Phil Dawson leading the NFL in numerous categories

By Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer

December 2, 2012

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns punter Reggie Hodges was right. Browns fans should rise up and help catapult kicker Phil Dawson into his first career Pro Bowl.

Currently, Dawson isn't even among the top five vote-getters in fan balloting on NFL.com, which closes Dec 17. Granted, the fan vote accounts for only one-third of the total, but it would certainly go a long way. Players and coaches, who make up the other two-thirds, vote later this month.

But no kicker in the NFL has fared better this season, especially considering the adverse conditions Dawson's had to kick in. He's made all 21 field goals, including a stunning five of 50 yards or more, to lead all NFL kickers in field-goal percentage. An NFL-record three of those 50-plus-yarders came in one game against the Ravens. He's also been perfect on his 20 extra-point attempts.

Dating back to last season, Dawson's made 27 straight field goals, which is a league-high and matches his career best. Also stretching back to last season, he's made 12 kicks of 50 yards or more -- tops in the NFL.

He's equally as proud of his 19 touchbacks and the fact that the Browns are second in the NFL in holding teams to a 20.2-yard kickoff-return average.

And at 37, he keeps getting better with age.

"I've worked extremely hard," he said. "The experiences pay off. I've had great teammates around me that have given me opportunities. Alex Smith, for example, is our wing on field-goal protection, and we put him on our best rush corner each and every week and he takes care of that for me. I'm not the fastest guy to get the kicks off. If you don't have excellent protection, you've got to hurry up the process, and sometimes when you do, you're not as accurate. I can't overstate what a big role he has provided for me being able to be back there, be comfortable, take my time, and the accuracy follows. So it's certainly a team effort, and I'll just continue to work hard and see how good I can get."

Can he get much better than this? Time for a luau.

Desire, not doubters, keeping Clark going

"It's always fun to prove people wrong," Dallas Clark says. But that's definitely not the motivation."

By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

December 2, 2012

He can't remember the last time he wore his Super Bowl ring. Was there a last time?

"Even when I get done, I'm not going to wear it," Bucs tight end Dallas Clark said. "You're in this business to get another one."

Of course, there are the memories, that night in Miami in 2007. They'll seem fresher this afternoon when the Bucs meet the Denver Broncos. Clark will see his friend Peyton Manning. They played together for eight seasons as Indianapolis Colts. Clark caught more than 400 Manning passes, 48 for touchdowns, including playoffs.

"Boy, he made a ton of huge plays for me," Manning said. "… It's always different when you see guys you played with for so many years and practiced with, to think about how many passes I've thrown to Dallas Clark. In practice, in May, in April, in June, just countless repetitions. Dallas was a true workaholic. He and I were always trying to get it just right, but it always paid off for us on Sunday."

"It's definitely something special," Clark said. "It's unique and it's definitely something that as you continue to play and you get down the road and you're done playing, it's one of those things you'll look back on and realize how special a situation we had."

They're not done playing. The Colts released Peyton Manning. They moved on. Dallas Clark smiles at what his friend is doing in Denver. He saw last season how hard Manning worked to recover from a neck injury.

"You knew he was going to surprise some people," Clark said.

Maybe Clark has, too.

"I know I could still play," he said.

The Bucs signed him as a free agent, but who wasn't skeptical that Clark, 33, had anything left after injuries kept bringing him down.

Only now the 10-year pro is coming on. It took a while for Clark to hit his stride, but as defenses increasingly trained their games on Bucs wide receivers Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams, he made his mark. It still seemed as if he'd come from nowhere when he caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime at Carolina two weeks ago.

"There's always that, when you get to a certain point in your career, there are always the naysayers …" Clark said. "It's always fun to prove people wrong. There's nothing wrong with that. But that's definitely not the motivation, the drive. It's your desire to keep playing the game."

"He knows what it takes to get to the top of the mountain," Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said. "And yet he's still a down-to-earth, approachable kind of guy who can give some feedback. I've seen him talking to the younger players. He's a good communicator and that's how he kind of leads by example."

Clark says that all goes back to how it started for him in Indianapolis.

"Peyton, Jeff Saturday, Reggie Wayne, they were just the guys who … you were dumb if you didn't look at those guys when you were a younger player and go, 'Wow, that's how you do this. That's how you last a long time in this league.' That's what I'm trying to be to these guys, taking what I learned there and pass it on."

He wants to set an example on the field — and off it. Back in Iowa, where Clark was a four-sport star, the Dallas Clark Foundation helps raise scholarship funds, oversees a recycling program and runs football camps, anything to give back.

"There are so many things we can do as professional athletes to make an impact on this world," Clark said. "Being a good influence for kids, being a positive role model for kids, helping with foundations. We get on this pedestal because we play this game. It's foolish if you don't do something positive with it."

He'll return to Iowa, where he was raised, when his games are done. Someone mentioned a future in TV, doing NFL games. During the NFL lockout a few years ago, Clark made a cameo on "Criminal Minds," playing a police officer. (A writer on the show is a huge Clark and Colts fan.) But Clark has no more acting in mind, or football work, outside of occasionally hitting his alma mater for an Iowa game.

Mostly, he'll be at Century Farm, the family spread and some other land he has bought. He'll grow corn.

"I'm just going to disappear," Clark said. "Definitely, just that environment, that's what I love. I love working. I love seeing what I've been doing. I like sweating. I like machines."

That's for later.

Dallas Clark smiled.

"I can still catch the ball."

Phil Dawson gets a boost in Pro Bowl bid

Browns kicker Phil Dawson has made all 21 of his field-goal attempts this season, including five of 50-plus yards.

By Mary Kay Cabot

December 1, 2012

BEREA, Ohio — Punter Reggie Hodges has taken to Twitter to get kicker Phil Dawson into the Pro Bowl for the first time in his 14-year career.

After discovering that the robo-legged Dawson isn't even in the top five among AFC kickers in fan voting for the Pro Bowl on NFL.com, Hodges urged fans on his Twitter account to right the wrong.

"CLEVELAND! @phil_dawson_4 isn't even in the top 5 in the fan votes?? Y'all voted [Peyton] Hillis to Madden cover! Get a real Brown to the Pro-Bowl!!" Hodges wrote.

He also wrote, "The homie @phil_dawson_4 is 21-21 on FG's this season. 5 from 40-49, 5 from 50+! Leads NFL in 50+ FG's made! Is this Pro-Bowl worthy? YEP!"

Dawson, who's made all 21 of his field goals this season and owns the NFL's longest active streak of 27 dating to last season, appreciates the gesture.

"I know he's having a lot of fun with it," Dawson said. "It's obviously something I wouldn't do on my own, so any help you can get is appreciated. We'll see what happens."

Hodges, who punts in the same howling winds and icy rain that Dawson kicks in at Cleveland Browns Stadium, thinks that should be taken into consideration.

"He's been doing it for 14 years, and he's been doing it in the worst conditions," Hodges said. "Browns Stadium is the toughest place in the NFL to kick -- by far. Chicago is a distant second. This place is unbelievable. Late in the year, our field gets chewed up, and through the course of a game, with the rain and snow, it's tough for him to find the right spot to kick off of, and to be 21-of-21 with five over 50 [yards], 5-of-5 from 40 to 49, that's incredible. Nobody's doing that."

The leading vote-getter among fans is Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski, who's made all 19 of his extra points and has missed only one of his 24 field-goal attempts -- a 64-yarder.

"Janikowski is having a great year, but he's kicking in California," Hodges said. "You get a little wind out there -- maybe."

Dawson admitted it would be nice to be recognized after all these years.

"It's not a make-or-break event to feel good about my career, but it's obviously been a goal for a long time," he said. "So to check the box, so to speak, would be meaningful, and with a family of five, free vacations are also a highly sought-after event, so it would be great to experience."

He acknowledged that going against Janikowski adds some intrigue.

"Not necessarily in the context of the Pro Bowl, but each and every week, I don't get an opponent across the line of scrimmage, so I try to compete against the guy I'm going against, and obviously, going against Sebastian is quite a challenge. He's one of the best there is."

Rounding out the top five in fan voting are Baltimore's Justin Tucker, New England's Stephen Gostkowski, Denver's Matt Prater and Pittsburgh's Shaun Suisham.

"Phil hasn't missed a kick all year," said fellow former Texas Longhorn Colt McCoy. "You know that if you get close to the 30, you can take care of the football because you're going to get three points. He's a safety net and he's reliable. Of all the games we've played in this year, the majority of them have been windy or rainy, or some type of weather element, and he's kicked in all of the conditions and done a phenomenal job."

McCoy said if all the kickers were polled, Dawson would be a lock.

"I don't understand why he hasn't made a Pro Bowl yet," McCoy said. "This team's behind him and he deserves it."

Said coach Pat Shurmur: "I think he's been a Pro Bowl-quality kicker for a very long time. I've got a great deal of respect for who he is and what he is as a player. I'm really glad he kicks for us. All of those accolades, he's very deserving of that."

Added Pro Bowler Alex Mack: "You look at his career, he's been incredibly successful, and this season, especially. I'm superstitious. I understand he's done really, really well, and I don't want to jinx him. But he's a true professional, great attitude, smart, he's had a great career and it would be great to see him in Hawaii."

Dawson, who has been given the franchise tag for the second year in a row, knows that anything can happen after the season and that a third straight franchise tag is unlikely due to the sky-high salary. But he won't think about that until the end of the season.

"My focus is on winning a game this Sunday," he said. "If we can go out to Oakland and get a win, I'm gonna feel great about that. All that stuff in this off-season will take care of itself."

His biggest concern is how many pairs of shoes to take to Oakland for the potential flood conditions.

"Honestly, I'm just going to have to show up Sunday and figure out a plan," he said. "The forecasts are all over the place. The consistent thing is, I keep hearing the word, 'torrential.' Where I come from, that means a lot. It may just be one of those fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of days."