BEREA — The pinball field goal off the left upright and the goalpost extension in Baltimore was the signature play of Cleveland’s 2007 season and Phil Dawson’s 10-year career.
But Dawson insists he doesn’t have the play on a continuous loop on a big-screen television in his home.
“I think about it when my son asks me why I hit it off the upright and why it didn’t go down the middle to start with,” he said Thursday. “It’s the life of a kicker. You’re never quite sure what the ball’s going to do in the air.”
Dawson was asked to relive the moment because the Browns are headed back to Baltimore on Sunday for the first time since that memorable November day when Dawson’s last-second 51-yarder was originally ruled no good because it bounced back into play off the support behind the crossbar.
The call was overturned without the use of replay, the kick forced overtime and the Browns won on a 33-yarder by Dawson.
While the odds are astronomical that the game will end in the same fashion, Dawson hopes history repeats itself.
“We kinda find ourselves in the same position, in terms of needing a big victory, and hopefully winning a game this week will catapult us, get us some momentum and we’ll get on a roll here,” Dawson said.
The Browns were 5-4 and coming off a close loss to Pittsburgh when they traveled to the land of crab cakes last season. They finished the year on a 5-2 run.
This year, they’re 0-2 and coming off a close loss to Pittsburgh.
While the season’s too young to be on life support, it could certainly use a jolt from the emergency-room paddles.
“Obviously we’re not off to the start we’d hoped,” Dawson said. “We have a chance with a division game on the road to get back in the swing of things. We have two division road games (Cincinnati), then the bye.
“If we grab those two, we’re right back in the heat of things. We all understand it starts this week. Hopefully we win one and get a little momentum going and see what can happen. Until you win the first one, it’s hard to get any momentum going.”
Cleveland’s offense knows all about needing momentum. It’s scored 16 points in two weeks.
“Given the struggles we’ve had on offense, if we can pop some returns out there and get a good feeling going on the sideline, that’s going to help our offense get out there and execute,” Dawson said. “We know they’re going to get going, but if we can be that shot in the arm that they need, we understand that’s our role as a special teams group.”
Dawson is a special teams captain and the longest-tenured member of the team (1999). He’s been solid for the duration of his career — he’s the fourth-most accurate kicker in NFL history at 83 percent — but thinks he reached another level with that kick in Baltimore.
“I feel like I’ve been on a roll ever since,” he said. “When times get tough or I’m not kicking as well as I should, I can look back at that moment and hopefully get back on track.”
Dawson is 12-for-13 on field goals since that night in Baltimore — the only miss coming on a block in the finale last season versus San Francisco — and set a franchise record for points by a kicker with 120 in 2007. He’s 3-for-3 in 2008 after a preseason that saw him hit 56- and 53-yarders.
An ESPN.com report last week said his agent, Neil Cornrich, approached general manager Phil Savage about a new deal. Dawson signed a five-year, $7.1 million contract in 2005 that runs through 2010. He’s due to make $950,000 this season and $1 million in the final two years of the deal.
“I make a point to try not to respond to rumors and speculation,” he said. “I’ll leave that one alone.”
Dawson also didn’t want to second-guess coach Romeo Crennel’s decision to kick a field goal down seven with three minutes left in the loss to Pittsburgh.
“I’m a player. I don’t think. Players do what they’re told,” he said. “Obviously I’m excited anytime I get a chance to go out and put points on the board.”
Even if the kick goes through the uprights without a ricochet or two.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com. 

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