BEREA: In recent weeks, fans seem to have accepted the idea of the Browns tanking, even as the front office dismisses the term.
Finding the quarterback of the future is the goal, and 0-16 seems the best way to get there.
But that path could carry dangerous consequences. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted Wednesday that he’s “the most impatient person in the world.”
Part of the reason the Browns haven’t found a quarterback they can build around is the organization’s lack of continuity. Can Haslam sit back and watch the Browns lose week after week and not look for a scapegoat? Does he like Hue Jackson enough that he can resist the temptation to fire a coach after one season like he did with Rob Chudzinski?
Can Haslam remain on board with executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown and his personnel department if the Browns find only three or four starters out of a 14-man draft class?
I’d love to believe all that is possible. But since Haslam officially took over in October 2012, he’s fired three coaches, three general managers, two presidents and a CEO. Perhaps he and his wife, Dee, have come to realize how many years the reconstruction will take, and I’m not talking about the ongoing remodeling of team headquarters.
Patience has been lacking in Berea since former coach Chris Palmer yanked quarterback Ty Detmer after the 1999 opener and replaced him with rookie Tim Couch.
Jackson is confident he’s the man who can change all that. Even after the Browns lost starting quarterback Robert Griffin III to injury for at least eight weeks in Sunday’s season-opening loss in Philadelphia, Jackson oozed confidence on Wednesday. Hours before at the morning team meeting, he had players ball up pieces of paper and throw them away, a gesture symbolizing that the Eagles game is behind them.
For Jackson, so too is the Browns’ history of impatience. He made a guarantee, not that the Browns will win Sunday’s home opener against the Baltimore Ravens, but that he will guide the Browns to a Super Bowl title.
“I didn’t come here to be average and just win a few games and go about my business. I came here to help this organization win a championship,” Jackson said. “How fast that’s going to happen I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s going to be a ton of struggle before there’s a ton of great times, but I don’t worry about people not being happy right now. I’m going to do the best job I can with our staff and these players and we’re going to keep working at it.
“My point is eventually they will love me because we’re going to win. We’re going to win a championship here for the Cleveland Browns.”
Jackson is well aware of the history of firings of Browns coaches and executives, which dates back to owner Randy Lerner’s watch. Jackson immediately jumped in when it was suggested that patience has not been a frequent visitor in Berea.
“I can’t worry about what everybody has been through here,” Jackson said. “I don’t worry about what everybody has done, been through, what people shouldn’t say, what they should say. I’m going to do the best job I can do. That’s all Hue Jackson can do. The fans might not like me for a while, but they’re going to love me here pretty soon.
“Eventually they will love me, I promise you that. Because I do plan on winning here and I do get it. I know with every loss there’s another dagger that drags you down another few feet deeper. That’s OK. I’ve been there before. I’m a fighter. We’re going to get back up and we’re going to keep swinging. We’re going to be fine.”
One hopes if the Browns start 1-7, Jackson’s tenacity won’t fail him, his spirit won’t be broken, his eyes won’t glaze over like past Browns coaches.
When Haslam spoke during the team’s radiothon, he mentioned how Jackson “keeps everybody in the building fired up.” Haslam said there is a good plan in place. He knows the Browns have 17 rookies and 13 draft picks next year, which might turn out to be four in the top 40.
“We have a bright future in front of us,” Haslam said. “I’m optimistic that we may hit some bumps in the road this year, we may have to tough through some difficult situations, but that we’re on the right track and that we have the right people in place to produce the kind of team the fans want.”
Browns fans may be cynical, but thus far they’ve been loyal. They may not shell out money for tickets, but Jackson need not worry about them hating him.
He should be more concerned that Haslam might not side with him if the losses mount and an every-man-for-himself mentality sparks an internal power struggle. Perhaps then Jackson will care about the history that preceded him.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.