“He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s confident, he’s competitive….” Jackson joins Sashi Brown, Executive VP of Football Operations, and Paul DePodesta, Chief Strategy Officer, in the attempt to turn a franchise in disarray into a contender.
Advertisement
Jackson becomes the Browns’ sixth coach since 2008. “‘But, to me, we’ve got to find the right fit for us”.
CLEVELAND (AP) – Seated on the dais next to his new boss, Browns coach Hue Jackson was reminded that owner Jimmy Haslam recently claimed it may take several years to fix his football team.
The Cleveland Browns finalized a contract to hire Hue Jackson as head coach.
After meeting with seven candidates, Cleveland believes it made the right choice in hiring Hue Jackson.
Jackson doesn’t mind the mess. For Hue Jackson, even if he is given free reign and enough time, which seems unlikely in both scenarios, it’s a long-term, up-hill battle. “And boy, what a challenge”.
When Jackson was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011, he ranked Kaepernick as the best quarterback in the draft, which included No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers.
“That’s those coaches”, he said. I’m not anxious about who picks this player, who picks this player.
Jackson had a second interview with the Browns on Tuesday, but also drew interest from the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and New York Giants.
“This is our man”, Haslam told them. Under Jackson, the Bengals went to the post-season in four straight seasons.
“I know everybody is talking about analytics and all those things”. “We’re going to be passionate about what we do and we understand there’s a lot of work involved in order to meet our goals”.
And how about quarterback Johnny Manziel, who Jackson reportedly wants no part of?
Jackson didn’t shy away from Manziel as a topic and didn’t rule him out-at least in public. It only grew louder as Jackson delivered an impromptu speech, promising better days were ahead behind a new leader for a franchise coming off a 3-13 season.
“I think what our fans will be proud of and excited about is we’re going to be a football team that’s going to play very exciting football”, Jackson stated.
Things are looking up in Cleveland! Jackson said he received 142 text messages on his phone and that most were from coaches eager to work for the Browns.
“I know what I can do”. We detailed the potential collapse under way for the Bengals and Jackson’s departure was the first step in the process. The Bengals were among the league’s most exciting offenses – balanced and lethal. For now, that’s Jackson, who has spent 15 seasons coaching in the National Football League, establishing himself as one of the profession’s rising stars.
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was a full participant in practice Wednesday, but coach Pete Carroll cautioned that was no indication whether he would play in the NFC divisional playoff game at Carolina on Sunday….
One of the biggest fears is that the Browns could potentially lose 60 percent of their starting offensive line if Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz leave in free agency and Joe Thomas request a trade.
After he walked into the team’s headquarters for the first time, Jackson was greeted by team employees, who applauded when he laid out his goals during an impromptu speech. We wanted to be innovative and cutting edge on everything we do in this building because, eventually, everybody’s going to be doing what we’re doing’.
Advertisement
While the 8-8 record also tied for the club’s most wins since the 2002 squad lost Super Bowl XXXVII, Jackson was still fired. “That’s what it’s all about”.
