The One-Bar Lives On

First, I apologize for the back-to-back Cleveland Browns posts. I promise that this one would be going up regardless of the team, but I just couldn't resist.

With punter Scott Player being recently signed by the Browns, we are now able to say that the one-bar facemask is back - and could be better than ever.

You see, the one-bar facemask was officially banned from the NFL back in 2004. This was obviously done to ensure the safety of NFL players as, let's face it, you're not getting much protection from that thing. However, the "ban" did have a grandfather clause that allowed players to wear the facemask if they had done so previously. Thankfully, Player has donned the one-bar since his rookie season of 1998, well before the ban, so the veteran punter easily slides under the clause.

Of course, the one-bar is a bit more noteable for Joe Theismann, who was the only quarterback of his time to wear the facemask so it would not obstruct his vision.

However, two things make Player much better than Theismann, in my opinion.

One , the fact that his jersey reminds me of unlicensed video games that can't put players real names on their jerseys. How great is it that his jersey says "Player #5" on it? It wouldn't surprise me one bit if that jersey made several appearances next week when Cleveland comes home.

And two, the Fu Manchu moustache.

While this picture is his official NFL photo...


Player currently is sporting this guy...


Nice.

So not is Player the only one-bar wearing member of the NFL, he may also be the only one with the handlebars. Take that to your Pro Bowl, Brian Moorman.

If you're one for stats, Player (#5) has five punts on the season, with his long being for 53 yards, and two of them inside the 20. Not bad thus far. If Dave Zastudil doesn't come back soon, you can count on Player not only being a fan favorite in Cleveland, but getting a ton of work as well given their offensive state.

If you're one who could not care less about a punter's stats, not only are you normal, you have to love this guy as he's old school, and let's face it...he's way cooler than any kicker in the league. Not that that's saying very much.