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Monday, November 12, 2001

CLEVELAND -- It hadn’t been a fun week for Kris Brown. He had become what no NFL kicker wants to be: A subject of media scrutiny.

He had missed 4 of 5 field-goal attempts, including what could have been the winner, for the Steelers a week ago against the Baltimore Ravens.

What followed was what Brown called, “Probably the longest week of my life and the hardest week I’ve ever had to go through as an athlete.”

All he wanted yesterday against the Cleveland Browns was a chance for redemption. He wanted to get back on that field, swing that leg and see that ball go straight and true.

So here he was kicking from the 35 with 100 seconds remaining with the score tied at Cleveland Browns Stadium. With one swing of his leg, he could go from goat to hero. He could put this week of hell behind him. He could win the game for the Steelers.

The snap was good. So was the hold. The kick was wide left.

It was looking like another week of anguish for Brown, another week of scrutiny, another week of career speculation.

But this story of missed kicks has a happy ending. The Steelers gave Brown another chance in overtime. This time he didn’t miss. This one was straight and true. It was only from 32 yards, but sometimes those supposed chip shots are the toughest.

As the ball sailed through the uprights to give the Steelers a 15-12 overtime victory, Brown raised his hand in jubilation. His holder, Josh Miller, gave him a hug and picked him up. Teammates congratulated him.

Brown had redeemed himself. He hadn’t just kicked the winner, he scored all of the Steelers’ points, making 5 of 6 attempts.

None of his successes were particularly difficult. He converted from 31, 27, 37, 37 and 32 yards. But they were among the biggest kicks of Brown’s career.

“I knew we all go through challenges,” he said. “The most important thing is to respond to those challenges.”

Brown began his response immediately after the loss to the Ravens. He stood up, took the blame and said he would not submit to the pressure that comes with such misses. His confidence, he assured, would not be affected.

Talk’s easy, but Brown did more than talk.

“He was great during the week,” Coach Bill Cowher said. “He’s really a strong-minded guy.”

Holder Josh Miller said: “He could have gone in two directions. He could have gone in the jar or he could have sucked it up, answered all the questions and come out and perform the way he did.

“I knew by Thursday he was all right. He was goofing with the guys. He didn’t break down film from the fifth grade. Most guys go, ‘I’ve got to analyze this and this.’ He was pretty cool with it.

“Everyone was in his ear all week. ‘We need you. We need you.’ He handled himself real well.”

Brown visited Heinz Field Thursday for a short session and called the visit “mentally important.”

That was the first step, but not the biggest. The biggest came with little more than two minutes remaining in the first quarter when a Steelers drive stalled at the Cleveland 13.

Cowher sent Brown out to kick a 31-yard field goal.

“It was huge,” Brown said. “It was important for me to get on the field and go through my routine and put the ball through and finally just take a sigh of relief.”

The kick was near perfect.

There had been an avalanche of speculation on what had gone wrong with Brown last week. There was talk he was injured, suggestions the wind had affected his kicks, hints his confidence was gone.

Brown would have none of it.

“The bottom line is I just didn’t put the ball through the uprights. I think it was just a situation where instead of me just trying to swing through the ball, it was me trying to guide the ball. When I’m swinging through the ball, when I attack the ball, that’s when I have my best kicks.”

He was successful again in the second quarter and twice in the third.

When he missed near the end of regulation, he didn’t back away. He wanted another chance.

“I told Jerome [Bettis], ‘You guys just get the ball down there and give me another chance.’”

Bettis took Brown at his word, gaining all but 10 of the yards on a drive that moved the Steelers to the Cleveland 14. Brown took it from there. The Steelers had another win. They also had their kicker back.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.