The winds of change have picked up in Cleveland.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Browns have fired Hue Jackson, making him the first head coach to be served his walking papers in the 2018 season. The Browns went 3-36-1 with Jackson as their leader, which adds up to a lowly .205 winning percentage. So even though Jackson was able to pull out two wins this season, the writing was on the wall and his days as head coach were numbered.
The decision to part ways with Jackson comes after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and during a trying time for a team searching to create a new identity, while also dealing with two feuding coaches. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports reports the beef between Jackson and Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley has been going on since HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series was being filmed last summer. Finally, the friction came to a head and Jackson was shown the door. It’s difficult to build a culture as is, but I can’t imagine it’s any easier when two coaches are feuding as Jackson and Haley did.
By making this decision, the Browns get a head start on identifying (and possibly even interviewing) potential replacements while also going about creating one leadership voice for the team to follow.
And in an odd coincidence, the move comes less than 24 hours after the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers fired Tyronn Lue. I’d be tempted to send someone to check up on Indians manager Terry Francona, but he has been a stabilizing force for Cleveland’s baseball team. Think he’d want to take on a new challenge out of Cleveland?