Daily Dawg Tags: Offensive coordinator candidates a plenty
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns are reportedly looking for a new offensive coordinator, and as luck would have it two new names became available on Wednesday.
The Cleveland Browns, who are continuing their slow crawl through the (alleged) search for an offensive coordinator, received a bit of fortuitous news on Wednesday as two new candidates hit the market.
The Pittsburgh Steelers parted ways with offensive coordinator Todd Haley just days after the offense scored 42 points on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Sunday’s playoff loss. Later in the day the New York Jets decided to part ways with offensive coordinator John Morton after just one year on the job.
Haley spent six seasons as the Steelers offensive coordinator, and the past four years the offense was among the league’s top 10 in scoring and in yards gained.
He helped Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continue to play at a high level and built an offense that helped wide receiver Antonio Browns catch more than 100 passes for five consecutive seasons.
Cleveland Browns
Despite the continued success, Haley and Roethlisberger reportedly clashed and Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin sided with his quarterback by not renewing Haley’s contract.
As for Morton, his numbers were more in line with what the Browns have been getting with head coach Hue Jackson running the offense. In 2017 the Jets finished 23rd or lower in the league rankings in scoring, yards, first downs and passing yards.
Morton did help Jets quarterback Josh McCown have a nice year, however, as McCown finished the season with 2,926 passing yards and 18 touchdowns while making 13 starts after being cast aside by Jackson in the offseason.
Of the two, it would seem like Haley is someone the Browns should call right away. Not only would he be an easier sell than Ben McAdoo or Mike Mularkey, but the idea of having an opportunity to stick it to the Steelers twice a year would likely appeal to Haley.
Which means that Jackson, who appears to just be going through the motions of interviewing candidates for a position he has no intention of filling, will probably not even bother to pick up the phone and give Haley a call.
Cleveland Browns news:
Browns draft pool grows deeper
The Cleveland Browns have some pick holes to fill in the 2018 NFL Draft and will have multiple options from a talented pool of underclassmen.
Joe Thomas still pondering his future (ohio.com)
"Browns 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas insisted Wednesday night he still hasn’t decided whether he’ll attempt a comeback or retire."
J.C. Tretter can relate to Corey Coleman (NFL Spin Zone)
"Cleveland Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman has suffered two fluke injuries in each of his two seasons, which is similar to what happened to J.C. Tretter in Green Bay."
Big decisions ahead after tough year for QBs (clevelandbrowns.com)
"Breaking down the Browns’ 2017 season, position by position. We’re starting with the most important in professional sports: the quarterback."
NFL news:
Tom Coughlin put his stamp on Jaguars the moment he was hired (ESPN)
"Jeff Lageman had no trouble identifying the exact moment the impact of Tom Coughlin’s hiring was felt throughout the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise."
Both Gruden coaches pursued Raiders new DC Paul Guenther (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
"Paul Guenther was due to join a Gruden-led coaching staff. It was just a matter of which sibling."
Texans GM wants to build around Deshaun Watson (Houston Chronicle)
"Now that new Texans general manager Brian Gaine has taken over the personnel department, he’s intent on building a strong complement of players around the former Clemson star."