Dawson's game-winner would have been good from 60

By Tony Grossi

November 21, 2008



A game of inches:

Phil Dawson's game-winning field goal of 56 yards was four inches shy of going down as a 57-yarder.

The line of scrimmage was the Bills' 39. The Browns' field goal unit generally goes back 18 yards to set up a kick. But Dawson said that long snapper Ryan Pontbriand is so precise and consistent that Dawson knows that moving four inches forward gives him the best placement of the ball, with the laces in just the right spot.

Once a play begins beyond a yard-line -- even by one inch -- the official NFL statistics mark it down to the next one. So it became a 56-yard kick.

"I think I've had eight 49-yard field goals in my career," Dawson said. "Those could have been 50s instead."

The winning kick would have been good from more than 60 yards. Is a 60-yarder a career goal for Dawson?

"I don't know about that," he said. "It would have to be early in the year."

'Mr. Automatic' keeps faith with saving kick for Browns

Dawson's 56-yard success breaks streak of blowing leads, has team on a high

By Marla Ridenour

November 19, 2008

BEREA: Flirting with infamy, about to become the first NFL team to blow leads of 13 points or more in three consecutive games, the Browns were saved by ''Mr. Automatic.''

With 1:39 remaining in the game Monday night at Buffalo, coach Romeo Crennel confidently called on Phil Dawson for a 56-yard field-goal attempt, even though it would be a career-long for the 33-year-old kicker.

''As soon as we threw the incomplete pass on third down I was ready to go and Romeo gave me the nod,'' Dawson said. ''He had the confidence to send me out there, which I appreciate.''

On a bitterly cold night in Ralph Wilson Stadium, Dawson had already connected on all four of his attempts from 40, 33, 43 and 22 yards. In the previous two games, he'd hit from 54 yards against the Baltimore Ravens and 52 yards against the Denver Broncos.

A year ago in Cleveland, facing the Buffalo Bills in a blizzard, Dawson had made
one of the most difficult field goals in recent Browns history, nailing a 49-yarder.

Crennel's faith in Dawson was rewarded. With the wind at his back, Dawson's kick missed the outstretched right arm of 6-foot-6 defensive tackle Marcus Stroud by inches and cleared the crossbar with a few yards to spare.

When a 47-yard attempt by Rian Lindell of the Bills sailed wide right with 38 seconds left, Dawson's final field goal proved to be the game-winner as the Browns prevailed, 29-27.

''It was unbelievable. It was one of the best kicks I've ever seen. To see it twice for the same team is pretty remarkable,'' said punter/holder Dave Zastudil, also referring to last year's 49-yarder against the Bills.

''As soon as it left his foot I looked up and it looked right on target. I knew that the end we were kicking, the ball carried a little bit better so I knew it had a shot. Then as soon as I saw it about halfway, I said, 'Boy, this thing is probably good.' Then I just turned around and dashed to try to hug him. It was an outstanding kick for a guy who's having an outstanding year.''

Crennel was still gushing about Dawson on Tuesday afternoon.

''I can't say enough about him,'' Crennel said. ''It was a pressure kick and he put it right through with some distance to spare.''

Linebacker Andra Davis, like Dawson a Browns' co-captain, looked at the kick from a broader perspective.

''It helps me sleep better. It was a huge win for us, a huge win for the organization, a huge win for the city,'' Davis said. ''The last couple weeks we've let a couple games slip away. Thank God for Mr. Automatic, Phil Dawson, or it would be another sad day in Cleveland.''

Five of the Browns' past 10 victories in two seasons have been won on Dawson field goals. The one Monday was Dawson's 12th career game-winner.

Asked if it was the best game of his 10-year career, Dawson said, ''I had six one time and we lost against San Diego (in 2006), so I will take five and a win any time. Whether it is five extra points and we win or no field goals, I don't care any more. I've been here a long time and I just want to see this team win.''

Before the game, Dawson said he had determined his limit going into that end zone was the 35-yard line. His attempt came from the 39.

''I naturally get the ball up pretty high, anyway, so I was focused on the line,'' Dawson said. ''I had a 50-plus yarder against Washington to tie the game, and I tried to get on it a little too much and left it out to the right, which you do sometimes when you overstride. I concentrated on just staying short, trusting my technique.''

Going into the home game Sunday against the Houston Texans, Dawson is tied for fifth in the league with three field goals made from 50-plus yards. Jason Hanson of the Detroit Lions leads with six (on six attempts). Dawson has connected on 22 of 24 this season, with his misses coming from 51 yards (against the New York Giants) and 54 yards (against the Washington Redskins).

''Phil has been here for a long time,'' Browns cornerback Brandon McDonald said. ''I wish we could have gotten him a couple more yards to make that kick a little easier. But that's what we live for, moments like that. I'm just glad he made it.''

Calm, quiet kicker lets foot do talking

By Patrick McManamon

November 18, 2008



ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.: He's the quietest player on the team, and he has been with the Browns longer than any other.

He has seen all kinds of defeats, and he has been through all kinds of trials and tribulations along with his team.

But Monday night in a game that went back and forth and up and down and all around, Phil Dawson gave the Browns a badly needed win in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Dawson drilled a 56-yard field goal with 1:39 left to give the Browns a 29-27 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

He didn't just make that long kick.

He demolished it, sending it right down the middle and well over the crossbar for a career-long kick to remember.

It was not an easy win. The Browns gave the Bills many chances, the last when Ryan Lindell tried a game-winner from 47 yards away with 38 seconds left.

Lindell's kick missed.

Dawson's didn't.

Just like the other four he made Monday night.

Which means that for the season, Dawson has made 22 kicks and missed just two, both longer than 50 yards.

This 56-yarder never was in doubt. One of the team's true pros made it, straight and pure.

How fitting for Dawson, a good guy and a pro who shows up every day to just do his job.

Dawson does not get into histrionics. He just does his job as well as anyone at his position in the league. And the Bills know it well — last year, Dawson made a near-impossible 49-yard kick in a blizzard against the Bills. Monday night, he made a 56-yarder on a cold night.

He kicks in lousy weather, on bad fields. And he just makes his kicks.

Clutch, anyone?

Dawson had help in the win, of course.

Brady Quinn completed just enough passes to give Dawson a chance. And Dawson had help from little-used Jerome Harrison.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Harrison took a toss left and zipped through a crease to score from 72 yards and give the Browns a 23-13 lead.

Harrison's speed and quickness are in stark contrast to Jamal Lewis' style, and the surprising thing is that Harrison wasn't used sooner.

Either that or it was perfect timing to use him when the Browns did.

Harrison's run changed the momentum, but not for long.

The Bills followed with a kickoff return for a touchdown.

This was the order of the night. The Browns would get ahead, then let the Bills back. The Browns had leads of 13-0, 23-13 and 26-20 dissipate. They almost lost, but they didn't.

Instead, they showed they have some fight — and life — left this season.

Not for the playoffs, mind you, but for the general welfare and well being of the team and its fans — and its coach.

A team that likes its coach and wants to keep him does not sit back when a teammate accuses some players of quitting.

It fights.

The Browns fought, and because they fought, they beat the Bills.

It was not easy — mainly because they forgot how to tackle.

The Browns' defense let the Bills turn the short dump-off pass into an art form. Time and again, they threw short to a back who broke one, two, three tackles and ran for a first down.

Their defense plays defensively, despite the near immeasurable efforts of Shaun Rogers. And it cannot stop the run.

The Browns gave up 186 rushing yards to the Bills, who averaged 4.9 yards per carry. The Bills often seemed to blow through a nonexistent line before being touched.

If Rogers did not make the stop, well nobody did. Not until the ball carrier was six or seven yards downfield at least.

And letting the Bills back into things when the Browns had a chance to grab hold of the game is a cardinal sin. In the NFL, when a team has another down, it needs to take a hatchet to the Gatorade buckets.

Bottom line: In the fourth quarter, on the road, when the Browns needed plays to win, they came up with them.

In the first quarter, someone held up a makeshift tombstone that appeared on the video board.

It read: ''R.I.P. Browns.''

Predictable? Yes.

Silly? Sure.

Accurate? Not this Monday night. Because in the end a 56-yard kick was good, which makes all the negatives and concerns a little easier to accept.

Thanks to the ever-dependable and reliable Phil Dawson.