DaytonDailyNews.com

BEREA — Phil Dawson hasn't been to Hawaii since his honeymoon. He'd like to take his wife back in February to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.

And maybe play in his first Pro Bowl.

"It could be two trips in one," Dawson said with a smile Thursday, Dec. 4, before practice. "I could even play it off as, 'Honey, I'm taking you back to where it all started, and if you don't mind, I'm going to kick a few balls while we're here.' "

Overlooked for years, Dawson may deserve a Pro Bowl spot this season.

Cleveland's rock-steady kicker has been one of the few bright spots in a dismal 4-8 season that has failed to meet high expectations. But while teammates commit penalties, drop passes and miss tackles, Dawson has been dependable, exact and consistent.

Just like his kicks.

The lone player left from the Browns' 1999 expansion team, Dawson has converted 26-of-30 field-goal attempts and made three of the longest kicks of his 10-year career, including a game-winning 56-yarder to beat Buffalo on Nov. 17. Dawson recently made 13 straight field goals — three over 50 yards — and his next success will match his career high (27) for a season.

Only Lou Groza and Don Cockroft have scored more career points for Cleveland than Dawson.

However, one thing has remained out of Dawson's range: a Pro Bowl.

"It's a career goal of mine," Dawson said. "Sometimes you wonder if people notice what you do. Unfortunately, I've been on a losing team eight of the last 10 years. There's been probably about three seasons sprinkled in there where I thought I had a chance. Not to take anything from the guys who were named because the AFC is loaded with great kickers, but I feel pretty good about what I've been able to do in the conditions I find myself in."

Ah, the conditions.

In Cleveland's lakefront stadium, the weather in November and December can be unbearable and unpredictable, which is why Dawson's precision — he's currently the league's seventh most accurate kicker of all-time at 83.2 percent — is so impressive. And Dawson has to kick on a natural, grass surface as temperamental as the weather.

In last week's 16-6 loss to Indianapolis, Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri missed a 46-yarder and told Dawson he can't imagine kicking here all the time.

"When Adam, who has made game-winning kicks in the Super Bowl, tells me how difficult it is to kick in Cleveland and how glad he is that he doesn't have to kick here, that means a lot," Dawson said.