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Pontbriand named to Pro Bowl roster Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer 01.28.2008 In 2003, local and national pundits came down on the Browns for selecting a long snapper in the fifth round, 142nd overall, at the NFL draft. As the years have passed, Ryan Pontbriand has continually quieted his critics. And after Monday, he's all but warranted his selection. The five-year veteran out of Rice was named to the AFC roster of the 2008 Pro Bowl. "Ryan (Pontbriand) has been amazingly consistent with his snapping ability over the years," general manager Phil Savage said. "He is considered by many to be the best in the NFL, so it is only fitting that he is receiving the recognition of being a Pro Bowler." For a 10-question Q&A with Pontbriand on his selection to the Pro Bowl and more, click here. Pontbriand is the AFC's "need player" for the Pro Bowl. Each year, the coaching staff for each Pro Bowl team (the Chargers staff is coaching the AFC this year) selects one player to fill a need on the roster. The player can come from any position. Pontbriand has appeared in 75 of 80 games for the Browns during five seasons with the club, missing five contests in 2005 with a back injury. He has been nearly flawless on his approximately 350 punt, 125 extra point and 135 field goal snaps during his NFL career. He also has made 17 special teams tackles in his time as a Brown, including career-high 8 in 2006. In 2007, Pontbriand helped Browns kicker Phil Dawson convert 26-of-30 field goals and 42-of-43 PATs to score 120 points -- the most in Browns history by a kicker. He also helped punters Dave Zastudil, Scott Player and Paul Ernster average 42.0 yards per punt with a 35.8-yard net during a season in which starting punter Zastudil battled a back injury. Pontbriand joins kick returner Joshua Cribbs, wide receiver Braylon Edwards and left tackle Joe Thomas as the first Browns players selected to the Pro Bowl since linebacker Jamir Miller during the 2001 season ('02 Pro Bowl). The last time the Browns had at least four players named to the Pro Bowl was following the 1994 season when six Browns players went to Hawaii. Three other Browns players remain as first alternates for the Pro Bowl: quarterback Derek Anderson, left guard Eric Steinbach and tight end Kellen Winslow. http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=8161
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Sweet...Congrats. Have fun and stay healthy.
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Wow, that came out of nowhere but I'm pumped for Ponti. Gotta love seeing the long-snapper getting some big time recognition. 
We're... we're good?
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This is crazy to me... lol.. Congrats for your pro bowl abilities in long snapping  Who voted for this position?
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Ya have to have a long snapper..he's the best in the business..best dumb pick(5th rd) Botch ever made outside of Winslow 
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W00H00! Congrats Ryan! Fear Us! For We Have Pontbriand!!!!
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Quote:
Ya have to have a long snapper..he's the best in the business..best dumb pick(5th rd) Botch ever made outside of Winslow
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Quote:
Congrats for your pro bowl abilities in long snapping
Is it any less important than punting or FG kicking (both of which depend on RPs job)? Pro sports is becoming more and more about specialists... might as well get used to it.
yebat' Putin
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Also,in watching the playoff games, I've noticed just how strong our special teams are. I feel cheated when a return man doesn't get it past the 35 consistently, or when the punter shanks one, or when the snap is bad.
Pontbriand certainly deserves the recognition. Congrats!
I am unfamiliar with this feeling of optimism
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Thought you might have been happy, Purp.  Great news. With Dawson just missing out, surely our special teams unit as a whole is the best in the league. Could have had three pro-bowlers just from ST this year.
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I wonder how bad Gates toe is? If he sits out, then Winslow will make 5 Browns  Never would have thought Pointbriand would make it. I was wondering if it was possible when I saw the NFC added a longsnapper a couple of days ago.
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Nice job Ryan! Butch actually knew what he was doing for once. 
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"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
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Quote:
Nice job Ryan! Butch actually knew what he was doing for once.
Think of this, Ryan and Kellen could both be going to Hawaii.....both Davis picks. Although, I don't want Kellen playing in that game if he gets selected.
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This is pretty neat.... Botch Davis drafted Pont,... everyone either chuckled or commented WTF, cause NOONE EVER let me repeat... EVER DRAFTS A LONGSNAPPER!!! and guess what... He makes the Pro Bowl... like I said... Pretty neat. Huge congrates, Ryan....One of the unsung heros getting his due... Well done
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Pontbriand is probably the only Brown who no one on here will ever gripe about, or say messed up. Congrats Ponty, you deserve it.
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Fear Ryan Pontbriand!!!!
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Long Live Ponti!!
4 Pro-Bowlers in a season? It's been 14 years, but it feels good!
“It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” -Steve Jobs.
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Quote:
I don't want Kellen playing in that game if he gets selected.
Very true, but knowing Kellen and his passion and desire. I'd be shocked if he declined..
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Wow, great news, finally a guy who does all the trench work gets recognized for his efforts.
Congrats, well deserved.
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Quote:
Who voted for this position?
Chargers coaching staff picked him as a player of need, per the article
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This is pretty neat.... Botch Davis drafted Pont,... everyone either chuckled or commented WTF, cause NOONE EVER let me repeat... EVER DRAFTS A LONGSNAPPER!!!
and guess what... He makes the Pro Bowl...
like I said...
Pretty neat.
Huge congrates, Ryan....One of the unsung heros getting his due...
Well done
But would Pontbriand have been drafted if we didn't take him in the 5th? If we could have signed him as an UDFA and picked someone else in the 5th round...
Ah well. What's done is done. Thank God for Pontbriand!
Once I get some cash I think I'm gonna get his jersey made. I doubt we'll be letting him go. Ever.
Congrats.
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Congrats to Pont. Respect is earned in the NFL. The Browns are getting theirs because they proved worthy. Now Phil, get Jamal's name on the dotted line and beef up the front 7. Then the Browns will be respected and feared. Good time to be a Browns fan!
[color:"red"]"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
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Here's the Q & A with him: Quote:
10 Questions with Ryan Pontbriand
Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer
01.28.2008
After finding out he was selected for the 2008 Pro Bowl, long snapper Ryan Pontbriand took time to answer 10 Questions with ClevelandBrowns.com.
1. So, how does it feel? For the rest of your life you'll be a Pro Bowler.
I didn't think about that until I was talking with one of my friends and they said, 'From now on people will have to refer to you as 'Pro Bowler Ryan Pontbriand'. It's one of the highest honors you can achieve. To be selected is a goal I never thought I could even get because I was under the impression that the kickers who made the Pro Bowl took their snappers. So I thought it relied on somebody else doing well. I didn't even know there was a possibility I could go on my own accord. That means even that much more to me.
2. Usually as a long snapper it's best never to be noticed. But now you don't need to worry about your name being mentioned because it's about something positive. How does that feel?
If you're doing a really good job and a positive job you usually don't get noticed but this year I've gotten some nice recognition. I had a nice article in the newspaper this year -- actually a couple -- and this is just the cherry on top. It doesn't get any better than this.
3. Who told you about your selection and what was your reaction when you heard?
I got a call from the league office and I was just blown away. I couldn't believe it. Like I said, I was under the impression that the kickers took their snappers. I had plans to come back up to Cleveland on February 4 because I had to do some things. Now I'm going to Hawaii on the fourth. It feels a lot better going up there with the nice weather. I was ecstatic. I was thrilled. It's a goal I was always hoping for but I never thought I'd see this early in my career.
4. Do you feel like you've finally warranted your draft selection now?
I can say with 100 percent confidence that I've gone slightly above expectations and I've definitely proven myself worthy.
5. As the coaches of the AFC Pro Bowl squad, the Chargers staff chose you above anyone else in the AFC as their "need player". How does it feel to be held in such high esteem by another team's coaches?
It feels amazing. To be selected out of the other 15 long snappers, that means a lot because there are a lot of really good snappers in the AFC and a lot of long-time vets who have been doing great jobs just like I have. It means a lot to have a good year and get the recognition for it.
6. How much credit do you give Phil Dawson, Dave Zastudil and the other guys around you?
They deserve a ton of credit because if they don't have a good year I'm probably not going to get recognized no matter how well I do. The fact that Phil had such a phenomenal year with so many memorable kicks -- getting that curved bar named after him -- and Dave finishing strong in really bad weather and hitting the right punts when we needed him. The end of the season and how well you did determines a lot as far as the Pro Bowl and to do as well as we did in that horrible weather kind of put the spotlight on us. I can't give them any credit for the snaps, but I definitely can give them credit for the recognition.
7. All year you guys talked about the special teams having a lot of pride and now you guys have two guys -- you and Joshua Cribbs -- going to the Pro Bowl. What's that like for you guys as a unit?
Obviously it says a ton for the talent we have on our team. Josh had phenomenal numbers. Unfortunately long snappers don't have any numbers but obviously I did well enough to get recognized and it says a lot for the future of our team. Special teams, as long as I've been with the Browns, have been a strong suit for our team and hopefully we can continue to be a strongpoint and make a difference in games. When you can rely on special teams for momentum changes and excitement, you have that little edge that gets you into the area of playoff teams and championship teams. And it's not just Josh. There are a lot of guys on our team who had great years but aren't as high profile.
8. You're going to be asked now as one of the top guys in the league: What's the secret to great long snapping?
The secret is taking every snap as serious as you would in the game and just taking thousands and thousands of reps until you get to the point where you obviously don't even need to think about it or worry about it pressure or what to do in different weather conditions. It's just repetition.
9. Who are you taking with you to Hawaii? Any special plans?
I'm actually coming up to Cleveland a few days earlier but as far as going to Hawaii, I told everyone that I wanted to take that they had two hours to decide. The flights were going up in price every hour! I'm taking my parents, (my wife) Nicole's parents and Nicole's sister and boyfriend, one of my sisters and Nicole. I was fortunate to go out there a few times before because Rice was in the WAC and we played Hawaii but this time I think I'll have a little more free time and a little more spending money. I'm going to enjoy it a little more. I'm looking forward to going out and surfing. I want to get out on the long board again. But my parents have never been out there so they're excited. We went over to dinner at their house last night and celebrated and got all excited about Waikiki Beach and the practices and of course my dad is excited to meet all the other players and get their autographs. They don't take a lot of vacations so this is very special for them.
10. It has to be exciting. You're going to be out there with the best of the best, aren't you?
I'm not going to be star-struck or anything but this is really outstanding company. To be out on the practice field with those guys, it's going to be a memorable experience I'm going to tell my kids and grandkids and everyone I know about it.
So now we have 3 guys that were picked in the Davis era that we can consider Very Very good picks..
Ponti, Sean Jones and of course KW2... That's about all we can say good about those years....LOL
#GMSTRONG
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"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
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OK where are all those posters who use to laugh at me when I said Ryan would be our second Pro Bowl player since 1999?? OK he wasn't the second, but he was close
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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He's been the best in the game since his 1st game. Very well deserved. Congrats Ryan.
That gives us 4 Pro Bowlers, with 3 1st alternates still as possibilities.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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WTG Ponti! That's awesome!
<><
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Cool!!!  NICE!!! That makes four! Congrats!
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Quote:
Butch actually knew what he was doing for once.
Not really considering we could have snagged him in the 6th or 7th round instead. Ah well...
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Not really considering we could have snagged him in the 6th or 7th round instead. Ah well...
Everybody always says this ever since he was drafted. Seemed like a rediculous comment to me though. How does anyone know what any other coach sees in a guy? All it takes is ONE coach to see him as worth it and he's gone. Butch saw it, how do we know that some other coach didn't see this. I really don't see how anyone can simply say, "oh he would have been an UDFA." Butch pulled the trigger, some other coach might have too. Many teams might not have taken him, but all it takes is one team.
I've never seen the guy screw up though, that screwed punt this year was the PUNTERS fault. Pontibrand's snaps are pretty much all exactly on the money and those that aren't are pretty close. LS is one of those positions where you don't recognize it until something goes wrong. He's done well and hopefully will retire a Brown
UCONN HUSKIES 2014 Champions of Basketball
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Good for us, and Pontbriand! Nice Q&A, too.
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W00H00!
Congrats Ryan!
Fear Us! For We Have Pontbriand!!!!
I knew you'd be happy about this thread.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
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I feel good about this.
After 11 years in the NFL, David Binn of the Chargers made it last year. I would suspect that he may have commented on who he thought would be appropriate this year.
Long snappers don't get much credit, except when they mess up, Pontbriand is as consistent of a snapper as there is.
Welcome back, Joe, we missed you!
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This is what was always infuriating about Butch, for me. He could see this kind of talent while looking through a " pro-player's talent-scout" microscope, but couldn't see the GM forest for all the trees in the way. In some ways, he was a genius. In others, he was a dolt. Genius: Grabbing Ryan Pontbriand was worth the pick.. Name one other player (currently on our roster) who was drafted so low, and led to so many ponits scored since his signing. More to the point- who else (in his draft class/ neighborhood) could have led to as many (sure) points for our team as he did? Let's face it- dude made an immediate impact upon taking the field, and continues to produce at an amazingly high rate. His accuracy is why almost noone else knows him, and it's also why he's so valuable to our team.... with him on board, we only have to worry about The Kick- never The Delivery. Talk about "unsung heroes".... RP is the poster child for that category. He'll get less press than even Hank Fraley, but is required to be even more clutch than Hank... because of the nature of his job. Points (or at least field position) are on the line almost every time he snaps the ball. I saw a close-up spot-report on RP earlier this year... can't remember if it was on NFLN, e-spin, or maybe STO. I gained a new level of respect for what he does during a game... and just what was at stake evey time he takes the field. The spot dealt with his beginnings in Texas, and why he chose to specialize in his particular line of work. Real eye-opener. He's a smart guy, with a great talent. He'd be a real asset to any team who would have him on its roster... but he's ours. Congrats to Butch (...and I wasn't a fan...) for getting one, along with maybe 2 or 3 others right. Dolt: If only your insight could have led you toward the OL and DL at the same time.... Oh, and by the way... if you are raising a kid whom you hope to see in the NFL some day, take Ryan Pontbriand's advice- start him/her out early, and teach them to be longsnappers. They'll be drawing a paycheck for a helluvalot longer than almost any other player on their team. They'll be financially set for life, set you up in a nice retirement villa... and you'll be able to watch them every Sunday for 15+ years... .02
"too many notes, not enough music-"
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Awesome. 4 Pro Bowlers, 3 selected and 1 got in by default. Still, it's great to know that we have true talent on this team. I'm gonna have to go to the Team Shop later and buy my 2008 Ryan Pontbriand Pro Bowl jersey!
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Ya.....Congrates Ryan...Well earned.....Have fun, stay healthy...recruit players
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A 5th round pick going to the Pro Bowl. Nice return on that investment. Give the SD coaches credit for taking the best snapper, and not just their own.
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Congrats Ryan .....Awesome nordawg
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
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Awesome news! Way to go Ryan!
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He deserves all the recognition that comes his way He doesn't get enough positive
recognition.
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Go Browns, WIN or lose, forever!
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Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Pontbriand added to Pro Bowl
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