Cleveland Browns: Hue Jackson on verge of becoming worst coach in NFL history

The Cleveland Browns have set many records both good and bad. Now Hue Jackson is on the verge of becoming the worst coach in NFL history.

The Cleveland Browns are on the verge of setting records for futility again. Last year it was a parade to celebrate the futility of an 0-16 season. Now the Browns are on the verge of employing the worst coach in NFL history. Browns fans need to find a way to express their dismay over this accomplishment.

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk recently posted that Hue Jackson is ranked 218 of 219 football coaches who have coached at least 40 games.

The rankings were based on winning percentage. Per Smith, the only coach worse than Hue Jackson is former Philadelphia Eagles’ coach and owner Bert Bell. Smith stated:

More from Dawg Pound Daily

• How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
• Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
• 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
• Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
• 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target

"The only coach who was worse [than Hue Jackson] was Bert Bell, who led the Eagles to a record of 10-46-2 (.179) from 1936 to 1941. And Bell couldn’t be fired because he was also the owner of the Eagles."

Dawg Pound Daily co-editor Randy Gurzi and contributor Elliot Kennel did some number crunching, they discovered that the .179 winning percentage for Bell is inaccurate.

Here is Elliot Kennel’s reasoning:

"Bert Bell, prior to becoming the Commissioner of the NFL, is the reigning champion of losing. He had a coaching record of 10-46-2. Pro Football Reference lists his winning percentage as .179. But that percentage is calculated by ignoring ties. But if each tie is treated as half a win and half a loss, his adjusted win percentage is .190.If ties are treated as half-win and half-losses, Hue only needs five more consecutive losses to be the new record holder for worst winning percentage in NFL history. If the Pro Football Reference convention of ignoring ties completely is followed, Hue needs 6 more consecutive losses to establish a new record for worst winning percentage."

Hue Jackson breaking Bert Bell’s record for the worst winning percentage is not without its ironies. Bert Bell played a significant role in Cleveland Browns history. As Commissioner, Bert Bell negotiated the merger between the All-America Football Conference and the NFL. The merger brought the Browns into the NFL.

He later scheduled the Browns to face his then NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles.  This was the Browns first game in the NFL. The point was to teach the new AAFC upstarts a lesson. The Browns famously won that game legitimizing their presence in the NFL. Sadly, to this day the NFL has never officially recognized the Browns’ AAFC championships.

Five consecutive loses are a real possibility for Hue Jackson’s Browns. In the next five weeks the Browns will face (in order) the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans and the Carolina Panthers. The Falcon’s game is the only game that looks winnable at this point.

If you are of the mindset to ignore ties, the Browns would have to lose all five of those games then go on to lose the next week to the Denver Broncos. Given Hue Jackson’s coaching ability, adding six more loses to the current three game losing streak seems reasonable.

This team is playing poorly. They do not have an identity on offense. The defense is on the field too long. Everything about this team screams losing streak right now. If they don’t right the ship, Jackson is a shoo in for the title.

But all this number crunching misses the point. If 0-16 is worth a parade, what is becoming the worst coach in NFL history worth? Maybe McNeil could start a go fund me page for a statue of Hue Jackson for First Energy Stadium. I would certainly contribute.

The 0-16 parade gave the fans an outlet and a forum for voicing their concerns about the direction of the team. There needs to be something the fans can rally around to express their displeasure of retaining a coach long enough to become the worst coach in NFL history.

Maybe fans can start a losing streak countdown. They can take signs to the game displaying how many loses are still needed for Hue to officially be the worst coach of all time. Browns fans need to have fun with this. It is the only way to ride out another season watching this team.

Dee and Jimmy Haslam need to address the issue with the soon to be worst head coach of all time. Right now, they want to turn a blind eye to the obvious truth.

It is time for fans to pressure Dee and Jimmy Haslam into addressing the issue. The best way to force the action is to make the Haslams see the issue at every game. They need to see the graphics with their names attached to it.

Maybe they need to be reminded of the truth. Having the worst head coach of all time means that they might become the worst owners of all time in short order.