Hue Jackson claims that DeShone Kizer will remain QB1

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson said he is sticking with DeShone Kizer as the starting quarterback. Where have we heard that one before?

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson made what could be described, if we are being kind, as a declarative statement on Sunday following the team’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

DeShone Kizer will remain the team’s starting quarterback.

It is odd that Jackson would have to make a public statement like that. After all, when Jackson named Kizer the starter prior to Week 1, he said it not “just for the moment” and that the Browns would stick with Kizer “through it all.”

Of course, those were hollow words as we all learned when Kizer was benched at halftime of Cleveland’s Week 5 game against the New York Jets, despite the Browns trailing by just three points, and again in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans in the same scenario.

Hopefully Jackson means it this time and will stick with Kizer over the season’s final six games. Browns fans have seen Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan in action and it is not a pretty sight. And with no other viable option on the roster, or apparently sitting at home waiting for a call, the Browns may as well ride it out with Kizer.

Even knowing that the available alternatives are not very appealing, Kizer’s play on Sunday had to give the alleged quarterback whisperer pause while he pondered who should quarterback his offense over the next few weeks.

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Kizer finished the game against the Jaguars 16-of-32 with four turnovers, five sacks and a quarterback rating of 51.4, the sixth time this season he has posted a quarterback rating under 52. On the season he is averaging 158.4 yards per game and 5.5 yards per attempt, is completing just 53.5 percent of his passes, has taken 21 sacks, and thrown 14 interceptions against just five touchdowns.

In his Monday column at ESPN, Bill Barnwell brought up an interesting stat about rookie quarterbacks when analyzing the performance of Buffalo Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman. Barnwell points out that, since 1990, rookie quarterbacks have completed just a tick over 50 percent of their passes, have averaged 5.5 yards per attempt, and thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.

The kicker is that Barnwell was referring to rookie quarterbacks who were taken later in the draft as Peterman was a fifth-round selection. Kizer, on the other hand, was selected in the second round but has been performing on par with quarterbacks selected in the fifth round or later.

The idea of Kizer struggling as a rookie was not unexpected, but the Browns likely did not envision him playing at such a low level.

It is not all Kizer’s fault, of course, as he has been hampered by a “lack of playmakers” and an offensive coordinator that doesn’t seem to know what is going on.

The former is fixable if players like running back Duke Johnson and tight end David Njoku were utilized more, wide receiver Corey Coleman can stay healthy the rest of the season, and wide receiver Josh Gordon doesn’t offer up a repeat of his last return from suspension in 2014.

The latter will remain a problem until the end of the season, however, with owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam being the only ones that can solve the problem of the play calling on offense.

Next: Browns fall to Jaguars: 3 takeaways

Until then, Jackson will stick with Kizer.

At least until he changes his mind once again.