Matthew Dellavedova voted dirtiest player in NBA
January 18, 2016Buckeyes Roundball Roundup: Dominated Rutgers, Trounced in Maryland
January 18, 2016In fairness to Hue Jackson and everyone else currently involved with the Cleveland Browns, we’ve seen it all. And, we’ve seen all of it fail often in spectacular fashion. We’ve seen Phil Savage and Butch Davis engage in power struggles. We’ve seen defensive-minded head coaches such as Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and Mike Pettine. We’ve seen offensive-minded head coaches such as Rob Chudzinski and Pat Shurmur. We’ve seen experienced coaching staffs with veteran coordinators Norv Turner and Brad Childress, and we’ve seen Maurice Carthon and Jim O’Neill fail their on-the-job training. We might just see Ray Horton again, but that’s another kind of conflict. The point is that if fixing the Browns was about trying a certain kind of archetype the team wouldn’t have the recent history that they have mired in since 1999. It’s with that in mind that I attack the idea of Hue Jackson coming to Cleveland and deciding to call his own plays.
Nobody should point to Pat Shurmur’s run as head coach of the Cleveland Browns and as a first-year play caller as a reason Hue Jackson shouldn’t call his own plays. Hue Jackson is not Pat Shurmur. Hue Jackson is on his second NFL head coaching gig as opposed to his first. Hue Jackson has a great amount of experience under many coaches, but he’s not identified as being a specific branch of some specific coaching tree from a specific system. Where Pat Shurmur was trying to do his best Mike Holmgren impression, Hue Jackson is his own man. He’s worked with Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, Marvin Lewis, and John Harbaugh. His offenses have featured productive players at quarterback, running back, and receiver. Stephen Davis, Chad Ochocinco Johnson, Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco. Even when Pat Shurmur was associated with Donovan McNabb and Sam Bradford, he was always overshadowed by his coaching lineage. So, the differences between Pat Shurmur and Hue Jackson are too numerous to provide meaningful comparison. Even absent that comparison, the decision for Jackson to call his own plays is problematic.
One plausible argument is taking another person out of the communication equation – like an offensive coordinator – and just going to the horse’s mouth while the Browns install Jackson’s offense is solid strategy. That works on the surface, but it also limits the Browns in their ability to attract experienced offensive coaches to coach with Jackson. Calling plays is in the job description for anyone who has serious aspirations for job advancement in the NFL. A non-play-calling offensive coordinator position can be a desirable upgrade for an offensive line coach or a quarterbacks coach. I’m sure there are many talented coaches in those ranks that would be willing to take an upgrade in position without the full complement of coordinator duties if the correct number is on the check (i.e. Jimmy Haslam’s money spends nicely.). Regardless, it’s reasonable to worry that this approach is a handicap to assembling the best possible coaching staff.
I thought it was a mistake when Mike Holmgren allowed Pat Shurmur to call his own plays. This isn’t about being correct about Shurmur because as I stated you cannot use a failed Shurmur experience as typical of the experience of a head coach calling his own plays. The point is that I thought that decision introduced unnecessary levels of risk for second-guessing. Whether or not it is a handicap, it appears to be one. If there’s one thing we know about covering the Browns, it’s that you don’t want to appear to be handicapping yourself, while acknowledging a rebuilding process. It also looks too self-assured for a coach to come in and call plays when so many other teams have decided it’s best to divide those duties.
There’s been a lot of celebration over the hire of Hue Jackson among the fan base. I can understand it to some extent because the Browns targeted their guy and appear to have succeeded in getting that guy. NFL insiders and people around the league are applauding the move. It all feels so very good…for now. However, just wait until those painful moments start to come, and you know they’re coming.
Even if the Browns are able to keep some of their upcoming free agents like Mitchell Schwartz, Tashaun Gipson, and Travis Benjamin, there’s little doubt this team won’t go unscathed in the off-season. Maybe the Browns decide to trade for value on guys like Joe Thomas or even Joe Haden. I haven’t even considered the idea that Alex Mack is going to stick around. Those things aren’t the fault of the Browns employees who are in charge today, but they’ll have to deal with the fallout.
What does this have to do with Hue Jackson calling his own plays? Like so many things that happen in and around the Browns as they lose games and try to make their way back to respectability, we’re left with the perception on top of actual results. Considering the inevitability of some negativity, the Browns should do what they can to avoid things that could be viewed that way. This decision by Hue Jackson to limit the Browns’ offensive coordinator position – signed-off by Sashi Brown, Paul DePodesta and Jimmy Haslam – feels like an unnecessary downside risk to assembling the best possible staff.
The Browns, the fans, and the media will be lucky if it’s just a perception issue and not an actual one. When that’s the best case scenario, then it’s not the best overall strategy.
61 Comments
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Ugh Shurmur memories. I’m ok with Jackson doing it. He has the credibility.
I’m definitely sympathetic to this argument, but I’m not sure it’s entirely true here… what if the Browns are viewed badly by the rest of the league etc, so they don’t know if they can attract the right kind of talent to really complement the offensive staff, so they’d prefer to get someone who is younger and less experienced to come up under Jackson’s wing, with the lure of if he does well they’ll hand off playcalling duties to him. Additionally, they might think that candidates would be turned off by having to be offensive coordinator in a difficult situation under a coach who has strong feelings about what they should be calling making it harder to get the right person for the job. Finally, the argument might cut the other way for the defensive coordinator. If the defensive coordinator knows that Jackson’s going to be focusing on O, they know they’ll have more responsibility for the D and it will be viewed that way by the rest of the league, making it more likely for them to get a promotion if they do well-so the idea of Jackson playing to his strengths by focusing on O making it easier to find the best person for the job on D makes some sense to me.
Based on your tone I am betting… Joe Banner?
Less cooks in the kitchen….I like it.
If it fails miserably – less people to fire too.
We are paying enough people as it is, probably still paying Chud, heck we might still be paying DA and Brady Quinn – lol.
How long are we gonna be paying DeFillipo now to work somewhere else?
I like Hue, seems like just what we needed…a coach with balls.
I suspect part of the issue may be the fact that the Browns aren’t allowed to interview anyone Hue wants as an OC.
sloth (holmgren)
Also, like Hue said, it’s what got him here. If he shows up, and tries to cram his system down a puppets throat, and he screws it up, then Hue looks like another failure at implementing his system. If he is calling the plays, and heavily involved in the offense, and it fails, then he plain sucks at his job and can call the mulligan and hire a respected OC to run their famous system. I can see it both ways, I am hoping that it works out that the new DC, Horton?, will have a firm grasp of their job and allow Hue to have his eyes less on D and more on O….
Crazy?
And if he is calling plays, it will actually look like he is watching the same game we are… might even grimace, or throw out a “dang it” occasionally. There has literally been no HC here in the last forever, with a pulse on the sidelines… WTH is that all about?
Ya’ll RANG??
http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2016/1/19/10794292/browns-reportedly-bringing-al-saunders-aboard-as-senior-offensive
I like it. You bring Saunders in to be the EYE IN THE SKY. He,s got his pass and run CoOrdinators on the sidelines..Hue runs the Offense plain simple and direct. Now getting the right guy on the defensive side thats the key