Thomas has been the subject of trade rumors in recent years, while Thomas himself stated after Week 17 that the season might’ve been his last in Cleveland.
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Jackson plans to win with the Browns, no matter the work it will take and the challenges the organization faces. “He embodies all the qualities that will provide strong leadership for our football team”.
“I’m looking forward to representing the Cleveland Browns and helping this organization get to where we know it should be”, Jackson said.
And after seven interviews with seven different candidates – some of whom Jimmy Haslam said he expects to soon land head coaching jobs – it was clear Jackson stood out from the rest.
Jackson came back to Cincinnati, where he spent the 2012 season coaching a defensive back group that included former first-round picks Adam Jones, Leon Hall, Terence Newman and Dre Kirkpatrick. “He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s confident, he’s competitive, he’s been a head coach before”.
But before Jackson had a chance to speak with another team, Haslam, who skipped the owner’s meetings in Houston to focus on finding his coach, decided during a meeting with him in Cincinnati on Tuesday that he was done talking to candidates. But the fact that he would be willing to take a job in the shadow of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam when he might have been able to land one elsewhere makes you wonder about his judgment.
Jackson has to quickly assemble a coaching staff, and as Haslam looks for a GM who will acquire talent, there will be other decisions.
Jackson had an 8-8 record in his only season as head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011.
“I’ve been in the AFC North. I kind of know the lay of the land and I know where we and where we’re trying to go”, Jackson said. Jackson also had interviewed with the 49ers and was scheduled to meet later this week with the Giants, but Haslam was not going to be outbid for a coach he coveted. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) FILE – This Jan. 9, 2016 file photo shows Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson before an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cincinnati.
It’s possible that those who will lead the Browns from dysfunction to relevance are Jackson, DePodesta, Brown and Haslam.
The hiring of Jackson likely means the end of Johnny Manziel in Cleveland. We detailed the potential collapse under way for the Bengals and Jackson’s departure was the first step in the process.
“I need to get in this building and have an opportunity to sit down and watch tape”, Jackson said at his introductory press conference in Berea, Ohio, Wednesday night.
If Hue Jackson can finally make a victor out of the Cleveland Browns, then he will be considered a legend. He’s just the third Browns coach since they were founded in 1946 to be hired with previous National Football League head coaching experience, joining Nick Skorich (1971) and Eric Mangini (2009).
“My thing is to get us to the game ready to play, motivated, fired up, enthusiastic and have an opportunity to win”.
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The incessant text messages featuring coaches clamoring for a job in Cleveland weren’t the only endorsements of Jackson on Wednesday.
