Jackson will take patient approach with WR Gordon
Coach won’t rush into any judgements after GQ article.
Browns coach Hue BEREA —
Jackson doesn’t think Josh Gordon is trying to talk his way out of Cleveland, and he’s not scared off by Gordon’s admission in a GQ article that he’s never played a game sober.
“I don’t think he’s trying to do that,” said Jackson. “I do need to feel comfortable that he’s not. If he’s coming back to play football, he knows he needs to play football here. There’s no other place that he can do what he needs to do in the National Football League as far as playing.
“It’s right here. Let’s see where we are. Let’s have this conversation about him a few days from now after he’s been here and been in the building and we’ve had a chance to talk to him and see where he is and go from there.”
Jackson said Gordon’s comments to GQ, in which he said right before he was conditionally reinstated he’s used drugs or alcohol before every college and NFL game, will not change the team’s feeling about giving him another chance. He also discussed how he’s been harassed by Cleveland fans, and seemed to take a dim view of them.
“Again, that’s about the past,” Jackson said.
Bad bet: Unless you are receiving trillion-to-1 odds, avoid betting even the price of a cheese sandwich the Browns can finish at .500 for 2017.
To do so, they would have to win eight straight games.
The Browns’ longest winning streak in the past 45 years was six (1972). The longest winning streak of the expansion era was four games to finish Eric Mangini’s 2009 season (and save his job for one more year).
The next longest win streaks since 1999 were three-gamers in 2014 (Mike Pettine), 2013 (Rob Chudzinski), 2012 (Pat Shurmur), 2007 (Romeo Crennel) and 2001 (Butch Davis).
The Browns are 9½-point underdogs at Detroit on Sunday.
The real competition: The Browns’ main competitors for the No. 1 overall draft pick are from the NFC.
San Francisco (0-9) has games left against the Giants, Seahawks, Bears, Texans, Titans, Jaguars and Rams.
The New York Giants (1-7) have remaining games against the 49ers, Chiefs, Redskins, Raiders, Cowboys, Eagles, Cardinals and Redskins.
So, that makes Giants at 49ers Sunday a ... big game?
Drango in place: Spencer Drango will remain at left tackle for the foreseeable future. Jackson said left guard Joel Bitonio and right tackle Shon Coleman are part of the backup plan. Keeping them where they are avoids the “double move” offensive line coaches hate.