Cade York was a fourth-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns a season ago. When the kicker made a dramatic Week 1 winning field goal to beat the Carolina Panthers a year ago many fans and analysts of the team thought, at that moment, that they had found their next Phil Dawson kicker that would be here for a decade. That dream faded quickly as York was inconsistent the rest of last season, having other opportunities to win games for the team only to fail.
Now in this preseason, York again has started out inconsistently and missed several kicks. What made things worse this past game was that after he made three field goals in the first half, he posted on his Instagram account of the accomplishment. The post was later deleted, and it was explained that someone else posted it for him. However, the damage was done as in the waning moments of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, York failed to convert on two attempts to win the game for Cleveland
The Browns organization has stuck behind York and denied any suggestions of bringing in competition to challenge the youngster.
Photo by Charles Murray
After this latest preseason collapse by York, he did speak to the media, which is a brave thing to do. However, he was still overly confident about his own abilities, and somewhat sidestepped the magnitude of what was happening.
One can see the fear in this kid‘s eyes when he goes to kick a field goal these days. He is not confident, and yet York and his team that supports him are trying to act as if this isn’t a big deal.
This is a very big deal and one that could set this team backward despite all of the talent that is on the squad. This season is significant for the Browns as they pursue the postseason and an attempt to get to that elusive Super Bowl.
This whole situation seems as if it’s going to backfire on Cleveland if they are relying on a fearful kicker, who has no confidence at the moment. The fact that the organization won’t bring in competition and is denying how bad this situation is very concerning.
The season doesn’t start for three weeks so there’s time to act on this problem. Joe Thomas, the newly inducted, Hall of Famer of the Cleveland Browns said on the latest Browns and Eagles TV broadcast that kicking is a lot like putting a 4-foot putt in golf and that the whole thing is all mental. Right now York is all messed up mentally when it comes to making a kick when it matters.
Maybe the Browns are having York work with a sports psychologist behind the scenes. Or maybe it’s just time for the team to cut ties and move on to the next kicker. There aren’t many kickers in the NFL that are so tremendous that you keep them around. Past Browns kicking legend, Phil Dawson was an exception. Can we bring him back?
When every Cleveland Browns fan in the world is holding their bated breath on a York kick you know it’s not a good sign of things to come. Let’s see what happens over the next three weeks before Week 1 arrives but I think it’s well past time to consider releasing York and moving on.
Brian Fitzpatrick
August 21, 2023 at 10:04 am
Ok we’re all jacked up about the kicker. Here is the real deal. Statistically I understand why they wanna keep him. We have jettisoned some kickers who performed well when they left like Gonzalez. But here are the real numbers. For your benefit.
Apparently kicking in Cleveland is tricky ask Don Cockroft played 13 seasons in Cleveland. (Sadly he now has Alzheimer’s.)
Ask Matt Bahr 8 years in Cleveland.
Phil Dawson also 13 seasons. Phil was the best 24/34 beyond 50 yards. The most attempted and made from 50+.
Don Cockroft had 4/20 and Lou Groza was 1/13 for 50+. Cade York is tied for the most kicked from 50+. He has 4/7 attempts from 50+. He’s tied with Cockroft, Matt Stover 4/11 and Chase McLaughlin 4/4. Chase was 2021!
So Cade York. He has Zero between 1-19. He has 5/5 from 20-29. He has 9-12 from 30-39. He has 6/8 from 40-49. He has 4/7 over 50. 30-39 is his biggest issue with 3 misses. So he has missed a couple but still looks fairly good in comparison to our history.