Cleveland Browns: Hue Jackson not making fast choice on QB1
By Thomas Moore
Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson sees no reason to rush to name Robert Griffin III the starting quarterback, which isn’t a bad idea.
In the least surprising news of the off-season, Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson declined to name a starting quarterback at the close of Organized Team Activities.
Jackson met with the media today and despite everyone being in a hurry, the head coach is not yet ready to state the obvious.
“We want to make the right choice, not the fast choice,” Jackson said in published reports.
It is clear, however, that barring a major injury or a major meltdown that Robert Griffin III, who the Browns signed in free agency after once-promising career hit the skids in Washington, is going to line up as the starter Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Even if Jackson wants to remain coy on the subject, he was willing to say that he has seen “glimpses” of the player that Griffin can be.
“He’s made tremendous strides,” Jackson said. “He’s getting better, growing every day. I’m really proud of the work he’s done. I see glimpses of him being extremely good. I need to see a little more. He has to wear a lot of hats.”
(Of course, Jackson has also praised cornerback Justin Gilbert during OTAs, so any praise the effervescent Jackson offers at this point of the off-season may need to be taken with a grain of salt.)
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It is probably not the worst idea for Jackson to hold off on naming Griffin the starter. The Browns didn’t invest anything other than some reasonable salary cap money to sign him, no other team showed any serious interest in Griffin and he didn’t do anything the last couple of years in Washington to warrant being handed a starting job.
Even though Griffin’s competition consists of the soon-to-be 37-year old Josh McCown; destined to be career backups Austin Davis and Connor Shaw; and third-round draft choice Cody Kessler, another player that Jackson has only good things to say about, there is no reason to let Griffin get complacent about his place on the team.
Jackson and the Browns will continue their quarterback evaluations next week during the veteran’s minicamp, which will be the last time the team is together until the start of training camp.
The team was scheduled to have one more day of OTAs on Thursday, but Jackson canceled the practice day so the players could participate in a team-sponsored charity golf outing. (So much for the end of the country club atmosphere when it comes to practice.)
Next: Have the Browns closed the AFC North gap?
What’s your opinion, Browns fans? Should Hue Jackson just end the suspense about the starting quarterback, or is he playing this one correctly?