Dustin Hopkins has done what even Phil Dawson couldn’t, and now he’s closing in on becoming a new Browns legend.Spencer Herman.
Cleveland Browns Stadium has been a house of terror for kickers for the past decade.
Since Phil Dawson last hit a ball through the lakefront goalposts in 2012, a dozen hitters have tried and failed to replicate his success in Northeast Ohio’s frigid weather.
The list has grown long enough to warrant another shop doll named after the kicker instead of the quarterback.
Because of the swirling wind and changing weather, an unexpectedly formidable opponent appeared.
Dustin Hopkins is a promising player. Choose if you want. #13 was really lucky.”He’s been a great player for us,” special teams coordinator Bubba Ventron said Thursday. “
The performance was top notch and luckily he made a lot of shots. “I think he’s done a great job because of his confidence in our team, our coaching staff, our manager, our general manager and our owner.”
There are more than a few stairs. A 55-yard field goal in Week 14 helped the Browns beat the Jaguars, setting a new franchise record for field goals in a season.
31 goals to be exact, Hopkins passed the legendary Dawson who scored 30 goals in 2008. Since then, Hopkins has added two more, bringing his record to 33.
The 55-yarder gave Hopkins its eighth 50-plus-yard field goal of the season.
This is another franchise record. Dawson had seven hits in 2011 and had his second in Cleveland last year.
Hopkins has taken the league by storm and currently leads all other AFC Kickers in Pro Bowl voting.
Being first in the two aforementioned categories (field goals and field goals of 50 yards or more) would help him. He ranks second in scoring this season with 121 points.
No, it’s not a dream. Cleveland actually has a chance.“He gets the credit he deserves and I think he deserves every award he can get,” Ventron said. I think he did very well and deserved it.
So that was a big help to us.”Just four months ago, Hopkins wasn’t even on the Browns’ radar.
At the time, Cleveland opened training camp with heavy reliance on 2022 fourth-round pick Cade York, who quickly faded after making just 50 percent of his field goals in the preseason.
General manager Andrew Berry had no choice but to make a move, and he did so by acquiring Hopkins from the Chargers for a seventh-round pick.
The rest is history. Hopkins continues to make history, unpredictable weather be damned.
“I think the process that goes on every week, understanding his approach and talking to myself and the experts, is great,” Ventron explained. “
So much has changed [on the pitch] that it’s difficult to continue playing on Thursday.
Because playing on Thursday and playing on Sunday are completely different.“These guys are comfortable.
Whatever we get that day, we’ll attack it and adjust. Like last week, the wind was very different to this season.
So going into the tunnel was very different to the first 15 weeks of the year.
“December 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Myles Garrett (95) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second half of a game against the Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Mandatory credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsThe Browns have won four games, including last week’s win against the Bears behind Hopkins’ touchdown.
If he hadn’t scored a point that day, he might not have scored two more. He is a God send and I don’t know what this season would be like without him.
While Dawson sits in the rearview mirror, Hopkins approaches another Brown legend, Jim Brown.
Jim Brown’s franchise record for points in a season, 126, is in danger of falling into Hopkins’ hands rather than his feet. Spencer Herman
