Moseley Still Likes to Get His Big Kicks in Overtime

The Cleveland Browns wasted no time putting newly acquired kicker Mark Moseley on the spot.

Moseley, signed last Wednesday to replace the injured Matt Bahr, kicked a 29-yard field goal into a brisk wind with 16 seconds left in overtime Sunday to give the Browns a 13-10 victory over the Houston Oilers.

The field goal was the fifth of Moseley’s career in overtime, giving him sole possession of the record he had shared with former Cleveland kicker Don Cockroft.

“One thing I had said to Coach (Marty) Schottenheimer is that throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to be at the right place at the right time--to do big things more, maybe, than any kicker in football history,” said the 38-year-old Moseley. “It’s fortunate that I’ve been able to capitalize, and today was another example.”

Cleveland cornerback Frank Minnifield intercepted Houston’s backup quarterback Oliver Luck twice in overtime, returning the second one 20 yards to help set up Moseley’s game-winner.

The interceptions offset the overtime strategy of the Oilers, who won the overtime coin toss but kicked off so they would have the wind at their backs.

“The wind was brutal out there today,” Schottenheimer said. “I would have done the same thing (Houston Coach) Jerry Glanville did in the overtime.”

Moseley kicked into the open end of Cleveland Stadium, with the wind whipping in off adjacent Lake Erie. The wind was gusting up to 35 m.p.h.

“I was very conscious of the wind,” said Moseley, who was waived by the Washington Redskins in October. “I just wanted to get it up through there before the wind had a chance to do anything with it. It seemed to be coming over the scoreboard and swirling everything around. It had an effect on a lot of things the coaches were doing.”

The Browns (9-4) who remained in first place in the AFC Central Division, had signed Moseley to replace Bahr, who was sidelined for the season by a knee injury last week.

The 38-year-old Moseley, waived by the Washington Redskins in October, kicked the game-winner on Cleveland’s third possession of the overtime. The kick came nine plays after Minnifield had intercepted Luck for the second time in the extra period.

Minnifield returned the interception 20 yards to the Houston 37, and Cleveland kept the winning drive alive when quarterback Bernie Kosar hit Brian Brennan with a seven-yard pass on fourth and three from the 30.

Luck replaced Warren Moon late in the fourth quarter and drove the Oilers 73 yards in 11 plays, tying the game 10-10 on an 11-yard pass to rookie fullback Ray Wallace with 50 seconds to play in regulation.