Hue Jackson building his offensive staff a bit differently

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson is working to build his coaching staff around the idea that he will by the play caller on offense.

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson is working on putting together his coaching staff and may be taking a different approach to the offensive side of the ball.

Jackson, who prefers to call his own plays on offense, is not currently planning to give someone the title of offensive coordinator, but reserves the right to change his mind depending on who is available.

“It is definitely a consideration,” Jackson said Friday on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I want to finish getting this staff together. Right now in my mind, I don’t really plan on having an offensive coordinator because I want to reserve that right to call plays.

“Hue is here, baby.” – Head coach Hue Jackson

“I think that’s something that’s gotten me this job. So if it’s something that you’re an expert at, I think you want to continue to work at that and keep that in your pocket so you can use it to help your team. Now if I get somebody I really trust who has that [expertise], then obviously I’m very willing to kind of give that away as we go, but it’s got to be somebody I really trust and admire.”

Jackson needs to build up the staff as he is reportedly letting offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell go.

One candidate that Jackson reportedly met with is former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.

Hamilton was brought to the Colts in 2013 to reunite with quarterback Andrew Luck after serving as offensive coordinator at Stanford during Luck’s senior season with the Cardinal.

The Colts finished 10th in offense in Hamilton’s first year and then jumped to third in 2014, only to regress this past season as Luck struggled with injuries.

According to Horseshoe Heroes, there was also “friction” between Hamilton and head coach Chuck Pagano because Hamilton was hired by general manager Ryan Grigson rather than Pagano, and Hamilton was made a scapegoat for the Colts’ offensive struggles.

Jackson also wants to bring Minnesota Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson and make him the Browns running game coordinator – but needs the Vikings to approve the move.

“Everything is set if they approve it,” John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, told The St. Paul Pioneer-Press. ‘That’s the guy Cleveland wants. Kirby would coordinator their running game, and it would put Wilson in a position to move up the line (in coaching). … It’s not a lateral move.”

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Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman is reportedly “willing” to consider letting Wilson leave, although Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer also has to be consulted.

“I want Zimmer to give his blessing and let Kirby leave with his blessing,” Wooten said. “I guess it will be a case of however the Vikings make their decisions on their coaching staff, and they’ll talk together on it.”

Wilson has 17 years of experience coaching running backs at the NFL level, including the past two with the Vikings. He worked with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2007 to 2013, so he knows the realities of coaching in the AFC North Division, which is nice.

Jackson may be going back to the fired Colts well as he is reportedly interested in former Indianapolis offensive line coach Hal Hunter, who was fired after the season.

While Hunter has more than 30 years of coaching experience, including a successful seven-year run with the San Diego Chargers, this past season was his first as offensive line coach for the Colts.

The line struggled for the Colts and gave up 118 quarterback hits – second only to the Browns, who gave up 121.

Like Hamilton, how much of that can be attributed to Hunter and how much to injuries or lack of talent, is a question.

Even though Jackson did it for a year in Oakland, calling your own plays as a head coach is not the easiest thing in the world. It can be done, as evidenced by Bruce Arians in Arizona, Sean Payton in New Orleans and Andy Reid in Kansas City, but it can also add a lot to a head coach’s plate.

Building a strong coaching staff that can handle their responsibilities should be go a long way toward making Jackson’s life as a play caller that much easier.