Two years ago when Hue Jackson took the opening to become the Cleveland Browns next head coach, the vibe in the air felt different. This wasn’t a rushed hiring that felt as if the Browns were just hiring someone to fill the void. It also wasn’t the Browns’ second or third option. No, this was the Browns first choice and they were able to get their guy after weighing all of their options in a very methodical coaching search.
Hue Jackson was here and you were excited. We all were excited.
Now sitting in a 0-4 hole for the second year in a row, fans are growing skeptical of Jackson. Every move he makes is under thousands of microscopes waiting to call him out on a flaw that could cost Cleveland another chance at a victory. They look for a play in the third quarter that Jackson called that didn’t go to plan. They look for a challenged play that doesn’t go the Browns’ way and costs the team a timeout they’ll eventually need later. Even when they can’t find something, they blame that on Hue Jackson.
Some of it is warranted. Jackson is 1-19 as head coach of the Browns, his only win coming on a down-to-the-wire game against a half-hearted San Diego Chargers team that had already mailed it in for the year. And let’s face it, the losses aren’t pretty. Ten of the fifteen losses last year were by double digits. That’s a recipe for a short time in Cleveland.
Now obviously, this isn’t all Hue Jackson’s fault. The team was put back talent-wise five different times and Jackson had to develop talent while discarding of the bad eggs. He sits with a team that currently has no veterans to teach the young players and that is obviously played into him struggling so far.
At the end of the day though, Jackson is going to have to win football games to stay in charge in Cleveland.
Let’s face the facts here. When’s the last time a coach kept his job after having two miserable seasons? It’s a possibillity that Jackson could have less than five wins again this season based on the current trend of the team. And right now, it’s not looking too good for Jackson’s job security. Jimmy Haslam is far from patient and though he talks of patience and the ability to slowly improve, he also stood in front of reporters after last season and said he refuses to continue losing. Haslam was visibly irate and his wife Dee will only be able to corral him and keep him from making a poor judgement call for so long.
With the Jets looming this Sunday, it could be the best chance for a Cleveland victory. If not, things could get messy for Hue.
“I’m not feeling like this next year. No way. I don’t lose many fights. I’ve never lost many fights.”
Those words came from Hue Jackson after the Browns dropped to 0-12 last year. Well right now, the Browns are down on the scorecards and might be searching for a knockout to secure Hue’s job for next season.
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