Today we'll round out our all-time special teams unit by beginning the process of selecting a punter. Below is a list of players I've researched and deemed worthy of inclusion in our discussion of great Saints punters: Tommy Barnhardt, Brian Hansen, Mark Royals. As usual I will leave it up to you guys, the readers, to nominate any other players you feel should be included or tell me why the ones nominated don't deserve to be.
The poll will open at 6am Central tomorrow morning and will be open for exactly 48 hours, ending on Tuesday, July 27th.
I now open it up for any other nominations of players that you just can't believe I missed or to have one of the players listed below removed from tomorrows ballot. There very well may be a glaring omission and we could use another option or two. Talk it out below. I would also love to hear some personal rumination from our readers who've actually watched these guys play. Remember, this isn't just about choosing a player but allowing readers to share their memories of these players and educating those of us who never had a chance to see them.
Tommy Barnhardt
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 228 lbs.
D.O.B.: 6/11/1963
College: East Carolina
NFL Experience: 14 seasons
Seasons with Saints: 1989-1994, 1999
Brian Hansen
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 215 lbs.
D.O.B.: 10/26/1960
College: Sioux Falls
NFL Experience: 15 seasons
Seasons with Saints: 1984-1988
Notables: One--time Pro Bowler (1984)
Mark Royals
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 225 lbs.
D.O.B.: 6/22/1965
College: Appalachian State
NFL Experience: 15 seasons
Seasons with Saints: 1997-1998
Notables: Tenth overall in league history for punting yards