Undaunted by challenge, Hue Jackson takes on Browns

In this September 13, 2015, file photo, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson watches as players warm up before an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders, in Oakland, Calif. A person familiar with the decision says the Browns are hiring Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson as their next coach.

Not a stranger to the AFC North, Jackson spent two years with Baltimore as their quarterbacks coach and instrumental in the development of Joe Flacco.

Jackson replaces Pettine, fired after going 10-22. Jackson had been scheduled to fly to New York on Wednesday night to interview with the New York Giants.

The only real downside I can see to Hue Jackson’s hiring as the next coach of the Cleveland Browns is that he agreed to coach them.

Among five teams still needing to hire a head coach, the Titans are looking for their third since Jeff Fisher left in January 2011.

In two games against the Bengals, Jackson’s former club, Manziel completed 49.0% of his passes for one touchdown and two picks, with a 53.4 rating.

The Cleveland Browns have the No. 2 overall pick in this years draft.

According to a recent report, the Cleveland Browns are done with quarterback Johnny Manziel.

While much of the emphasis after the game was on the Bengals’ eight-game playoff losing streak or the team’s string of seven consecutive wild-card round defeats, Jackson performed wonders with his quarterbacks. I don’t know whether Mike Pettine was a good head coach, but I do know that the recently fired Browns boss was asked to win with a seriously flawed roster that reflected Haslam’s poor judgment in key positions.

Jackson told good friend and NFL Network reporter Michael Silver that the Browns “made me feel comfortable”.

The incessant text messages featuring coaches clamoring for a job in Cleveland weren’t the only endorsements of Jackson on Wednesday. The Browns have endured 14 double-digit loss seasons and started 24 quarterbacks since returning to the league in ’99.

Former Tennessee head coach Ken Whisenhunt has returned to San Diego as offensive coordinator after having spent 2013 with the team. “Sometimes the arrow does go down on some players and then when they do, you’ve got to get them back and focused the best they can and try to create environments for your players to be all they can be”.

After he walked into the team’s headquarters for the first time, Jackson was greeted by team employees, who applauded when he laid out his goals during an impromptu speech.

“If I didn’t think that we had a chance to do something special here, I wouldn’t be here”.

“We’re chasing greatness”, he said.

“We were pleasantly surprised at the interest in this job”, said Haslam, at his biennial new coach introductory press conference. We want to go to the Super Bowl and win that, too.

“I am going to have the opportunity to work with some of the smartest men in football (in Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta)”, Jackson said.