New Browns coach Hue Jackson made it clear in a half dozen radio interviews the past two days his primary focus this offseason will be on finally bringing a legitimate franchise quarterback to Cleveland.
“We need a very consistent and dominant quarterback,” Jackson said Thursday on The Stephen A. Smith Show on SiriusXM Radio. “That’s what this team has to have in order for us to be successful.”
Jackson also spoke as if the Browns will move on from quarterback Johnny Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft whose personal issues and off-field behavior have overshadowed the progress he showed on the field during his second NFL season.
In an interview Friday on SiriusXM NFL Radio, co-host Solomon Wilcots told Jackson, “Johnny Manziel is there. Maybe you keep him. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you move on. What kind of quarterback are you looking to pair yourself with?”
To which Jackson replied, “Outside of all of the physical characteristics that we look for in a quarterback, the thing I’m looking for is a guy that’s going to be the face of the franchise, somebody that our players can rally behind, somebody that our fans can rally behind, that they believe that this guy has a chance to go out week in and week out and win games, a guy that can help elevate this football team, not anybody that’s going to tear it down because I think it’s too hard in the National Football League to have a guy like that.
“[The quarterback needs to be] all-consumed with one thing: being the best quarterback he can be and being the best leader he can be. That’s the kind of guy I’m looking for.”
On Thursday, Jackson stressed on 92.3 The Fan the quarterback must “represent the organization well” and “carry the flag for us.”
He also emphasized how much he values character.
“Obviously, we will be able to look into this player’s past and see exactly what he’s done because what you see is what you get,” Jackson said. “What’s in there is the same things you’re going to get as you move forward. People don’t change too much that way, so it’s going to precede them, and we’ll know exactly what the character of that person is.
“Now, I think that you can help some of that by creating the right environment for people to grow and get better, and I think that’s one of my jobs. But at the same time, we’re looking for players that have great character because in order to be a Cleveland Brown team member, that’s going to be definitely one of our prerequisites.”
Armed with the second overall pick in this year’s draft, the organization with 24 starting quarterbacks since 1999 will likely have an opportunity to select the highest-rated prospect at the game’s most important position. The Tennessee Titans own the No. 1 overall choice but aren’t in the market for a quarterback after drafting Marcus Mariota at No. 2 last year.
So, barring another team trading with the Titans to move up to No. 1, the Browns will get the first crack at this year’s QB class. They also could wait to address the position with the 32nd overall pick or take another route.
“We haven’t had a quarterback play real consistent here over the course of a season, be it injuries, be it other things,” Jackson said Thursday on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike. “So we need to first look at that position and see who’s on our roster [Manziel, Josh McCown, Austin Davis, Connor Shaw and Pat Devlin] and then see can they help us win. And if they can’t, then we need to go out and acquire a quarterback, regardless of where it is: two, 32, wherever we think the best fit is for us.”
In an interview Thursday with WKNR (850-AM), Jackson was asked if he’s opposed to drafting a quarterback early.
“If he’s good enough, I am not against it,” he replied. “But if he’s not, then obviously we don’t want to take one just to take one.”
During a conference call Thursday, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said he thinks California quarterback Jared Goff would be worthy of the second overall pick. He predicted the Browns will pick Goff there in his first mock draft.
“I think you’re looking at a guy that can be a franchise quarterback,” Kiper said. “... He’s going to have to be in the discussion for anybody in the top five to 10 that needs a quarterback.”
Jackson outlined the traits he seeks in a quarterback Friday on the team’s radio show.
“He’s got to have arm talent, and leadership ability is huge,” he said. “Poise under pressure because on third down, that’s when it’s tough, and the guy’s got to have poise under pressure in that situation. He’s got to have some charisma, a little bit, because you’ve got to be the face of the franchise.
“He has to be able to when things are not going well, everybody can look to him and he can make magic happen. And then the last thing I think the guy’s got to be able to do, he’s got to be able to take care of the football. That’s one of the things that I’m huge on. You can’t play here if you’re going to give the other team the ball.”
Only time will tell whether the Browns believe Goff fits the description.
But it’s worth noting what owner Jimmy Haslam said Jan. 3 while discussing the importance of finding a franchise quarterback: “We do have the second pick in the draft.”
Other highlights from Jackson’s rounds on the radio:
1. Former Browns General Manager Ray Farmer took heat from fans and media for downplaying the importance of wide receivers.
Jackson won’t make the same mistake.
“I think the big guy is huge in this league,” he said on 92.3 The Fan. “You’ve got to have a dominant, vertical threat in the National Football League to have a good offensive team.”
Suspended Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon would fit the bill if he could become reinstated by the NFL and get his act together.
On the team’s radio show, Jackson was asked what he wants the makeup of the receiving corps to look like. Farmer was criticized for relying too much on short receivers, and Jackson is aware of it.
“I know why that’s big, guys. ’Cause we’ve got the Smurfs here,” Jackson said, adding he loves 5-foot-7 Andrew Hawkins, 5-10 Travis Benjamin and 5-8 Taylor Gabriel. “... I don’t worry about size ’cause when you think of Antonio Brown that plays in Pittsburgh, he plays big. Can you play big when the team needs it most?”
2. Jackson explained he wants a bell-cow running back.
“We have a couple guys here I think have a chance,” he said on 92.3 The Fan. “We’ve just got to create the right environment for them.”
He spoke highly of Browns running backs Duke Johnson and Isaiah Crowell on the team’s radio show and agreed they’re a similar tandem to Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill, both of whom played for Jackson when he was the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals the last two seasons.
“Duke really came on last year and played extremely well [as a rookie]. He’s a talented player,” Jackson said. “I had a chance to be down [at the University of Miami] for his pro day and watch him work out. He has some hands. He can catch it. He can run with it. He’s a three-down back. He’ll protect. So he has exactly what you’re looking for.
“When I watch Crow, I just go watch the San Francisco game. I mean, are you kidding me? The guy played big time. But I want him to understand, he’s got to do it all the time. ... That’s what my challenge would be to him. Let’s take it the next level and be that player week in and week out.”
3. Jackson told WKNR he’s not going to coddle players.
“I think sometimes these guys get babied a little bit too much. They get babied way too much,” he said. “That’s not what this is about. There is a job. We’re paying these guys I mean a ton of money to do a job, just as they’re paying me. I think you have to come in and compete every day.”
Former Browns coach Mike Pettine was ripped by some fans and media for giving players veteran days off to rest during practice.
Asked if it’s fair to say there will be no veteran days off for a losing team, Jackson said, “I don’t know about that. I don’t know what those are.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.