In March, Browns special teams coordinator Chris Tabor offered his kicker a vote of confidence — and then some — when asked about Travis Coons and his development during the offseason.
So when reporters broached the subject again Wednesday, Tabor reiterated that stance and heaped praise on the promising 24-year-old.
"When you talk about Travis Coons, he's gotten stronger. We've really worked hard on the lift on his football. I can see him improving there, along with his kickoffs," Tabor said.
"I'm excited about which way he's trending."
Coons had a historically efficient rookie season, knocking down 18 straight field goals to set a league record for the most consecutive field goals to begin a career. He made 28-of-32 attempts on the season and buried a game-winner against the Ravens in a 33-30 overtime win in October.
But Coons and the Browns are working to correct those four misses, all of which were long-distance shots blocked before they could get airborne.
As a result, Tabor says Coons has worked on his "lift" and compared mastering such a technique to a golfer and his or her swing.
"They still got to hit the same ball," he said of long kicks. "Sometimes the kickers have the mentality that when I get way back I feel like I just got to drive the this thing to get it there when really, just hit your ball and you'll be fine."
Tabor, whom head coach Hue Jackson has challenged to make the special teams "second to none," described Coons' growth and development from last year to now as "tremendous."
"When you first come into the league, No. 1, you're trying to figure it out. No. 2, you're trying to figure out your routine. What do I do on a daily basis? How many kicks? What's my stretching? What's my recovery? All those types of things," Tabor said.
The Browns took to the field as a part of the team's Organized Team Activities.
Coons has the basics down now.
"After going through a whole season, a player, obviously – just like we all do as we get older, we get smarter. He's really maturing, and I can see the difference in him from Year One to Year Two just in this time right now," he said.
"I think having the experience of last year and understanding what it's like to go out and have an opportunity to make big kicks, I think that's hopefully going to pay off for him."
Tabor added: "Travis has definitely matured, and you can see it going into Year Two here and he's taking the next step. I like the way that he's performing."
