Cleveland Browns: Could Todd Haley, not Hue Jackson, be on the hot seat?
By Randy Gurzi
Many have assumed Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson could be on the hot seat, but one NFL insider thinks it may be offensive coordinator Todd Haley who isn’t safe
Heading into Sunday’s game against the Steelers, a lot could be on the line for the Cleveland Browns. With four overtime games in their first seven outings, they’ve played much better than their 2-4-1 record would indicate.
After their latest loss, reports surfaced that team owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and general manager John Dorsey were upset. That led to speculation that they were finally ready to move on from head coach Hue Jackson and his 3-35-1 record with the Browns.
With that week behind us, the speculation about job security is at a high again should the Browns lose in Week 8. However, it may not be Jackson who is on the hot seat according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
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He suggests that instead of Jackson feeling the heat, it could very well be Todd Haley, the offensive coordinator who seems to always be at odds with Jackson.
"“But another option is to remove Haley. That would also be under consideration. Those involved have wondered when Jackson speaks, does Haley listen? Jackson has a woeful record, but is still in charge.” — Rapoport, NFL Network"
Rapoport does bring up a great point that Haley doesn’t seem to listen to Hue. First, there was the debacle about whether or not Josh Gordon would start in Week 1. Jackson said no, but Haley trotted him out there.
Then after a Week 3 win, Jackson vehemently denied stealing the ‘Philly Special’ on a two-point conversion. After Hue was completely appalled someone would ask if they stole a play, Haley said they absolutely did and had no shame in doing so.
After losing to the Bucs in Week 7, Jackson then went into a press conference and all but drew a picture of Haley on a ‘Wanted’ poster when handing out his weekly blame for why everyone failed him. Jackson even said, after reminding us he is the boss several times, that he may need to be more involved in play calling. It was the latest in a long line of issues between the two coaches.
It’s not uncommon for guys with big egos like Jackson and Haley to struggle to co-exist. However, would moving on from Haley instead of Jackson be something this fan base would accept?
While Haley hasn’t listened to Jackson, fans are already miffed over his record. Keeping Jackson instead of Haley may cause a huge backlash.
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Whatever they decide to do, Rapoport is right that there’s some dysfunction in the front office. The problem is, that always seems to be the case with Jackson. Even so, the master of passing the blame may have one more trick up his sleeve, and that trick could send Haley packing.