Hue Jackson chuckled when asked about speculation he would not be back as the Cleveland Browns coach in 2018, and the rumors continue despite the owner's promise Jackson will return.
“That’s not the feeling I get at all,” Jackson said Monday in a conference call.
Jackson said he simply takes Jimmy Haslam’s word that he will return.
“You got to trust in what he says,” Jackson said of Haslam. “I know I do. I don’t see it any other way, personally, myself. I think what he said is what he meant. That’s what I believe, and that’s what I know.”
What Haslam said was that Jackson “absolutely” would be back in 2018 regardless of how the Browns finish. And that wasn't all.
“I think it would be a mistake to just zero in on ’18,” Haslam said the day he introduced John Dorsey as the new general manager. “We are planning on Hue Jackson being our football coach for a long time and he and John working closely together for a long time.”
Monday’s speculation came in part from ProFootballTalk.com, which reported Sunday night that the “persistent sense in league circles” is that Dorsey will convince Haslam to let him hire a coach.
“I think it’s funny that you guys comment on that kind of stuff.” Jackson said.
The chatter is partly a result of Jackson’s 1-15 record in 2016 and 0-13 mark this season. It’s also a result of the constant change that has taken place with Haslam as the owner, and the arranged marriages between coach and front office that did not work.
Haslam arranged for Rob Chudzinski and Mike Lombardi to work together, and it lasted a year. Then he arranged the marriage with Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer; it lasted two years. The marriage of Sashi Brown and Jackson ended when Brown was let go after less than two years.
It's no wonder that people question if “absolutely” truly means “absolutely.” regarding Haslam arranging for Dorsey to work with Jackson.
Dorsey has given no indication he doesn’t want it to work, or that it won’t. He was on the field before the game and in the locker room after.
“We don’t know each other very well, but we have begun to establish that relationship, and I know just being around him briefly, the time that I have been around him, I’m excited,” Dorsey said last week. “Plus the people that I know and he knows, all of the people I talk to about Hue, they love Hue. They say, ‘You two guys are going to work wonderfully together.’ I’m excited about that. I can’t wait.”
Dorsey admitted to making calls about Jackson before he took the job, but said that’s just a normal thing any new personnel guy would do.
“I like him as a man,” Dorsey said of Jackson. “To me, I like him as a man. I like his overall offensive schematic stuff. I think that is kind of cool. I just like the way the team plays. They play hard, and I like a team that plays hard.”
It also does not seem to be his style to come in and immediately make changes.
“You do not want to come in here and be the guy that blows everything up automatically,” Dorsey said “You just can’t do that. To me, that is just not how you do business.”
He was talking about the scouting and personnel department, but the principle applies. One of the benefits of him taking the job now is the had a month to view the team and players live. Monday morning, he and Jackson met to discuss the loss, and the future.
Jackson said the meeting was not garden variety.
“It was much different,” he said. “We got together early and really talked through the game and just continued [the] dialogue on what we need to continue to do better to get the team better and how we see the football team as we continue to move forward.”
“I can’t tell you for sure that these two guys will work well together,” Haslam said, “but I will say this, I am highly optimistic given their backgrounds and skillsets that John and Hue will work well together.”
With John Dorsey as Cleveland's new general manager, changes may be coming soon. But Hue Jackson isn't worried about his job security.
Hue Jackson chuckled when asked about speculation he would not be back as the Cleveland Browns coach in 2018 and the rumors continue despite the owner's promise Jackson will return That’s not the feeling I get at all Jackson said Monday in a conference call Jackson said he simply takes Jimmy Haslam’s word that he will return You got to trust in what he says Jackson said of Haslam I know I do I don’t see it any other way personally myself I think what he said is what he meant That’s what I believe and that’s what I know What Haslam said was that Jackson absolutely would be back in 2018 regardless of how the Browns finish And that wasn't all I think it would be a mistake to just zero in on ’18 Haslam said the day he introduced John Dorsey as the new general manager We are planning on Hue Jackson being our football coach for a long time and he and John working closely together for a long time Monday’s speculation came in part from ProFootballTalk.com which reported Sunday night that the persistent sense in league circles is that Dorsey will convince Haslam to let him hire a coach I think it’s funny that you guys comment on that kind of stuff Jackson said The chatter is partly a result of Jackson’s 1-15 record in 2016 and 0-13 mark this season It’s also a result of the constant change that has taken place with Haslam as the owner and the arranged marriages between coach and front office that did not work Haslam arranged for Rob Chudzinski and Mike Lombardi to work together and it lasted a year Then he arranged the marriage with Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer it lasted two years The marriage of Sashi Brown and Jackson ended when Brown was let go after less than two years It's no wonder that people question if absolutely truly means absolutely regarding Haslam arranging for Dorsey to work with Jackson Dorsey has given no indication he doesn’t want it to work or that it won’t He was on the field before the game and in the locker room after We don’t know each other very well but we have begun to establish that relationship and I know just being around him briefly the time that I have been around him I’m excited Dorsey said last week Plus the people that I know and he knows all of the people I talk to about Hue they love Hue They say You two guys are going to work wonderfully together I’m excited about that I can’t wait Dorsey admitted to making calls about Jackson before he took the job but said that’s just a normal thing any new personnel guy would do I like him as a man Dorsey said of Jackson To me I like him as a man I like his overall offensive schematic stuff I think that is kind of cool I just like the way the team plays They play hard and I like a team that plays hard It also does not seem to be his style to come in and immediately make changes You do not want to come in here and be the guy that blows everything up automatically Dorsey said You just can’t do that To me that is just not how you do business He was talking about the scouting and personnel department but the principle applies One of the benefits of him taking the job now is the had a month to view the team and players live Monday morning he and Jackson met to discuss the loss and the future Jackson said the meeting was not garden variety It was much different he said We got together early and really talked through the game and just continued the dialogue on what we need to continue to do better to get the team better and how we see the football team as we continue to move forward I can’t tell you for sure that these two guys will work well together Haslam said but I will say this I am highly optimistic given their backgrounds and skillsets that John and Hue will work well together