Ain't that a kick

The Browns roster has evolved and revolved over the years, to the giant pot of stew it resembled at the end of last season.
Quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, linemen, coaches, they all come and go. But for some reason, the kickers stay.
Kickers are usually viewed as throwaway parts in the NFL. A monthlong slump can get last year's Pro Bowler placed on waivers mid-season. But not in Cleveland.
Today, Phil Dawson became the latest Browns kicker to become a locker room institution, when he signed a five-year contract extension. Dawson was already one of only two players left from the Browns' 1999 expansion roster (Daylon McCutcheon being the other).
Dawson was signed as a free agent out of the University of Texas. He outlasted his first pro coach, Chris Palmer. Somehow, even though he was a Dwight Clark find, he managed to stay in Browns gear throughout the reign of Butch Davis, even as punter Chris Gardocki, receiver Kevin Johnson and quarterback Tim Couch were tossed aside based on Butch's "gut" feelings.
Through all the muddling and mud-slinging in the Browns camp, Dawson has still managed to put up some nice stats in his six pro seasons. He has two 100-point seasons to his credit, including last year. He is the Browns' all-time leader in field goal percentage at 82 percent.
He has also prided himself on being a football player who kicks, not just a kicker. His face mask is full-sized for a kicker, and he has shown a willingness to stick his head into a contact situation on kick coverage.
Dawson is one of five kickers who have handled the brunt of the kicking duties for the Browns since 1946. The list includes Hall-of-Famer Lou Groza, along with Don Cockroft, Matt Bahr and Matt Stover, who is still splitting the uprights for the Baltimore Ravens.
Kicking an oblong ball in a windswept lakeshore stadium in late fall and winter does not seem like a recipe for longevity of employment. Maybe having numb toes makes you a better kicker somehow.