Cleveland Browns

Dawson's return visit gives Browns fans something to cheer

Published Dec. 10, 2015 3:45 p.m. ET

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Connor Kiesel

It's what Phil Dawson always did: Give the Cleveland faithful reason to smile.

That usually came after frustration that another Browns drive stalled in the red zone or it was looking like an afternoon where the team wasn't going to muster more than the points produced from Dawson's leg.

Dawson spent 14 years as a member of the Browns, in which time he played for six different head coaches and with 18 starting quarterbacks. How much did the Browns lean on Dawson? Take this stat: 27 times in his 14 seasons in orange and brown, Dawson was the only source of the team's points.

Twenty-seven times -- surely, not a point of pride for any of the offensive coordinators who passed through the team's revolving door.

Amidst all of the instability and controversies though, there was one kicker known by one name in Cleveland - Phil.

It's weird because a kicker isn't usually your team's rock star. Even if he wins you a Super Bowl, something Dawson has yet to do (he fell just short three seasons ago in San Francisco), it's the quarterback that leads the game-winning drive who typically gets lauded. Adam Vinatieri is no doubt appreciated but it's Tom Brady who's revered.

Dawson doesn't have a rock star persona. He possesses quite the opposite, in fact -- classy and consummate, never a negative word despite all the Browns' woes.

The 2015-16 season has familiarly become another woeful one for the Browns. Boos echo around FirstEnergy Stadium on a weekly basis. It took Austin Davis only a couple of throws to hear a chorus of them when he entered for an injured Josh McCown on Monday Night Football two weeks ago.

From the lost leads to the "Kick Six" and the most recent result, a downright drubbing against division foe Cincinnati, there's been plenty for Browns fans to hang their heads over. But when Dawson steps on the field to kick off or lines up for a field goal for the 49ers - who aren't having such a hot year themselves -- Sunday, they'll have someone worth applauding.

A quote from Dawson in his final season with the Browns, after the team's slim playoff hopes were extinguished for good, still resonates and says a lot about the person and player he is.

"You don't get paid to only work hard when you have a chance to go to the playoffs," Dawson said after the Browns Week 15 loss to the Redskins sent them to 5-9 during the 2012 season. "You get paid to do your job no matter what."

Dawson learned that the difficult way over a decade-plus in Cleveland.

The Browns ticket-holders suffering through futility week after week should cherish a rare opportunity to heap praise and remind Phil just how much he meant.

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