GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2005 (15/0), 2006 (16/0), 2007 (16/0), 2008 (16/0, 1/0), 2009 (16/0, 2/0), 2010 (16/0). Total- 95/0, 3/0.
• Voted by teammates as Vikings 2010 Special Teams MVP.
• Set Vikings records with a 47.6-yard gross punting average and 33 punts of 50+ yards in 2008.
• Holds the top 3 marks in Vikings history for landing punts inside the 20, including team-record 34 in 2007 and runner-up 32 in 2010.
• Earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September 2005, the only rookie in Vikings history to win a Player of the Month award.
GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2005 (15/0), 2006 (16/0), 2007 (16/0), 2008 (16/0, 1/0), 2009 (16/0, 2/0), 2010 (16/0). Total- 95/0, 3/0.
• Voted by teammates as Vikings 2010 Special Teams MVP.
• Set Vikings records with a 47.6-yard gross punting average and 33 punts of 50+ yards in 2008.
• Holds the top 3 marks in Vikings history for landing punts inside the 20, including team-record 34 in 2007 and runner-up 32 in 2010.
• Earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September 2005, the only rookie in Vikings history to win a Player of the Month award.
off the field Known for his Guitar Hero skills, the game inspired him to learn to play guitar and he now plays bass guitar in a Twin Cities band, Tripping Icarus...Band released a debut full-length CD in summer 2010...Married to Isabel, the couple has a daughter, Olivia...Political science and history major...Has taken his Guitar Hero talents and uses them for a good cause, hosting charity tournaments playing the video game...Avid paintball player.
HONORS Voted 2010 Vikings Special Teams MVP...2008 USA Today All-Joe Team...NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September 2005.
pro In 6 seasons, has already etched his name into the Vikings record book in several areas, including top single-season gross average (47.6 in 2008), 50-yard punts in a season (35 in 2008), 50-yard punts in a game (6 at Tennessee and vs. Detroit in 2008) and gross punting average in a game (57.5 at Detroit in 2007)...Holds Vikings career record with 158 punts landed inside the 20...Holds top 3 marks in Vikings single-season history for punts inside the 20, highlighted by team-record 34 in 2007...Owns Vikings career record with 142 punts of 50+ yards...Agreed to long-term contract extension with Vikings in October 2007...Converted fake FG for a 1st-down vs. Detroit (12/2/07), hitting Jeff Dugan with a shovel pass for a 27-yard gain...Came to the Vikings as a virtual unknown in 2005 when he was claimed off waivers after being released by Seattle…Holder for FGs and PATs.
2010 Earned Vikings Special Teams MVP as voted by teammates...Had career-high 38.9 net punting average, the 2nd-best in team history and highest since 1964...Took ownership of several Vikings career punting records, including most games with a 50+ yard punt (69) and career punts inside the 20 (158), passing Greg Coleman in each category...Notched the 2nd-best total of his career with 32 punts landed inside the 20, trailing his team-record 34 in 2007...Ranked tied for 5th in the NFL and 2nd in the NFC with 32 punts inside the 20...Posted career-high 46.0 net punting average vs. Arizona (11/7)...Had career-high 10 punts and 458 punting yards in game vs. NY Giants (12/13), a game played at Detroit’s Ford Field after the collapse of the Metrodome roof.
2009 Had top net punting average of his career at 37.8 yards, the 4th-best mark in team history...Had 24 punts of 50+ yards, the 3rd-most in a season in Vikings history, trailing the top 2 he set himself with 33 and 29 in 2008 and 2007...Landed 24 punts inside opponents 20...Served as holder on all FGs and PATs as Ryan Longwell had career-best season...Boomed 61-yard punt in Divisional Playoff game vs. Dallas (1/17/10)...Pinned Packers inside their 20 on 4 of 5 punts vs. Green Bay (10/5) on Monday Night Football, holding them to 0 punt return yards on the game.
2008 Recognized by USA Today with a spot on the All-Joe Team, honoring players whose work goes largely unnoticed…Set team records for gross average in a season at 47.6, breaking a team mark that stood since 1964, and set mark for 50-yard punts in a season with 35…Boomed 6 punts of 50+ yards to set single-game Vikings record at Tennessee (9/28) and vs. Detroit (10/12)...Served as the holder for K Ryan Longwell’s team-record-setting 6 FGs of 50+ yards during the season.
2007 Set team records for punts inside the 20 with 34 and booted then-team-record 29 punts of 50+ yards...Had career-best season with a gross average of 44.7 and net average of 37.0, both ranking in the top 5 in Vikings history for a season...Ranked 3rd in the NFL for punts inside the 20 with 34...Tied a team record and set a career high by landing all 5 punts inside the 20 in season opener vs. Atlanta (9/9)...Set a Vikings record for single-game gross punting average at 57.5 yards (4-230 yds) at Detroit (9/16)...Boomed longest punt of career, a 70-yarder, at Kansas City (9/23)...Held on Ryan Longwell’s 55-yard game-winning FG at Chicago (10/14) as time expired, the longest FG of his career and the 2nd-longest overall FG in Vikings history...Completed 1st career pass attempt on a fake FG vs. Detroit (12/2), hitting Jeff Dugan for a 27-yard gain and a 1st down.
2006 Punted 93 times on the season, a team record…Booted 3 punts of 50+ yards and landed 3 punts inside the 20 vs. Carolina (9/17)…Also flipped the ball on a fake field goal to K Ryan Longwell, who then connected with Richard Owens on a 16-yard TD pass…Punted 4 times and landed all of them inside the 20 at Buffalo (10/1)…Hit 3 punts of 50+ yards on Monday Night Football vs. New England (10/30), including a 61-yarder…Followed that up the next week with 4 punts of 50+ yards vs. Green Bay (11/12) and had a season-best 41.9 net average…Booted 3 punts of 50+ yards at Detroit (12/10)…Posted a career-long 68-yard punt vs. NY Jets (12/17).
2005 Led all NFL rookie punters...Ended rookie season ranked #2 in the NFC and #6 in the NFL with a gross average of 44.1 yards per punt...Boomed 15 punts of 50+ yards on the season with a season-high 3 in the opener vs. Tampa Bay (9/11)...Came on strong in his 1st NFL game vs. Tampa Bay (9/11), booming a season-long 62-yarder and hit 4 punts for a 54.3 gross average and a 42.5 net average, the 2nd-best single-game average in team history (minimum 4 punts) and the best in Vikings history by a rookie...Named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September, the 1st Vikings rookie to ever earn Player of the Month honors...Season-high 8 punts in win at NY Giants (11/16)...Season-high punting yardage came at Chicago (10/16) with 256 yards.
college One of the top punters in college football as a senior...Selected as a 2004 finalist for the Ray Guy Award, presented to the top college punter...As a senior, had career-high 25 punts inside the opponent’s 20 and averaged 43.4 yards per punt to rank 2nd in the PAC 10 and 14th in the nation...Set UCLA marks as a junior with 91 punts for 3,908 yards.
prep Named to USA Today All-America team as a senior punter...A 1st-Team All-CIF honoree as a junior and senior...Connected on an Orange County and CIF-record 60-yard FG as a senior vs. Loyola...Chosen to play in California-Texas Shrine Game and CaliFlorida Bowl.
