CLEVELAND — Since the days of Phil Dawson, Browns fans have longed for a kicker of his caliber. After things with fourth-round pick Cade York didn't work out, there's new hope in the kicker the team recently traded for, Dustin Hopkins.
Hopkins will soon have the tough task of kicking inside Cleveland Browns Stadium—a place known for its challenges around the league and one that has been mastered by few—Dawson among them.
“Everyone knows about Cleveland," Hopkins said. "This is a notorious place to kick. It’s a tough place to do this job."
Back when Dawson was kicking for Cleveland, he had worked out a system. Follow the flag.
"We had security personnel at the time who were former snipers, and they taught me something about flags, and they said if you look at the angle that a flag is blowing and you divide by four, that's the approximate wind speed," Dawson said in an interview just after announcing his retirement. "I'd look at that flag to get an idea of the intensity because the intensity—not all winds are created equal. If it was under 10, it wasn't gonna play much of a factor. If it was 10 to 20, it was gonna be horrible out there, swirling, going the other way. If it was over 20, I was going to pull a hamstring and not even try the kick."
Over the years, plenty of Browns kickers have tried to figure it out. From Cody Parkey to Zane Gonzalez, Greg Joseph to Austin Seibert, kickers have made attempts but fallen short.
There are challenges in every NFL stadium, but in Cleveland, along the shores of Lake Erie, the Browns' stadium has some of the toughest to overcome.
"They’re on the lake, you’re up north, you’re in a tough division. There’s nothing blocking the wind coming off the lake. It’s just sweeping in there," Hopkins said. "I don’t know the ins and outs of what wind typically does in there when it seems like it’s going to move the ball and it doesn’t. When it doesn’t seem like it’s going to move the ball, and it does. So, I’ve got a lot to learn in that stadium, but I’m up for the challenge.”
The weather is unpredictable but undeniable and plays a part every season.
News 5 Meteorologist Katie McGraw said that things get especially bad right when the weather shifts and things start to get cold—right in the heart of football season.
"When we're talking about Cleveland Browns Stadium, you have the open areas that allow the wind to swirl at different heights throughout the stadium, but particularly down in the Dawg Pound side of the field. So that easterly side of the field in the Dawg Pound, thanks to the way that the wind swirls, is going to be a little bit tougher.
"As we move into the colder months, there's also going to be the lowering of the jet stream—it dips farther to the south. That allows colder temperatures to sink in, and it allows the wind to pick up. You get breezier conditions up in the higher parts of the atmosphere. And a lot of that mixes down to the surface, making it tougher climate here for us just outside around Cleveland, but also inside Cleveland Brown Stadium as well," McGraw explained.
On top of the weather, there's the added pressure from Browns fans.
Over the years, fans have compared every kicker that comes through the doors to Dawson. It's only fair for the passionate base to want the best, and Dawson was the best. Some fans think they could maybe take it a little easier on the newbies who are giving the position a go in Cleveland.
"We're always giving the kickers the pressure because of with Phil Dawson. You know what I mean? Besides the quarterbacks, the kickers are always the next on the chopping block," said Browns fan Zakery Taylor.
Martez Jolly, another Browns fan, believes that's because the kicker position is so important.
"It’s a game changer. It can cost us a game; it can win us a game," he said.
He's right. Five Browns games last season were determined by three points or less. That's the difference of a reliable kicker.
The Browns now hope that Hopkins can find success and tame the beast that is Cleveland Browns Stadium. His experience playing in Washington's winter weather could certainly help, and there's confidence in the organization, which is why they brought him in.
"I think it's hard to kick in multiple places in this league, as well, so I think when we think about it, we thought that Dustin was someone that would be reliable and has been accurate throughout his career, and that's definitely something that weighed into the balance of exchanges," said Browns assistant general manager Catherine Raîche.
Thursday was the first time Hopkins took the field inside Cleveland Browns Stadium while wearing orange and brown. The practice session was only open for a few minutes, and Hopkins had kicked off before it opened.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Hopkins looked good in the work he put in Thursday, and there was one glimpse of him in action shared by the team.
letting it fly 👟🏈 pic.twitter.com/LmCkzyDKww
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 31, 2023
As Week 1 approaches, Hopkins will continue that work, and fans will get their first in-person look at the new kicker at the home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. They'll keep their fingers crossed he works out.
Hopkins, pressure and all, is up for the challenge.
"Kicking in a place like this and knowing that I need to be at my best is kind of an exciting challenge, even though a tough one at the same time,” he said.
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