MORE NEWS ON PHIL DAWSON

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Browns place franchise tag on kicker Phil Dawson




By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sports writer [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]



Phil Dawson didn’t launch a farewell tour at the end of last season like he did the previous year. He didn’t know what would happen, but he realized he could be back for his 14th season with the Browns.

The Browns ensured it on Friday.

For the second year in a row, they placed the franchise tag on Dawson, the kicker who has been with the franchise since its expansion season in 1999. Dawson’s base salary this year is expected to be $3.81 million, 120 percent of the $3.175 million he made last season as the Browns’ franchise player.

Dawson, 37, was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at 4 p.m. March 13, but the Browns prevented him from hitting the open market. They could still try to work out a long-term deal with Dawson.

As expected, the Browns did not franchise running back Peyton Hillis, who recently parted ways with his third agent in the past year, even though he’s in line to become an unrestricted free agent in less than two weeks. General Manager Tom Heckert recently told ESPN the Browns will try to work out a deal to retain Hillis, but money will be a deciding factor.

After the 2010 season, Dawson believed his days in Cleveland had come to an end. He hugged teammates, took photos and said his goodbyes, but the Browns later caught him off guard by franchising him. He acknowledged receiving the tag again was a possibility.

“It would be the second time around, so I’d probably feel a little different than last time,” Dawson said Jan. 2 when asked how he would feel if the Browns franchised him this year. “Last year was so weird with the lockout. No one knew the timetable of anything. This will be a little bit more of a normal type calendar, normal communications. You couldn’t even talk to people last year. I’ll probably feel different, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Although he didn’t expect to be playing for the Browns in 2011, Dawson had a stellar season. He made 24-of-29 field-goal attempts. Two of his misses were counted as official blocks and another was deflected by St. Louis Rams defensive end James Hall.

Dawson also made 7-of-8 field-goal attempts from 50 yards or longer. He fell one short of the NFL’s single-season record of eight shared by Morten Andersen (1995) and Jason Hanson (2008).

Dawson’s performance last season proved he is still among the NFL’s finest kickers. It also gave him confidence in his longevity.

When asked if he would consider retiring this year, Dawson said: “No, good grief. I’m just getting started.”

Brownies

Hillis told the Plain Dealer that ESPN’s recent report about him contemplating retirement and wanting to pursue a career with the CIA is “100 percent false” and “it makes me sound insane.” Hillis also reiterated what he said throughout last season — he wants to re-sign with the Browns. … University of Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead said he is scheduled to work out for the Browns on March 12, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Read the Browns blog at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Follow him on Twitter at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and on Facebook at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].





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