Five times Zastudil punted from his own 21-yard line or deeper, and three of those times came from within the Cards’ own 9.

“We do a lot of situations in practices where we are backed up, especially punting out of the end zone,” Zastudil said. “It’s one of those deals where you practice it over and over and try to do it. We had great coverage.

“It’s just nice the coaches believed in me and gave me a chance to come here and play.”

Zastudil is averaging 45.4 per punt with a net of 37.9 this season.

Cardinals' Dave Zastudil makes big contribution to week 9 win

By Elyssa Gutbrod

November 7, 2011

Arizona Cardinals: 6 Players That Made the Biggest Contributions in Week 9 Win

Led by backup quarterback John Skelton, the Arizona Cardinals managed to eke out a win against the resurgent St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

In a game where the Cardinals surrendered not one, but two safeties to the Rams and where points were nearly impossible to come by, a victory seemed almost too good to be true.

However, with the win, the Cardinals snap their six-game losing streak and move to 2-6 for the season.

In the interest of rewarding good behavior, over the next six slides we’ll give some kudos to the Cardinals players who made Sunday’s victory possible.

Dave Zastudil

How often do NFL punters get acknowledged for their contributions to a team’s success? After all, they only come on the field when a team’s offense has failed to perform.

On Sunday, Dave Zastudil took the field on six different occasions against the Rams. On three of those punts, he managed to pin them inside their own 20-yard line. He averaged 42 yards per punt.

In addition to his contributions at the end of drives, he was called upon twice to deliver the ball to the Rams after safeties. Both times, he sent the ball sailing deep into Rams territory.

In all, Zastudil played a crucial role for the Cardinals defense by helping to keep the field long and forcing the Rams to earn their scores.

Dave Zastudil, one of NFL's best punters and fundraising leader

Concern for a solid citizen...

By Boltblogger

August 11, 2010

I've been reading several reports over the past few days about Dave Zastudil and his recovery from off-season surgery. Although the reports have been lacking any substantial info, I have to admit I'm concerned.

From all I've ever heard about the man, Zastudil is one of the classiest folks you'd ever want to meet. He has been instrumental in fundraising activities in his home town of Bay Village. I took in his recent kicking camp at Bay High as he and Phil Dawson provided positive, yet honest one-on-one instruction. Proceeds from that camp went to Rise Above It Foundation. For more info on that, please go to RAI Benefit | Rise Above It | Help Fight Cancer!.

When healthy, Zastudil is one of the best punters in the NFL. In my opinion, he is Pro Bowl material. The Browns are a better team with him than without him. Hodges is alright, and the team would survive. But Zastudil could be a difference maker for a team forging ahead toward break-even. A deep boomer here, a coffin corner boot there could mean an extra win somewhere along the line in 2010-11.

Here's hoping all will soon be well for one of our native sons.

We need him.