Growing up a Browns fan in Northeast Ohio, Ross Martin received rare opportunities to frequent Phil Dawson’s workplace and study one of the NFL’s best kickers in person.
“My godfather and another one of my uncles, they always had season tickets to Browns games every year, and their seats were about three rows back from the Browns’ sideline right behind the kicking net,” Martin said during a recent phone interview. “So whenever I would tag along and go to games with them, we’d always sit about 10, 15 feet away from Phil. So I definitely saw a lot of him warming up kicks in the net and his routine.