Browns Notebook: P Reggie Hodges campaigns to get K Phil Dawson into Pro Bowl

Is it possible for an NFL placekicker to have a perfect season and not wind up in Hawaii?

For Browns Mr. Automatic Phil Dawson, that seems quite possible.

Dawson has been among the most accurate kickers in the NFL since he began his career with the Browns when the team returned to Cleveland in 1999. He has made 84.1 percent of his career field goal attempts, which ranks ninth all-time. He is the longest-tenured kicker in the top 10. Yet he has never been voted into the Pro Bowl.

Browns punter Reggie Hodges has begun a Twitter campaign to rectify that. Dawson is certainly worthy -- he's having his finest season. He has nailed all 21 of his field goal attempts, giving him a streak of 27 in a row. He has hit 12 of his last 13 from 50 yards or longer going back to last year, and the only miss was on a botched snap. He has connected on 12 of his last 13 from 50 yards or longer.

"I appreciate [the Hodges campaign]," Dawson said. "I know he's trying to have fun with it. It's obviously not something I'd do on my own. I've never needed [to make the Pro Bowl] to feel good about my career, but it is a goal of mine."

The representative has traditionally been among the top point scorers in the conference regardless of accuracy. The Browns have simply not scored enough points during the Dawson era to give him a chance.

Coach Pat Shurmur said he would not campaign for Dawson, though he believes him to be worthy of a Pro Bowl spot. But Shurmur has felt that way for quite some time.

"I have a great deal of respect for who he is and what he is as a player," Shurmur said. "I'm really glad he kicks for us."

The problem is, in this era of pinpoint accuracy, other kickers are worthy, too. Dawson is the only full-time starting placekicker in the NFL with a perfect mark, but nine others are over 90 percent. Dawson railed against the notion of narrowing the posts to make it more difficult.

"I think we should celebrate how good guys have gotten," he said. "When I came into the league, 80 percent was a great percentage. Now you make 80 percent and you could be on your way out. You got a group of athletes who have worked hard at what they do and they've gotten really good at it. That's what the NFL is all about."

Gipson in the spotlight: The concussion that has sidelined Usama Young has thrust undrafted rookie free safety Tashaun Gipson into the starting lineup.

Gipson played well with the game on the line in the win last week over Pittsburgh. He is set to start Sunday at Oakland and expects to feel some jitters.

"I go into each game with a lot of jitters, but it will be elevated a little bit being in the starting lineup," he said. "But I know I can help the defense in a lot of ways. I'm kind of a do-it-all safety. I pride myself in being able to run from Point A to Point B, and I think I can feed off the energy of the other back guys."

Countdown: The Travel Channel feature on the Browns is set for Tuesday at 10 p.m. Shurmur is not one to invite intruders into camp, but he certainly accepted it.

"They've done what they had to do to film it and put it together," he said. "I would say that the folks involved with it have been very good about making sure that it's not a distraction for the preparation."

Shurmur declined to say if he hesitated to grant access.

"I do believe in the privacy of the things that go on," he said. "My biggest concern during the year is if there's a distraction in preparation or if there's some competitive disadvantage that we're giving away to our opponents."

Bits and pieces: CB Dimitri Patterson (ankle) will miss his seventh straight game Sunday. He appeared to be on track to return as the nickel corner, but has been scratched. ... RB Trent Richardson spoke early in the week of Oakland LB Rolando McClain being one of his idols. Richardson was two years behind McClain at the University of Alabama. But he won't be tackled by McClain on Sunday. The linebacker has been suspended for two games by the Raiders for conduct detrimental to the team.

Stay dialed in on the Cleveland Browns on Twitter at @CBSBrowns throughout the season with on-site updates from CBSSports.com RapidReports correspondent Marty Gitlin.