JEFF ALLEN to HUE JACKSON “Start Josh McCown”
At 0-13 and closing fast on the 2008 Detroit Lions record of futility, one of the few bright spots for the Cleveland Browns has been HC Hue Jackson. While many were surprised by his hire last winter, most knowledgeable football people were not as Jackson is a proven commodity. After years as a highly regarded assistant, Jackson was hired as coach of the Raiders in 2011 and led Oakland to it’s best record in a decade at 8-8. His summary dismissal at the end of the season by the late Al Davis will forever be one of the big mysteries of football for this decade. Once again an assistant, Jackson was the DC of the recent Bengal playoff teams. While there are several reasons for Cincinnati’s decline this year, the loss of Hue Jackson was certainly one of them.
The Browns have amassed some talent and while they still are short on talent, the situation is improving. The jury is still out on last year’s draft which was the thought by many football people to be a bust. The Browns are loaded with picks for the next couple of years and will have their choice of the prime cuts by virtue of their positioning from another horrific year on the field. The sheer number of picks owned by Cleveland also makes acquiring a proven vet a very real possibility as well.
Hue Jackson is a players coach and well liked by his players and assistants. Jackson has done a nice job keeping things together and if given the time and left alone, we’re convinced that Jackson can get things turned around. One has to wonder at this point whether or not the Browns are tanking and whether or not it might be better for the mental health of the fans, players and organization as a whole to get a win in 2016.
If the Browns are still trying to get a win, World Champion handicapper Jeff Allen has some advice for Hue Jackson and that would be to “Start Josh McCown”.
Cleveland had banked it hopes for this year on a strong draft and the signing of Robert Griffin III at quarterback to at least get the Browns competitive and to see if RG III had any value down the line on a long term basis. RGIII didn’t disappoint with poor play on the field and numerous injuries that have kept hm on the pine where he had been for the last three years with the Washington Redskins.
So why start RG III over Josh McCown ??? Only Hue Jackson knows for sure. While McCown has spent most of his entire NFL career as a serviceable NFL back up, he has shown “buy” signs. In 2013 in relief of an injured Jay Cutler, Josh McCown started seven games for the Bears going 3-4 and with three of the four losses coming by six or less. McCown completed 66% of his passes with a 13-1 TD/Int ratio. After languishing on a bad Tampa Bay team in 2014, he signed with the Browns in 2015. This year, McCown has started three games on the Cleveland merry-go-round of coaches and had Cleveland in games with the Jets, Giants and Baltimore.
The Brown are winless and despite several reportedly sharp money moves on the Browns, Cleveland has not cashed a
ticket the way we keep score since October 16th, seven weeks ago. Hue Jackson … it’s clear. If you want a chance to win any of you three remaining games, your best shot is to start Josh McCown.