Cleveland Browns: Studs and duds from Week 12 win vs. Bengals
By Randy Gurzi
![CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 25: Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns catches a pass for a touchdown over the defense of Brandon Wilson #40 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter at Paul Brown Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 25: Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns catches a pass for a touchdown over the defense of Brandon Wilson #40 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter at Paul Brown Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fdawgpounddaily-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1065198472-850x560-0c29ee47947bc817d0f9320a2a2d99d61c960a74059f6eb0161eebf485cbe554.jpg)
Dud: Jimmy Haslam
It was hard to find anyone who fits the ‘dud’ category for Cleveland following this huge win, but there is one individual who who stood out even though he isn’t a player. That would be owner Jimmy Haslam, who is the biggest reason this team still has a losing record.
Cleveland has proven since firing Jackson that this is a talented enough roster to compete with anyone. In fact, their 2-1 run without Hue isn’t just more wins than he had in his first two seasons, but it’s also been good enough to get them back into the conversation for a playoff spot.
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Of course, that’s still a long shot thanks to the record they had to start this season, but maybe if we never had to see Jackson coach this year it wouldn’t be. Jackson has proven to be an albatross as he kept Baker Mayfield, Duke Johnson, and Nick Chubb on the bench. All have been instrumental in the team’s success the past two weeks.
Jackson failed to use his players in the right way — and didn’t even use his best guys. On top of that, he deflected all the blame and put his shortcomings on the players.
Where Haslam fits in this is that he fell for what Jackson was selling. The way this team has responded since his firing shows that he was a terrible coach and should not have come back. On top of that, the team also showed he wasn’t the ‘player’s coach’ we were led to believe.
Haslam and many of Jackson’s friends in the media believed this team was all-in on Hue. However, the way they responded this week shows that was untrue. Players were up for embarrassing Jackson, and guys like Damarious Randall didn’t try to hide it with how he handed the ball to Jackson after getting an interception.