Todd Sauerbrun Todd Scott Sauerbrun ( ; born January 4 , 1973 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League ( NFL ) for thirteen seasons . He played college football for West Virginia University , and was recognized as an All - American . He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft , and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs , Carolina Panthers , Denver Broncos and New England Patriots of the NFL , and the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League ( UFL ) . Early years . Sauerbrun was born and raised on Long Island , in Setauket , New York . He attended Ward Melville High School in East Setauket , and was a letterman in football and lacrosse . In football , as a senior , he averaged 45 . 1 yards per punt and kicked a field goal of 62 yards on October 27 , 1990 ( still the New York State high school record ) . In lacrosse , he was a high school U . S . Lacrosse All - America selection . He still holds the Ward Melville record for leading midfield scorer with 109 goals and 24 assists for 133 points . College career . Sauerbrun attended West Virginia University , where he was a punter for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team from 1991 to 1994 . He was a first - team All - Big East Conference selection in 1992 , 1993 and 1994 , and an honorable mention All - American in 1992 and 1993 . As a senior in 1994 , he set an NCAA record with a 48 . 4 - yard punting average , and was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American . Professional career . He was drafted by the Chicago Bears 56th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft . He spent five seasons with the Bears , and is ranked second on the team in all - time punting average . Sauerbraun tore his ACL in the third game of the 1998 season and missed the rest of the year . He was injured after a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player landed on his leg after a punt that drew a roughing the punter penalty . He spent the 2000 season with the Kansas City Chiefs , and was signed by the Carolina Panthers before the 2001 season . Sauerbrun achieved both his greatest success and biggest problems while with Carolina . He was picked for the Pro Bowl to represent the NFC in the 2002 , 2003 , and 2004 seasons . Sauerbrun also became the first player from either conference since the AFL - NFL Merger in 1970 to lead his conference in gross punting average for three consecutive seasons ( 2001 – 2003 ) . However , during the 2004 season , the Panthers were riddled with injuries , and at one point , starting placekicker John Kasay suffered a leg injury , and the Panthers were forced to use Sauerbrun to replace Kasay . Sauerbrun refused to kick unless he was reimbursed for fines he incurred when he was overweight . In December 2004 , he was charged with driving under the influence , and he was named in an investigation of steroids use in the NFL linked to a South Carolina doctor during the 2004 season . On May 19 , 2005 , Sauerbrun was traded to the Denver Broncos for punter Jason Baker for a 7th round draft pick in the 2006 draft . On July 7 , 2006 , Sauerbrun was suspended for the first four games of the NFL season after testing positive for the banned dietary supplement ephedra . On October 17 , 2006 , the day he was supposed to come back from his suspension , Denver cut him in favor of punter Paul Ernster . One of Sauerbrun ' s most notable NFL career moments occurred during the AFC Divisional Playoffs on January 14 , 2006 , when , in a rare move for a team punter , he managed to tackle New England Patriots returner Ellis Hobbs after his own kickoff and forced a fumble , which was recovered by teammate Cecil Sapp . This eventually led to a Broncos field goal , which helped Denver defeat the Patriots 27 - 13 , ending New England ' s bid for an unprecedented three consecutive Super Bowl victories . Sauerbrun was signed by the Patriots on December 22 , 2006 to a one - year contract that gave them the right to match any contract he signed the next offseason . On April 3 , 2007 , the Denver Broncos signed Sauerbrun to a one - year contract . However , a week later , the Patriots announced their decision to match Denver ' s offer to Sauerbrun . Shortly thereafter , the NFL Players Association filed a grievance on behalf of Sauerbrun regarding the details of the contract he signed with New England in 2006 . On April 18 , 2007 , it was announced that Sauerbrun would once again be a free agent . Sauerbrun re - signed with the Denver Broncos on April 19 , 2007 . Prior to facing the Chicago Bears , Sauerbrun stated that he would kick to Devin Hester , who was well known for his success as a kick and punt returner . Sauerbrun stated , " We ' re going after it . We ' re not going to kick away from him . Hey , we respect him and he ' s the best , but we have guys on our coverage teams that are paid to make big tackles . " Hester responded by returning both a punt and kick - off for touchdowns . Sauerbrun attempted to tackle Hester on both returns , but failed . Later in the game , Sauerbrun had a punt blocked by Charles Tillman while attempting to kick away from Hester . ESPN gave him the derogatory title of " Worst Player of the Week " . On December 18 , 2007 , the Denver Broncos released Sauerbrun for a second time after he was arrested by Denver police during an altercation with a taxi driver . Sauerbrun was signed by the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League on September 9 , 2009 .