Hue Jackson taking unnecessary risk by not hiring OC
By Craig Lyndall
In 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 in 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 simply point to Shurmur’s run as head coach of the Browns and as a first-year play caller as a reason Jackson shouldn’t call his own plays. Jackson is not Shurmur. Jackson is in his second NFL head coaching gig as opposed to his first. Jackson has a great amount of experience under many coaches, but he’s not easily identified as being a specific branch of some specific coaching tree from a specific system. Where Shurmur was trying to do his best Mike Holmgren impression, Jackson seems to be 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 Johnson, Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco. Even when Shurmur was associated with Donovan McNabb and Sam Bradford, he was always overshadowed by his coaching lineage. So the differences between Shurmur and Jackson seem to be too numerous to provide meaningful comparison. Even absent that comparison, I think the decision for Jackson to call his own plays is potentially problematic.
Some might argue 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 a solid strategy. I can’t argue with that line of thinking except that, in terms of talent acquisition, the Browns knowingly limited their ability to attract experienced offensive coaches to coach with Jackson by doing so. 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 might 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 (i.e. Jimmy Haslam’s money spends nicely.). I think, 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 Shurmur to call his own plays. This isn’t about being correct about Shurmur, because as I stated you really shouldn’t 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. If there’s one thing we know about covering the Browns, it’s that you don’t want to appear to be unnecessarily handicapping yourself, especially while acknowledging a rebuilding process. It also looks a bit 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 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. 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 almost no doubt this team won’t go unscathed in the off-season. Maybe the Browns decide to trade for value with 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 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 negatively. This decision by Jackson to limit the Browns’ offensive coordinator position – presumably 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 maybe it’s not the best overall strategy.
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