Hue Jackson seeks relief
Browns coach going home to L.A. with a 1-26 record.
Browns players have asked coach Hue Jackson this week if it’ll be nice for him to have a homecoming game in Los Angeles.
The answer is part of a harsh reality, though. Jackson is embarrassed to bring a historically bad record of 1-26 to his old stomping grounds.
“That’s not what I want to take to L.A., but that’s what we are going to take to L.A.,” Jackson said. “So that’s not fun.
“We’re trying to get to the other side of the ledger, but we’re going to go there with that intent. We’re going to go there and play our tails off and play as well as we have all year. That’s the goal.”
If the Browns (0-11) lose today to the Los Angeles Chargers (5-6), Jackson will fall to 1-27 and set a record for the worst start with a team by any head coach in NFL history. With a 30-16 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals this past weekend, Jackson tied coach John McKay. McKay went 0-26 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976-77 before winning two games in a row.
A loss would also move the Browns one step closer toward joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL teams to finish a season 0-16. Analytics website numberFire.com gives the Browns a 25.44 percent chance to do it.
The players want to avoid what would be humiliating history and win for Jackson.
“He’s definitely part of [our motivation to win],” wide receiver Corey Coleman said. “He’s unbelievable, and I’m happy to have him as a head coach.”
“I want to win for Hue,” running back Isaiah Crowell
said. “Since he’s been here, it hasn’t been the best, but I know Hue is a great coach. It’s just a bunch of reasons [we’ve been losing]. I know he has our back, and we have his back.”
The chronic losing has been hard on Jackson, who vowed after going 1-15 last season to jump into Lake Erie if his team finishes with the same record again. The Browns went 0-14 last season before defeating the Chargers 20-17 on Christmas Eve.
“My equilibrium is upside down,” he said. “Let me be very honest with you about that. I just get myself tilted as the week starts, and hopefully by Friday, I’m upright. Sunday, gosh dang, it’s rough.”
Jackson said his players and family keep him determined to persevere. He still has many relatives in L.A., and he thought about attending a championship game of his alma mater, Dorsey High School, on Saturday, but he’s determined to treat this journey to his hometown as a business trip.
The Browns know what a win in Southern California would mean to Jackson.
“It would be very special,” Crowell said. “That’s what we’re working hard this week for — preparing our butts off — and it can happen.”
Jackson needs all of the wins he can get in the final five games to strengthen his case for survival. He appears to be on the hot seat along with head of football operations Sashi Brown and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta. It remains to be seen exactly what decisions owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam make after the Dec. 31 season finale at Pittsburgh, but significant organizational changes are expected.
“It’s true that change is going to happen,” linebacker Christian Kirksey said.
Although Kirksey and other players have been outspoken about their support of Jackson in recent days, the coach stressed he doesn’t want them to worry about his future.
“What they should be worried about is just working their tails off each and every day, being the best they can be and getting ready to win a game,” Jackson said. “Do I appreciate [their support]? Yes. It just confirms what
we’re trying to do here.
“I try to create the right environment for our players to be the best they can be. They know that. I’m very honest with them and upfront with them. I don’t sugarcoat it because I don’t think you can, but I don’t want any of those guys to feel like they need to be concerned about me.”
The players realize how much Jackson’s record weighs on him, but they credit the coach for setting the right tone for the team.
“He’ s awesome. He’s resilient,” rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer said. “Every week that he comes in, it’s the same motivational speech, and it’s the same energy that he had Week 1, the same energy that he had when we were 4-0 in the preseason.”
“When you talk about Coach Hue, it’s close to my heart,” Coleman said. “He’s a great guy, great leader for this football team. He’s handling it so good. He’s making sure everybody’s staying up. He’s always positive. It’s what you want in a head coach. He’s not giving up on us. We’re not giving up on him.”
For the record, Jackson isn’t giving up on himself, either.
“We’re going to win here. I truly believe that,” he said. “That’s what I came here for. We just have to go do the things that we need to do to get this organization headed in the right direction. Hopefully I am going to be a huge part of that and for a long time. That’s what I believe, and that’s what I feel.”
‘We’re going to go there and play our tails off and play as well as we we have all year.’ Hue Jackson Browns coach