Daily Dawg Tags: Did Todd Haley put Hue Jackson on notice?

Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s introductory news conference was interesting as two of his quotes shined an unflattering light on head coach Hue Jackson.

The Cleveland Browns introduced new offensive coordinator Todd Haley on Wednesday at team headquarters in Berea.

And whether it was intentional or not, it sounds like Haley put head coach Hue Jackson on notice.

Haley was light on specifics during his time with the media because he is still getting up to speed on learning about the players on the roster, but two of his comments stood out, the first of which was shared by NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala:

Haley could not have described Jackson’s tenure in Cleveland so far any better if he had tried.

Jackson came to town with the reputation of being a “quarterback whisperer” and vowing to fix the quarterback problem that has plagued the Browns since 1993. But since taking over the Browns, Jackson has:

• signed off on not drafting Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson;
• signed Robert Griffin III after feeling the “earth move” during a workout;
• tried to trade two draft picks for Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback A.J. McCarron, and;
• mishandled the development of rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer in just about every way imaginable

In a nutshell, Jackson has found a way to make a bad situation even worse.

The other quote from Haley concerns the running game and comes courtesy of cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot:

"“You have to run the ball. The key is, you have to run the ball when the other team knows you’re going to run it. As far as an overall philosophy, I’ll do whatever gives us the best chance to win and you saw that over the past six years. Whatever gives us the best chance to win, that’s what we’re doing.”"

That philosophy is in direct conflict with what Browns fans have seen from Jackson the past two seasons.

The Browns have actually been effective at running the ball, but week after week as soon as halftime hits, no matter what the score, Jackson has resorted to his “vaunted” passing game and abandoned the run.

The best example of that odd phenomenon came last December against the Baltimore Ravens. On a day where the Browns rushed for 130 yards and averaged 6.8 yards per carry, Jackson had Kizer throw the ball 37 times. To make matters worse, running back Isaiah Crowell had 72 rushing yards with 8:12 left in the second quarter, but did not run the ball again the rest of the game.

Jackson has said that he will give up play calling duties to Haley, and Haley has said that he will be able to work with Jackson, which sounds good in the middle of February.

But how smoothly that relationship runs this fall when the Browns find themselves trailing by three points early in the third quarter and Jackson starts barking in Haley’s ear to pass the ball more, remains to be seen.

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Todd Haley embraces chance to resurrect the Browns (ohio.com)

"Todd Haley has the Pittsburgh Steelers in his bloodline, but the new offensive coordinator of the Browns is purging his personal collection of black and gold and focusing on bringing orange and brown back in style."

Todd Haley wants a QB who is highly competitive (The Chronicle)

"New offensive coordinator Todd Haley will accompany general manager John Dorsey and coach Hue Jackson on the trips to scout the top quarterbacks in the draft. Haley knows what he wants."

NFL news:

Raiders plan to cut ties with Sebastian Janikowski (ESPN)

"Speculation on Sebastian Janikowski re-signing with the Oakland Raiders and reuniting with coach Jon Gruden was quelled Wednesday as the team told the veteran left-footed place-kicker that it does not plan to bring him back for the 2018 season, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter."

Baker Mayfield talks NYC love, and why he’s top QB in NFL draft (New York Post)

"Heisman-winning Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, a projected early first-round pick in April’s NFL draft, takes a timeout for some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby."

Los Angeles Chargers offseason analysis: Wide receivers (L.A. Daily News)

"Few Los Angeles Chargers were as valuable to the offense as Keenan Allen, who ended the season as one of the league’s top receivers. Six months ago, many were fans were simply hoping he could stay on the field."