Browns special teams coach Mike Priefer has a pair of rookie specialists under his domain in his first season in Cleveland. Fortunately, the veteran Priefer has worked with kickers who need some technical tweaking and refinement.
Such is the case with placekicker Austin Seibert. The fifth-round rookie had a wildly inconsistent summer, from missing more than half his kicks in the first week of training camp to a perfect 4-for-4 in the preseason’s third game.
In his Week 1 media availability, Priefer elaborated on what he saw in the young kicker and how he helped fix it.
“He was jamming himself a little bit with his plant foot and that caused some inconsistencies with his followthrough and leg swing and follow through and ball contact. It was just a little tweak that he found,” Priefer said. “We watched some tape together, figured it out and worked on it. Sent him down to the stadium twice this week – Monday and then yesterday – with the snapper and the holder to get some extra work in.”
Priefer noted he’s had Seibert, punter (and holder) Jamie Gillan and long snapper Charley Hughlett practice at FirstEnergy Stadium twice this week to get them ready for the turf conditions and unpredictable winds on the lakefront.
“It is still a little bit of a work in progress, but he has found a little bit more consistent leg swing and follow through. I think that he is on the right track.”
The Seibert we saw at the end of the preseason is someone Browns fans can have confidence in to make the crucial pressure kicks. It seems Priefer has found a way to keep that confidence flowing with proper technique and good coaching.
