If the knees of Mike Nugent and Phil Dawson are trembling on Sunday afternoon, it won't be entirely due to the December chill whipping through the Meadowlands. When either veteran kicker peers downfield before kicking off, looking back at them will be returners Leon Washington and Joshua Cribbs — who, simply put, are the best of the best.

“It is a big matchup. Number one and number two going head-to-head,” said Cribbs.

Cribbs is deemed No. 1 as he leads the NFL with a 31.2-yard kickoff return average and is tied for second with Chicago’s Devin Hester with two touchdown returns. Washington, in his first season as the Jets’ fulltime return man, is second in the league with a 30.6 average but he leads the NFL with three TD returns.

“He runs the ball strong and hard. It will be a challenge for us to go out there and stop him,” Washington said of Cribbs after today's final practice of the week. “He is a heck of a football player.”

From a fan’s perspective, this game will be both the ultimate and final showdown between the league's best two return men as Pro Bowl fan balloting ends two days later.

“I'd be a fool to say I don't see personal gain from this game, but I'm just concentrating on winning,'' Cribbs said. “We have a chance to do something great on this football team. Whatever I can contribute to that, whether it's outshining him or doing well individually, I will.”

As of Thursday, Cribbs was second in voting among kickoff returners with 110,195 votes while Washington was in sixth place. Leading the way is Wes Welker, New England’s primary punt returner, with 112,216 votes. Welker has returned just six kickoffs this season for the Pats and ranks seventh with a 10.8-yard punt return average.

“We have a lot of people on our kick return unit banged up,” explained Cribbs. “We have a lot of preparing to do for this game. Maybe [Pro Bowl voting] will come down to that, but I'm preparing to do my job and do it well. The best man will be in the Pro Bowl, whether it's him or me.

“We're really not afraid of anyone,” Cribbs added. “But we will respect his talent.”

Cribbs is referring to his kickoff coverage unit as "we" because he happens to be a member of that group as well. In fact, Cribbs leads the Browns in special teams tackles with 17.

“That epitomizes what you want to do on special teams,” said Washington. “If I had to vote for anybody but myself, I'd probably vote for him. The first thing I think of about Joshua Cribbs is how good a football player he is. He's really helped that team a lot over the past three years. You watch him cover kicks and he's also a heck of a playmaker in the return game. It's a lot of fun watching him play.”

Washington isn’t a one-dimensional player, either, as he leads the Jets in rushing touchdowns with three after grabbing a pair in the Jets’ win over Miami. Leon has also added 219 rushing yards and 158 receiving yards for the 3-9 Jets.

Leon's Offensive Dimension

“I just enjoy playing football,” he said. “I thank Coach Mangini and Coach Schottenheimer a lot for getting me involved in the offense more.”

But special teams hold a special place in his heart, dating to Washington’s Seminole days. As a Florida State freshman, Washington returned 13 kickoffs for 368 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown, against Clemson.

“I always enjoyed them, going way back to when I was a freshmen in college,” he said today. “I played all the special teams for kickoffs and punts. I realized that this is part of the game that helps us out so much with the field position battle.”

While Washington was leading the ‘Noles to victory in sunny Florida, Cribbs was under center in Kent, Ohio, becoming Kent State’s all-time total offense leader with 10,839 yards.

Cribbs has been able to turn his offensive proficiency into special teams dominance — that is, when opponents kick to him.

In Week 11, Baltimore learned the hard way by kicking to Cribbs, who had seven returns for 245 yards, including the overtime return to the Ravens 41 to set up Dawson's game-winning field goal.

Two weeks later in Arizona, Cribbs was kicked to just twice out of six kickoffs and the tactic paid of as the Cardinals won by six.

“After what happened against Baltimore, Arizona took me out of that factor of our game,” Cribbs said. “If they're going to give us the ball at the 35-, 39-yard line every time, we'll take that.”

Washington has been a similar victim of his own powers this season as teams have opted to kick away from the second-year flyer. So far, 10 different players have returned kicks for the Jets, and Washington has accounted for just 33 of 57 returns since taking over for the injured Justin Miller during the Week 2 loss at Baltimore.

“Obviously, being a competitor you want to get the ball in your hands and make the plays for your team. But at the same time, when teams are going to kick away from you, you realize they’re putting your team in a better position to get better field position,” Washington said. “It’s a give-and-take on that.

“I wouldn’t be surprised at all if that happens because you look around the league all year long and returns have put teams in position to win games.”

Each Team Picks Its Poison

This weekend, Nugent, head coach Eric Mangini, teams coach Mike Westhoff and the rest of the special teams force faces the age-old predicament: to kick to or kick away from?

“Anytime you face a returner as explosive as Cribbs or Leon you have to make that choice,” Mangini said. “We'll look at it through the course of the week and figure out the plan that's best for us. Each team has had a different approach.”

Nugent’s approach is yet to be revealed, but the third-year kicker has some ideas.

“There are so many things teams have done. They've popped the ball up, tried the low squibs, hoping they have trouble getting their hands on the ball,” said Nugent. “It’s just something where I can do all I can to get my guys downfield and give them the best chance to make the plays.”

This Sunday, every single kick, block and tackle on special teams will be meaningful. The slightest slip-up on coverage could lead to a quick six points and maybe even cost a teammate a trip to Honolulu, with last season’s game being a prime example.

When the Browns hosted the Jets in October 2006, Cribbs returned three kickoffs for 62 total yards, including one 30-yard return that set up a crucial third-quarter touchdown en route to the Browns' 20-13 win. But the Jets’ Miller took a kickoff 99 yards to the house for the second touchdown of his Pro Bowl season.

Needless to say, Cribbs is primed to make an impact in Sunday's battle for special teams supremacy.

“I play well in big games," Cribbs said. "I like to think that about myself and about our team, that we do well against the best competition. You have an ego thing that goes on in the league.”

But Leon’s mindset is elsewhere, and the 5’8”, 202-pound Florida native knows what’s really at stake.

“The only duel that we’re going to have here is for the Jets to win the game,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to focus on.”