Cleveland Browns expected to name Al Saunders interim head coach: Updated, Saunders not selected
By Dan Justik
In the wake of the Cleveland Browns firing head coach Hue Jackson, they will be naming a surprising candidate to take over the role for the rest of the season.
Following the news of the Cleveland Browns firing head coach Hue Jackson, the team is expected to announce that Al Saunders will be named the interim head coach for the 2018 season.
Saunders was one of Jackson’s first members of his coaching staff when he was named the team’s senior offensive assistant in 2016.
The first reports of Saunders potentially being named as the interim head coach came from Benjamin Allbright on October 21st.
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Saunders has been coaching in the NFL since 1983, when he was the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach for the San Diego Chargers.
Saunders has three seasons of experience as a head coach in the NFL, when he manned the sidelines for the Chargers from 1986-1988. He was named the interim head coach of the Chargers in 1986, and coached eight games that season, going 3-5.
In his head coaching career, Saunders has an overall record of 17-22. His best season was in 1987, as the Chargers went 8-7, the only season he coached an above .500 team.
The promotion for Saunders is surprising to some, as many thought either Todd Haley or Gregg Williams would be named the interim head coach. Both Williams and Haley have experience as the head coach.
The main reason why the promotion of Saunders make sense is it allows both Haley and Williams to keep their current roles as coordinators, while not adding the extra work of being a head coach.
Saunders is known for his tough coaching style, which should help keep dysfunction out of the locker room – something that has been rumored the past few weeks under Jackson.
Even if Saunders can turn the season around for the Browns, it will be highly unlikely that he would be named the permanent head coach.
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With Saunders at the helm, it will be interesting to see the difference in how the team plays, and if the play-calling on the offensive side of the ball will be any different.
UPDATE: It appears the reports of Saunders being interim were premature. The team now looks to be going with Gregg Williams.