Reggie Hodges' push to get Phil Dawson into his first Pro Bowl paid off.
Dawson was named to his first Pro Bowl, which will be played on Sunday Jan. 27 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dawson finished second to Sebastian Janikowski in the fan voting, which counted as one third of the total vote. The other two-thirds were made up of votes from players and coaches in the NFL.
“I was happy that Phil and Joe were recognized for having Pro Bowl seasons,” Pat Shurmur said. “Phil has been one of the most consistent kickers in the NFL throughout his career, and this year he was near perfect, including many long range field goals.
“I believe it is very appropriate that he is getting his due credit after 14 years in the league,” he said. “Joe has established himself as one of the top left tackles in the game, and he has played as a very high level once again this year. He was a big part of the improvement that I felt we made as on offense.”
Dawson is the first Browns player to be selected to the Pro Bowl as a kicker. Lou Groza was selected as a tackle. Dawson’s 96.6 field goal percentage this season leads the AFC and he is 6-of-6 on field goals from 50 yards or longer, which is tied for the most in the AFC. He has 112 points, which is his sixth-straight 100 plus point season. His career 84.2 percent field goal percentage is first all-time in NFL history among kickers who have at least 300 or more field goals.
Thomas has been selected to the Pro Bowl in all six of his NFL seasons. He has not missed any offensive snaps since joining the Browns as the third pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Jim Brown is the only other Browns player to make the Pro Bowl in his first six seasons.
Joshua Cribbs was selected as a first alternate as both a kick return specialist and as a special teamer. Linebacker D’Qwell Jackson and center Alex Mack were named as first alternates.
