Well, the Cleveland Browns’ coaching search sure got interesting in a hurry, didn’t it?
The Browns finished up the remaining interviews they had on schedule this past Sunday, meeting with Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott and Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. At the end of the day, it appeared we were experiencing the calm before the storm as Cleveland contemplated who it wanted to go after. There was no telling when things would pick up, but it sure looked like the team was preparing to make a run at its favorite candidate.
It sounds like said run is taking place as we speak.
Twitter was set ablaze last night as numerous reports popped up claiming the Browns were going on a full-court press to hire Jackson. It certainly sounded like interest was mutual between Jackson and Cleveland, and some are claiming an offer might be coming soon.
Well, at least it better be coming soon. If Jackson truly is the Browns’ top choice, they better lock him up as quickly as possible, especially since a potential interview Jackson may have with another team this week could ruin everything.
Per numerous reports, the New York Giants have set up time to talk to Jackson about their head coach opening this Thursday. Jackson has apparently agreed to the meeting, but word is he might be willing to cancel it if offered another job beforehand.
To be frank, if the Browns really want Jackson as badly as everyone seems to think, they better not let him get to his meeting with New York. If the Giants end up talking to him, there’s a good chance Cleveland will lose out on its favorite candidate.
Of course, this is all dependent on just how interested the Giants really are in Jackson. It could be a meeting for the sake of saying they met with one of the more popular candidates available. If it’s merely the New York front office wanting to get to know Jackson, then it wouldn’t be as dire as I made it sound.
However, don’t let this change the fact Cleveland needs to sign Jackson before he meets with the Giants. If he’s who the Browns want, they can’t risk anything in terms of letting him meet with another team.
When you stack these two franchises together to determine which is a better situation, it’s incredibly lopsided. In the Giants, Jackson would get to work in the biggest city in the country, on a team which has true playmakers on both sides of the ball, has a franchise quarterback in place for the time being and is known for having solid management.
In the Browns, just take away everything I said about New York. Cleveland has no quarterback, few playmakers and a front office with a recent history of ongoing chaos.
As a result, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam should be terrified of the idea of letting Jackson meet with the Giants. It shouldn’t take long for New York to convince the Bengals’ OC which situation is a better choice, something Haslam clearly has to know.
So, if the reports are true and Cleveland is really making an epic push to get Jackson on board, he needs an offer as soon as possible. The fact he reportedly enjoyed his meeting with the Browns is already a huge win for a team with a bad reputation, but it’ll mean nothing if they let him get away by not being persistent enough.
Which would you pick if given two teams to potentially coach? A glamorous city, Eli Manning throwing to Odell Beckham Jr. and a stable front office? Or a team with a downtrodden fanbase thanks to years of losing and no clear idea where its last attempt at a franchise quarterback even is at this moment?
The choice sure seems easy to me, and if Jackson ends up meeting with the Giants, he might feel the same way.
Haslam reportedly wants Jackson bad. If this is the case, letting him meet with New York should be considered a failure. He has to get him an offer, and do it fast.
