Pettine had Manziel forced on him by owner Jimmy Haslam but still, he was sacked after the Browns to a step back in his second year with the whistle. A person familiar with the decision says the Browns are hiring Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson as their next coach.
Advertisement
Packers get Shields back • Starting cornerback Sam Shields has returned to practice with the Packers, as the team is preparing for a playoff game Saturday against the Cardinals. I’ve been in two of these organizations in the AFC North, I’ve been in Cincinnati and Baltimore, and I can tell you first hand, there’s nothing like the feeling of walking through these doors, nothing.
Jackson most recently remade himself as an assistant under Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati.
“We’re chasing greatness”, he said.
And while the new look and talk of advanced analytics has some Browns fans skeptical about Haslam’s direction, Jackson is excited about the new group he’ll be working with. “But I think it’s a great place to start as a new head coach because you have a chance to get a great player”.
“We took Monday to regroup and kind of process where we were and decided it was important for Hue and important for us to touch base one more time”.
Jackson will have the authority to pick his own coaching staff. “With Hue coming on board, being able to get the maximum amount of potential out of each player is what I know is going to happen because he was able to do it with me”.
Sports on the news that Cleveland has found its new head coach.
“I’m going to attract some good coaches and some great coaches, but to me we’ve got to find the right fit for us”, he said.
Haslam had his second meeting with Jackson on Wednesday in Cincinnati, and after excusing the well-liked coach from the room, Cleveland’s owner turned to two of his executives and announced they were done looking.
Jackson told NFL.com that he chose the Browns because, “They made me feel comfortable”.
Hue Jackson might also be without his two best offensive linemen, as offensive tackle Joe Thomas and center Alex Mack are both leaning towards finding a new home in the National Football League soon. They’ll eventually (presumably) add another, if/when they ever hire a new General Manager.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that before in my life”, Jackson said.
It’s been a tough year for those who root for the orange and brown.
Armed with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 National Football League draft, Jackson and the front office may want to take a flier on a signal-caller such as California’s Jared Goff. He stayed in Cleveland to finalize the deal with Jackson, according to reports. “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”.
Advertisement
His first three shots at an offensive coordinator job were one-year stints for outgoing head coaches: 2003, Steve Spurrier’s final year in Washington; 2007, Bobby Petrino’s aborted tenure in Atlanta; and then 2010 in Oakland, where he held play-calling duties for the first time before replacing Tom Cable as head coach the following season.
