Todd Sauerbrun (born January 4, 1973 in Setauket, New York) is an American football player who currently plays as a punter for the Denver Broncos of the NFL. He attended West Virginia University, where he graduated as the NCAA all-time leader in punting average. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears 56th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He spent five seaons with the Bears, and is ranked second on the team in all-time punting average. He spent the 2000 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, and was signed by the Carolina Panthers before the 2001 season. Carolina is where Sauerbrun achieved his greatest success, as well as his biggest problems. 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 DWI. And he was recently named as part of an investigation that he took steroids from a Carolina doctor during the 2004-05 season. On May 19, 2005, Sauerbrun was traded to Denver for punter Jason Baker and a 7th round draft pick in the 2006 draft. Sauerbrun has also been known for his long-standing feud with the Gramatica brothers, who are placekickers in the NFL. One of Todd Sauerbrun's most notable NFL career moments so far 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 actually forced a fumble, which was recovered by his teammate, Cecil Sapp. This eventually led to a Broncos touchdown, which helped Denver defeat the Patriots 27-13, ending New England's bid for an unprecedented three consecutive Super Bowl victories.
