Travis Benjamin vows to 'showcase my skills' versus the Titans

BEREA, Ohio – Browns coach Mike Pettine isn't ready to replace Travis Benjamin as the team's primary punt returner.

After a tentative start, Benjamin plans to reward the coach's confidence in him.

"It's all got to do with me," Benjamin said of his early struggles. "I'm going to showcase my skills coming into the Tennessee game and put our special teams in the top rank where they're supposed to be."

The offense has flourished despite getting little field-position help from the special teams. Benjamin has returned just three punts for two yards while calling for five fair catches.

In the club's 23-21 loss to Ravens, the University of Miami product opted not to catch a fourth-quarter punt that bounced outside the 20 and rolled to 7 – flipping the field-position battle in the game's final two series.

No longer the primary kickoff returner, Benjamin admitted he was struggling a bit with his confidence. He muffed a first-quarter punt against the Ravens.
"There are plays out there where the adjustment is, 'I can make that play,' instead of 'I see this (defender) coming scot-free (so I'll) fair catch.' I have to be confident in making the first person miss all the time on special teams."

Both Pettine and Benjamin downplayed the impact of last year's season-ending knee injury. He's caught four passes for 69 yards, including a 43-yarder to set up the first touchdown versus Baltimore.

"He's playing very well," Pettine said of Benjamin in the pass game. "I think just about every week he's gotten behind the opponents' secondary, so I don't know if I would say the knee is necessarily a big factor there. I think it's just too early to panic in that situation."

Benjamin said it could take just one big return to get him in a groove again.


(cleveland.com)