What I think should be next for the Browns head coach position
October 30, 2018Why did they wait?
October 30, 2018The Cleveland Browns pulled the plug on the 3-36-1 campaign of head coach Hue Jackson. While some are reticent to put the win-loss record on the head coach, nor should it solely be the bearing, the fact of the matter is Jackson finished his Browns coaching career with fewer wins than Rob Chudzinski. Some might remember he only lasted 16 games under the watchful eye of owner Jimmy Haslam. In fact, no full-time head coach in the history of the Browns won as few games as Jackson; only interim coaches Terry Robiskie (1-4, 2004), Jim Shofner (1-6, 1990), and Dick Modzelewski (0-1, 1977) have fewer. Only Modzelewski a worse winning percentage than the unbelievable 0.088 Jackson put up.
Yes, that means Chris Palmer was given eight fewer games than Jackson. He still managed to win two more in total despite what is considered by most to have been a rushed expansion franchise unable to compete with any at a professional level upon his hiring. But, tell us again how no one could have done the job that was done.
So, let’s discuss yet another Browns coaching transition. Here we go:
Were the Browns wise to fire head coach Hue Jackson after Week 8 rather than waiting for the bye week or the end of the season?
Bode: The fact there was almost universal support for 2018 being the last year of Jackson as head coach sort of sums it all up. If there was conflict and division in the coaching ranks, then it could have led to animosity among players as they were forced to choose sides. As such, I have no qualms with the firing happening now.
Pat: I don’t think it makes any difference. After Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, it’s safe to say that a playoff berth is impossible at this point given the remaining schedule, so whether Hue Jackson or Gregg Williams guides this burning airplane onto the runway doesn’t matter one bit. In fact, I’m going to say the opposite is true. Giving Hue Jackson and Todd Haley more time as Baker Mayfield’s primary coaches would be a disservice to the young quarterback. He’s better off getting instruction from Freddie Kitchens.
John: In a word, yes. The way things were going, I’m not sure we could afford to wait for the bye week, let alone the offseason. Hue has an established history of behavior when he feels threatened. You can see it looking back at Oakland, or for the entirety of last season, or in the last few weeks leading up to the Rappaport scoop before the game yesterday. In these situations, Hue has shown himself to operate in an underhanded fashion with priority #1 being self-preservation. Believe you me, there was plenty more damage that Hue could have inflicted over the next 9 weeks.
Frank: It was time. Baker is the focal point of everything and I have not seen anything to make me confident that this staff was helping him. Protect my QB1 at all costs!!
Gilbert: Yes, they were wise. I thought they should have done it last week. It was way past time to let him go, so doing it now is fine.
Poloha: Should have happened before the season. The sooner, the better. So yes, Week 8 was better than the bye week.
Gerbs: It needed to happen. The reports of dissension, that some players will not shed a tear that Jackson is gone, are totally unsurprising, and while I’m not fully “give the players what they want”, it goes to show that the leg Jackson was standing on (being a players coach) was wobbly at best.
Were the Browns wise to also fire offensive coordinator Todd Haley alongside Jackson?
Bode: The reports are coming out that Haley was running the offense himself and refusing input from others. It is difficult to determine what is true, half-true, and utterly false, but it certainly would be a bad indicator is so. The Carlos Hyde trade seemed to be the tipping point for when the conflict went from behind closed doors in Berea into the public sphere. If Haley refused to play Nick Chubb despite his obvious talent, then I’m fine with giving someone else a go.
Pat: Absolutely, yes they were. This offense was the creation of Todd Haley with what appeared to be very minimal input from Hue Jackson. Their inability to score after turnovers and their inability to score early in the game are both issues that Todd Haley was unable to fix. How many times per game were we left there to scratch our heads and try to understand the play call? I can’t help but think of how calm and in-control Baker Mayfield was after relieving Tyrod Taylor in the Jets game. Fast forward to yesterday’s debacle and he looked completely lost. I put that mostly on Todd Haley.
John: It’s hard for me to say given that I don’t have clear cut reasons as to why they made this decision beyond the poor performance of the Offense. I can point to the RB usage, objectively poor down/distance play calling, or just the poorly conceived offense given the personnel, but I’m not convinced that any of those are ultimately what lead the Browns to fire him after only 8 games on the job. In my mind, he must have been a willing and equal contributor to the toxic atmosphere that has been rumored to exist between himself and Hue. If that was the case I can’t call a move like this unwise.
Frank: When I firmly believe I can call better plays than the OC its a very big problem. Enough said.
Gilbert: The Browns wanted to cut all the dysfunction out of the coaching staff, so Jackson and Haley were the ones to go. I think it was wise to not choose a side, but rather rid the organization of all the sides of the mess in the coaching room.
Poloha: He all but certainly wouldn’t have been back in 2019 with the new coaching staff, so why not? Something tells me that the front office and Haley didn’t quite get along, which led to him being let go soon after Jackson was.
Gerbs: When the inability to get the best players on the field reached the tipping point of having to trade away a player so Haley wouldn’t play him, it became obvious that change needed to be made. I do think that Haley is and can be a good coach, but there were too many quirky things from the first half of this season that didn’t make a lick of sense, and with Jackson gone, whatever small amount of cover he provided for Haley was gone too.
Have the firings altered your expectations for the remainder of 2018?
Bode: I had expected four wins in total for 2018 before the season. I expect four wins in total for 2018 after this firing. From that standpoint, the expectations do not change. I hope there is a bit of creativity and playfulness injected into the offense, but there is a chance things do get worse. Having Gregg Williams at head coach is a bit of an unknown given he was last a head coach in 2003.
Pat: Not at all. Gregg Williams has been a horrible head coach in the past and I expect no different with the Browns. Freddie Kitchens is a first-time offensive coordinator who never struck me as someone who excels with the X’s and O’s of the game. There may be a couple more wins ahead for this team, but I wouldn’t bet on any more than that.
John: Ha! Certainly not in the wins and losses columns. Problems like the Offensive Tackles being sieves and out-of-whack snap counts on the Defensive line will likely remain foundation cracks for the remainder of the year (though moving Bitonio back outside to protect Bakers blindside may be a worthwhile stop-gap) and the schedule isn’t letting up from here. This is a lost season that is now about getting as much positive development as you can while not jeopardizing the long-term health of any of these players. As long as they can manage that, this roster will be a positive selling point as they start putting feelers out for coaching candidates in 2019.
Frank: Yes! But I am a crazy fan who grasps at every straw and desperately looks for any reason to watch on Sunday.
Gilbert: For the remainder of the season, I have more excitement for what the offense will look like. The Browns will have a new play caller and vision on offense under Kitchens and Williams. It has brought more intrigue to the season. But, for now, I have no expectations until I see what the new coaching dynamic shows.
Poloha: While I want the young players to continue to develop, after watching the game at Pittsburgh, needing Baker Mayfield to stay healthy the rest of the season is vitally important. He can’t get hit as much as he did against the Steelers or else he won’t survive the season.
Gerbs: I mean I still don’t expect any kind of a playoff run, but I do think we could see a win or two more than expected. I came into the season expecting 4-5 wins, hoping for more, and we are in line for the former, any hope of the latter is gone.
Is there any chance Gregg Williams pulls a Kansas City Romeo Crennel and wins just enough to secure himself the head coach job for 2019?
Bode: Please, no. We do not need an Eric Mangini style winning streak to end the season leading to a temporary marriage before another head coach is fired after a short-term basis. I do not want to believe this is possible.
Pat: Never say never with Jimmy Haslam as the owner. I can easily see that happening, although I don’t think we’re lucky enough to win those games as Browns fans. Apparently, every one of us has done something utterly unforgivable and we are all paying for those mistakes with our Browns fandom. This season was supposed to be fun and care-free. Instead, it feels like the usual slog to 3 or 4 wins.
John: Given the way that these firings went down as well as when they went down, I don’t get the sense that this is a tryout situation for Gregg Williams. As I said above, there are still deep-rooted issues that don’t have obvious in-season answers which makes that type of run unlikely given the schedule. And to be frank, with the front office spending the next 9 weeks thoroughly exploring every possible candidate, it’s hard to imagine Gregg making the final list when it’s all said and done.
Frank: I want them to win but I don’t want them to win that bad. We need a fresh start.
Gilbert: I don’t think so, and god I hope not. Gregg Williams is not a head coach. He is barely a good enough defensive coordinator. He has his big flaws as a coordinator, so I don’t think the move to the permanent head coach is in the cards. He is just not qualified to be a head coach. I could not imagine the Browns choosing Williams as the coach. I think John Dorsey will want a new coach from the outside.
Poloha: I hope not. Browns need a fresh start…again.
Gerbs: Uh no. Williams is a placeholder, even as the defensive coordinator, and there is little to no hope in his mind that he will be the head coach here.
If the current coaching staff is cleaned out, then what type — not necessarily name — of coach do you hope the Browns pursue?
Bode: Innovation and creativity should be at the top of the list from someone with strong leadership qualities. Much easier to create the click-box items than it is to find an individual who can employ them, so I will be open to evaluating the coaches Haslam and Dorsey bring in.
Pat: I would like a head coach and coordinators who are watching what other teams in the NFL are doing and trying to incorporate the latest concepts that fit with our roster. I’m tired of promises that the offense and the defense will be adapted to the personnel when clearly that is not the case. Would it have been so terrible to incorporate a number of Baker Mayfield’s college plays into the offense and then run them with some regularity? I want coaches who are open to that.
John: A young and innovative Offensive Coordinator/Head Coach is the archetype I would target. For the foreseeable future, innovative Offense will be the road to winning in the NFL. The rules just aren’t set up for defensive coaches to gain any substantial edge on Sundays, and even having a creative young OC under a defensive-minded HC is just a hop, skip, and a jump from losing that coordinator to a head coaching opportunity with another team.
Gilbert: I want a young innovative offensive mind in the mold of a Sean McVay. I want someone who will use Baker Mayfield’s mind and skill set in a unique and innovative way. I don’t want a retread as head coach.
Poloha: A young, smart mind that will bring a whole new mindset and type of football to Cleveland. McVay-esque. The Browns and the city need it badly. If they can get a young, creative mind that knows how to win games and have fun while doing so, along with a few good coordinators as well.
Gerbs: As many have said, since the NFL is a copycat league and the LA Rams are the only undefeated team, we need a McVay type coach. Someone who can innovate as well as grow into being a Coach of the Year type.
If you could have your choice of any coach who might reasonably be hired by the Browns, then who would it be?
Bode: First, let’s all agree that if Jeff Fisher’s name is mentioned, we literally storm Berea with torches and pitchforks. Torchforks are an acceptable option, but they are pricey. OK. Now that point of business is out of the way, my favorite option based on the working history with Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay alongside some glowing commentary from both would be present Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator, Matt LaFleur.
Pat: Oh boy, this is a tough question. I believe I’ll go with John DeFilippo. It’s tough to say how an offensive coordinator will translate into the head coaching role, but from what I’ve seen this guy has the personality and tactical smarts for the job. I don’t expect him to call a draw play on third down with three yards to go.
John: Lincoln Riley, HC/OC of the Oklahoma Sooners. I’m not saying there wouldn’t be risk involved, and you could argue that a guy like John DeFilippo is a safer, more experienced choice that still fits the mold I’m looking for. But Lincoln is doing some incredibly innovative things with his offense at Oklahoma, so much so that NFL coaches flocked to Norman this offseason to see if they could take some of that magic back with them and apply it in the NFL. Baker was quoted in multiple places saying in many of his interviews leading up to the draft, teams seemed more interested in him breaking down Riley’s offense than anything else. Having coached Baker for three seasons at Oklahoma, there would be no possibility of a poor match between the new HC and the Quarterback chosen in the draft a year before that coach arrived. So that’s where I’m putting my chips if I’m the Haslam’s or John Dorsey.
Frank: I don’t have a name. Somebody innovative brilliant and likable. No retreads, please. Or throw Sean McVay Gruden money and see if he bites. I would be a happy man. And that was a fun dream.
Gilbert: Lincoln Riley is my dream hire. I think the fact that Baker Mayfield is the Browns quarterback makes this a reasonable hire. Riley’s innovative offense is so enticing for me and I would love to pair him up again with Mayfield. I believe this is not out of the question.
Poloha: Lincoln Riley, please.
Gerbs: If he is indeed on the hot seat in San Francisco, Kyle Shanahan is an interesting name to me, but inevitably I’ll follow the lead here and beg for Lincoln Riley. He fits all the criteria, ticks all the boxes on what Cleveland fans would want, and obviously works well with Mayfield. Signed sealed delivered.