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Dawson gets kicks in Baltimore
By Patrick McManamon
Published on Monday, Nov 19, 2007
BALTIMORE: Time for someone else to gnash their teeth and wail like a banshee.
The Browns inexplicably won a game in overtime over the Baltimore Ravens after officials reviewed or changed or discussed Phil Dawson's last-play field-goal attempt in regulation.
Dawson's kick originally was signaled no good.
Referee Pete Morelli said officials changed the call after ''discussion.''
Right. That's what they did.
They changed their minds after 10 minutes of ''discussion.''
Okee-dokee.
Just like those officials reviewed the play in the bottle game against the Jacksonville Jaguars because they were buzzed just before another play was run.
Sure.
Bottom line: They got the call right, no matter how it was accomplished.
Dawson's kick from 51 yards to tie the game sailed far enough, hit the upright and then hit the curved support attached to — and behind — the crossbar.
No question.
No doubt.
No ifs, ands or buts.
Dawson's kick tied the game, and the refs originally had the call wrong. After ''discussion'' they got the call right.
And a loss that could have been disheartening — the Browns led 27-14 heading into the fourth quarter — turned into a win that changes the outlook, the landscape and the feelings around the team.
''It's about time this organization and franchise got a call,'' Dawson said after his overtime kick won the game.
''I think everybody would agree that last year at this time in Browns football we don't get any of these calls,'' Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius said.
Maybe not. But it certainly was an odd scene.
After officials signaled that Dawson's kick was no good, players made their usual postgame greetings on the field.
Browns coach Romeo Crennel already had shaken hands with Ravens coach Brian Billick.
''I thought it was no good,'' Crennel said.
Several players knelt in the postgame prayer circle at midfield.
Dawson, after showing his disappointment, started to head toward the end zone where the kick sailed, which also was near the team's exit from the field. As he ran,
he started to hear people yell that his kick was good.
''We had some people under the goal post that were screaming at the top of their lungs that it had hit the part that connects the crossbar,'' Dawson said.
As Dawson made his way toward the goal line, more and more people started to tell him it was a field goal. Which it was.
With one-third of the Ravens fans having left the stands and half the Ravens team in the locker room, the officials huddled in the end zone. One guy insisted the ball hit past the cross bar, so they talked some more.
After a few minutes, Morelli headed toward the stands. It sure appeared he was going to review the kick. He couldn't review the kick, however, because NFL rules state that field goals are not reviewable plays.
A camera from Baltimore TV station WMAR followed Morelli, and he did not go under the hood to view a replay, but he did put on a headset. Presumably he could have heard someone on the headset say: ''Hey Pete, that was good.''
League officials said Supervisor of Officials Mike Pereira did not intervene, and Morelli in a pool report only said he made the call with no help from replay. His call made Dawson's kick good and sent the game into overtime.
All of which caused considerable consternation among Ravens folks.
''I wouldn't begin to try to explain what happened at the end of the game,'' Billick said.
Whatever happened, the refs at least got the call right. The officials could have stood on their heads and discussed the play and the kick still would have been good.
The Ravens had a game won, and they wound up giving it away thanks to the fact they inexplicably decided to kick to Browns return man Joshua Cribbs with a three-point lead and 26 seconds left.
Thought Cribbs as the ball was in the air: ''Why are they kicking to me?'' His 39-yard return gave the Browns a chance to tie, and they did.
When the Browns won the coin toss in overtime, the Ravens for some inexplicable reason again kicked to Cribbs. His 41-yard return set up the game-winning drive.
The Browns won for the second time in three games to improve to 6-4. They won to head into the final six games with a legitimate shot to reach the playoffs.
''I've never seen anything like this,'' Crennel said. ''There's a first time for everything. It was crazy.''
Yes it was.
Crennel should take it and run.
It has been a long time coming.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com.
BALTIMORE: Time for someone else to gnash their teeth and wail like a banshee.
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