By Dan Arkush
Jan. 17, 2007

There were more than a few NFL kickers in 2006 who had better overall statistical seasons than Seahawks fourth-year PK Josh Brown.

But not one of those kickers was solely responsible for getting his team into the playoffs.

Make no mistake: If not for Brown’s gut-wrenching heroics this season, the Seahawks’ players would have been sprawled out on their La-Z-Boys in the comfort of their living rooms, watching the divisional playoffs on the tube last Sunday afternoon instead of defending their NFC championship title against the Bears in freezing temperatures at Soldier Field.    

A cool customer if there ever was one, all the strong-legged Brown did this season was kick four game-winning field goals in the final minute of regulation, none of which was a gimme.

Those four three-pointers — a 42-yarder at the end of regulation in the season opener at Detroit, a 54-yarder at the end of regulation in Week Six at St. Louis, a 38-yarder in Week 10 against the Rams with nine seconds left at Seattle and a 50-yarder with five seconds left in a Week 13 prime-time Sunday-nighter at Denver — tied an NFL record for clutch field-goal kicking set by the Packers’ Ryan Longwell in ’04.

In addition, those game-winners were the primary reason Brown was selected by Pro Football Weekly’s editorial staff as the recipient of the 2006 Golden Toe Trophy, presented annually by PFW to the league’s most outstanding kicker or punter.

And while, like all the best clutch kickers through the years who live by the credo that they’re only as good as their next kick,  those four game-winners remain etched in Brown’s memory as clear as a bell. 

“The game-winner in Detroit was probably the most nerve-racking,” Brown told PFW. “Being the very first game of the season, we wanted to get off to a fast start, and we already were having a bad day (with a pair of blocked field goals).

“But it really set me up for the season and what I needed to do each time, and it was a great kickoff point for us as a unit, the way we showed our resilience. It set us up for the long haul in what turned out to be a ­storybook season.”

For high drama, nothing could compare with the first of Brown’s two game-winning kicks against the Rams on the road in St. Louis.

After the Rams took a 28-27 lead with 1:44 remaining on an acrobatic 67-yard TD catch by WR Torry Holt, which may have been the best individual play of the season, the Seahawks had an immediate answer.

Starting at the Seattle 17 with no timeouts, Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck hit D.J. Hackett for 14 yards, Darrell Jackson for 19 and Deion Branch for nine, followed by a pair of runs to move the ball to the Rams’ 31. When Hasselbeck spiked the ball with four seconds remaining, the Seahawks were whistled for an illegal formation, setting off a frenzied celebration by the Rams, who thought a 10-second clock runoff would give them the win. But the tide turned again when the officiating crew declared that it wasn’t a 10-second runoff situation.

Enter Brown.

“That one, right after a ruling that nobody understood, was one of those moments where you just run out there, and when it’s over, you just take a deep breath and realize what you just did,” Brown said.

“As for the third game-winner, obviously when you beat St. Louis twice — the team that had been the powerhouse in the division for so long — there’s a real feeling of accomplishment.”

And the prime-time bomb in Denver? It was almost as if Brown’s heroics had become second nature.

“It was big because we were able to come back from two misses in the first half (from 40 and 53 yards) and kick three in a row, finishing with the 50-yarder to win the game,” Brown said. “It actually felt like one of the easiest field goals I’ve ever kicked.” 

That might seem like a surprising statement, but Seahawks special-teams coach Bob Casullo can understand why Brown felt that way.  

“When you make one of those kicks, and then you make a third one and a fourth one, it becomes a repetitive situation,” Casullo explained. “A lot of kickers just aren’t put in that kind of a situation. But Mike (Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren) isn’t afraid to put Josh in that situation.

“An offensive coach like Mike knows the value of putting points on the scoreboard. When Josh kicks a field goal, and then another, and then another after that, all of a sudden you’ve got nine points on the board while the offense is finding its rhythm. Mike appreciates that.

“It becomes like a snowball running downhill, and the snowball keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

What makes Brown’s accomplishments this season all the more impressive is that he had to adapt to both a new holder, rookie P Ryan Plackemeier, and a new long-snapper, Derek  Rackley, who was signed shortly before the season started when longtime Seahawks LS J.P. Darche suffered a season-ending injury.

“To be honest with you, it was pretty rough for a while because of the unfamiliarity,” Casullo said. “But we worked on it over and over and got into a good routine.”

It wasn’t the first time Brown had to make that kind of an adjustment.

“It’s been like that ever since I’ve been here,” he said. “My second year, we went through four different holders. When Derek came in, it really threw off our timing at first. But we worked real hard to get some continuity and find a rhythm, and I think we’ve done a real good job.

“Ryan really had only one year of experience (as a holder), but he came in, willing to learn and listen and adapt to my style, like setting the ball the way I preferred and leaning it in and out in different situations. There were little secrets he didn’t have to worry about in college. But we’ve worked constantly to build our communication.”

Casullo believes Brown’s conscientious work ethic is one of the biggest reasons for his success.

“He has a routine that he goes through, and he’s very disciplined in that routine,” Casullo said. “He’s a real student of his craft, and the rewards have started coming.”

Brown’s approach has rubbed off on Plackemeier.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a walk-through practice or a playoff game, Josh has the same routine,” the rookie punter said. “I see how successful he is at removing all the obstacles and just letting muscle memory take over. And there’s also his level of confidence. He doesn’t expect to miss. For all four of those game-winning kicks, I was a lot more excited than he was. I told him on the sideline in Detroit that I had more confidence in him making the kick than me holding it.

“He said, ‘Just get the snap down.’ It’s not a cockiness, but rather a very quiet confidence. As a rookie, it’s great to see a guy so focused, and he brings that confidence to the entire special-teams unit.”

Just how good an NFL placekicker has Josh Brown become?

“Without batting an eyelash, I’d say he’s among the top five kickers in the league,” said Casullo.

“The way he comes through in the clutch, there’s no denying his value to this team.” 

For the 15th consecutive year, Pro Football Weekly and the Professional Football Writers of America are jointly presenting their postseason awards. Honors for the All-NFL, All-Conference and All-Rookie teams, Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Most Improved Player, Comeback Player of the Year, Executive of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year were voted on by PFW editors and contributors and PFWA members. The Golden Toe Trophy was voted on exclusively by PFW editors. To read stories about all of the winners, get a copy of Pro Football Weekly, now available online, as well as in print at newsstands and stores across the United States and Canada. To subscribe to the print edition, call 1-800-FOOTBALL.

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