Former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson doesn’t want to be remembered for his time in Cleveland.
Jackson was fired after an abysmal tenure with the Browns. He went 3-36-1 running the Browns, and was fired before finishing his third season. Despite that, he doesn’t want people to define him by that performance. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
“My coaching record over 32 years speaks for itself. I don’t think 2½ years at Cleveland should tarnish my whole career but at the same time people have to know that you are out there and are willing and able to work,” Jackson told the Associated Press.
I’m actually mildly sympathetic to Jackson’s position and opinion. Nobody really succeeds in Cleveland. The Browns have had several coaches over the past few years, and they’ve all bombed.
Jackson had Deshone Kizer starting at quarterback for an entire season. How many games would you expect anybody to win in that situation?
The answer isn’t many at all.
The Browns just aren’t built for success. That’s just the truth of the matter, and they haven’t exactly been great without Jackson.
Have they been a little better? Sure, but they’re far from impressive.
At the same time, he certainly played a large role in the team’s failures. After all, he was the head coach. The buck has to stop with him.
Jackson can’t just give up all the responsibility of a 3-36-1 record. That’s not how it works when you’re getting paid millions of dollars.
Either way, I think it’s absolutely fair to say the Browns being a joke isn’t entirely his fault.