Events Calendar
In This Section
10 runs barely enough in Tribe's win
Patrick McManamon: Varejao's $50 million deal isn't really $50 million
Cavs, Varejao agree on six-year deal
Fans line up to honor slain ex-NFL quarterback McNair
Varejao's deal with Cavs could be worth $50 million
Nike confiscates dunk tapes at James' camp
Students seek shot at being champions
Most Read Stories
Akron police investigate teen mob attack on family
Woman, 75, charged with beating fawn to death
Akron woman found dead at Brimfield Township store
Man shot outside his Akron home during robbery attempt
Man shot in back near Akron park
Suspect sought in Portage Path bar robbery
Tragic day puts man on path to be Pinnacle owner
Blogs:
Pets:
Dogs' Bark: Not fair! Study shows pups get jealous
The Heldenfiles:
Who Will Get the Michael Media Treatment Next?
Patrick McManamon:
More on Varejao
Akron Zips:
Opponent outlook: Kent State
Browns Bulletin:
Quick thought on Browns rookies
Tribe Matters:
Wedge challenges relievers
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth test showed marijuana
Kent State Sports:
Men's Basketball Scheduling update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Andy’s Signed According to ESPN
All Da King's Men:
Does Medicare Have Lower Administrative Costs ?
Blog of Mass Destruction:
CIA Did Mislead Congress
Akron Law Café:
Breaking Story: CIA Lied to Congress about Secret Program
Varsity Letters:
East basketball update
See Jane Style:
Oh Baby!
Car Chase:
Where do We Go from Here?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Closings….Not the Good Kind!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Margy inquires-when is a Taste of Hudson?
Sound Check:
LeVert II live performance Saturday night — "Dedication" album due July 13,
HRLite House:
DDI One of Best Places to Work
Akron Gamer:
First 24 'Guitar Hero 5' songs announced
Browns' kicker recalls miraculous field goals during 2007 Bills game
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Friday, Nov 14, 2008
BEREA: Phil Dawson admitted his family's television remote has only one choice programmed on the favorites button: The Weather Channel.
Chances are the Browns' 10-year veteran kicker will wear out that button before his team visits Buffalo for Monday night's game in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
''They're saying cold and snow and wind, and in my book that means bad,'' Dawson said. ''Some of these offensive linemen may love that stuff, but not me.''
The forecast brings back vivid — and bone-chilling — memories of the last time the two teams met. It was Dec. 16, 2007, perhaps the finest game of Dawson's career.
With the snow flying, the wind gusting to 43 mph, the yard lines obliterated and a 16-degree
wind chill at kickoff in Cleveland, Dawson hit both his field-goal attempts, from 35 and 49 yards, as the Browns prevailed 8-0.
On the latter, with 1:22 left in the second quarter that ended the game's scoring, Dawson again hit the uprights' curved support bar he made famous a month before with a 51-yard double-bouncer in Baltimore.
Dawson knows how fortunate he was that he didn't land on his backside, even though he was wearing long cleats on his left shoe, his plant foot.
''I got lucky, to be honest,'' he said Thursday of the 49-yarder. ''We tried to clear off a spot, but the ground was frozen, so it was a crapshoot at best. I wish I could say I had it all planned out, but sometimes you just go out there and try your best. Sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't.''
Bills coach Dick Jauron said he has seen conditions that bad only two or three times in his coaching and playing careers, which date to the early 1970s at Yale.
''It was kind of sleeting and snowing, going sideways,'' Jauron said Wednesday. ''You couldn't see the field, you couldn't see the stripes and you couldn't see the sideline. Clearly the Browns dealt with it better than we did.''
Browns coach Romeo Crennel said with the wind blowing at their bench ''you couldn't really open your eyes.''
Dawson confessed he didn't know the long kick was good ''until the referees put their hands up.''
''I missed a kick before the game, missed it left,'' Dawson said. ''It stopped in midair, turned around and came back the other way. There were no rules that applied to that day. Generally, you never aim outside the uprights, but on that day you had to.''
Besides kicking in those conditions, Dawson had two other problems to worry about against the Bills, whose special teams are considered among the league's best.
''Buffalo has three guys on the interior that are really tall,'' Dawson said. ''But I kicked that ball at such an extreme angle it actually went around them.''
He said he aimed the 49-yarder ''about halfway between the upright and the sideline.''
The other worry on the long one was that Buffalo's Roscoe Parrish was standing under the goal post. In 2007, Parrish led the league in punt-return average (16.3). He ranks third this year (13.2) and has three career punt returns for touchdowns.
''In a close game, the thought of him getting his hands on the ball and myself and the other guys trying to tackle him, that wasn't a very good matchup,'' Dawson said. ''We were hoping it wouldn't come to that.''
Dawson ranks Cleveland as the toughest place in the NFL to kick. He knows Buffalo is no fun, either, even though it has FieldTurf.
He might be a little more fond of Ralph Wilson Stadium on Monday night if he hits his next field goal, which would be the 200th of his career.
Since 1999, Dawson has made 199-of-239 (83.3 percent). This season, he has hit 89.5 percent (17-of-19), which would be the second-best percentage of his career, trailing only his 93.1 (27-of-29) in 2005. Dawson's only misses have come from 51 yards (against the New York Giants) and 54 yards (at Washington).
Now 33 years old, he connected on his career-long field goal, a 54-yarder, at home against the Baltimore Ravens and hit a 52-yarder in the last game against the Denver Broncos.
''At the end of the year, I'll talk about how I kicked this year,'' Dawson said. ''You have to kick well early if you're the kicker in Cleveland because it only gets tougher. I'm off to a good start, but I still have seven games to go. The challenge is only going to get greater every week.''
Corner's time
Injuries in the Bills' secondary have meant playing time for Reggie Corner, a fourth-round pick from the University of Akron. He recorded four tackles last week against the New England Patriots.
''He has done a nice job on special teams. He got his first consistent exposure [last] week against the Patriots,'' Jauron said. ''He played pretty well and I think he learned some things, too.
''Hopefully he'll just keep getting better. He's a very competitive, very tough, guy.''
Bills sign Fox
The Bills signed former Ohio State cornerback Dustin Fox to their practice squad Wednesday after releasing him Aug. 30. Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2005, the former GlenOak standout has played for the Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Bills.
Brownies
Only fullback Lawrence Vickers (high ankle sprain) did not practice. Among those participating on a limited basis were left guard Eric Steinbach (torn oblique). . . . Crennel lauded defensive end Corey Williams for playing in a shoulder harness with a problem that will require offseason surgery. . . . Bills strong safety Donte' Whitner, of Glenville and Ohio State, might be a long shot for Monday after separating his shoulder Nov. 2. He's practiced on a limited basis the past two days. Sitting out for the second day was Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel (foot).
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
BEREA: Phil Dawson admitted his family's television remote has only one choice programmed on the favorites button: The Weather Channel.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
