Growing up, my parents always told me that actions speak louder than words. “Don’t talk about, be about it” is something I was told many times, reminded that putting on a front to avoid scrutiny would only get you into deeper waters in the long run.
It appears Browns Head Coach Hue Jackson was never taught that lesson.
As the 2016 campaign kept on miserably trucking forward, Jackson kept on talking about how losing sucks and that the team needed to get better and would do that ton ensure victories in the near future. After a dreadful first season with the Browns, Jackson sat up in front of reporters before the start of this season and told everyone that “he’d be swimming in the lake” if the Browns once again went 1-15 in 2017.
Start swimming, Hue.
At best, the Browns can finish the year at 1-15. They could be even worse after next week’s season finale against Pittsburgh. After the disheartening and uninspired effort by Cleveland in their 20-3 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, they hit the road to the Steel City with a very real possibility of leaving the state of Pennsylvania with the infamously historic record of 0-16.
So tell me again how this isn’t Hue’s fault?
He has preached on and on again about how they need the right amount of talent on offense for him to work them into a successful side of the football. Well, he screwed that up himself and it goes beyond the obvious blunders at the quarterback position.
Sure, making terrible scouting reads on Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, and Deshaun Watson is extremely bad and unforgivable. But how about some of the other gaffes? Jackson and company missed chances to draft Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Thomas, Jordan Howard, and Tyreek Hill in 2016. They followed that up with avoiding O.J. Howard, Evan Engram, Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Alvin Kamara, Cooper Kupp, and Kareem Hunt. How do you explain missing out on that much talent staring you dead in the face?
Draft aside, Hue has made the call to bring in Robert Griffin III, Charlie Whitehurst, and Brock Osweiler to lead the franchise. None of them are with the team anymore and together scored a combined three regular season touchdowns. Add those names to the three rookies Jackson brought in during 2016 to failed attempts at rummaging through second-rate talent in hopes of finding a franchise quarterback or at the very least, a guy that could hold the fort down for a few seasons.
Instead, the Browns are now on the clock again for their second-straight top overall pick and will more than likely invest in another quarterback. After neglecting the position in the first round with their “quarterback guru” for two drafts now, surely they wouldn’t avoid the top talent at the signal-caller position for a third consecutive year.
Or would they?
2017 was another embarrassing year in which Jackson and the Browns front office, which is now run by John Dorsey after Sashi Brown got booted out, failed to nail the obvious draft selections and coached their way out of games more often than not. That cannot happen in 2018. Heck, it can’t happen next week.
Otherwise, the newest renovation inside Berea will be removing all of Hue Jackson’s belongings out of his office and taking off his nameplate by his office door.
Merry Christmas, Browns fans.
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