CLEVELAND -- There was just something about the combination of coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley that just seemed uneasy from the time the two were paired together back in January.
And the power struggle between Jackson and Haley came to a head Monday when the Cleveland Browns’ ownership group of Dee and Jimmy Haslam and general manager John Dorsey decided a change was in the best interest of the team.
“I think we have to do what we think puts the organization, and most particularly, our players in position to win, and accordingly, we made those decisions,” Jimmy Haslam said in a press conference with Dorsey in Berea Monday.
“I think we did what we thought was best for the organization. I think that we put the organization in a better place today than it was yesterday, and we’re comfortable with the decision.”
The Browns’ decisions to move on from Jackson and Haley came less than 24 hours after Cleveland dropped to 2-5-1 on the season and sunk further into fourth place in the AFC North Division with a 33-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Hired in January of 2016 to replace Mike Pettine, Jackson posted a 3-36-1 record and was 1-13-1 within the AFC North Division in his two-plus years with the Browns. Included in that record were the Browns’ two worst seasons in franchise history, a 1-15 mark in 2016 and only the second 0-16 season in NFL history in 2017.
The Browns are hopeful that by dismissing Jackson and Haley, they moved forward from the internal discord that riddled the organization when the two were brought together nine months ago.
“Well, hopefully made a big step today,” Haslam said. “It’s very troubling. It’s hard to win in the NFL. If anybody knows that, it’s us, and I think the message today is we’re not going to put up with internal discord. That we want people who are collaborative and work together.”
Dorsey added, “Treat people the way they want to be treated. You know what? Come into work every day willing to work, okay? Love what you do. I mean, take ownership in what you’re doing. Just come to work every day and treat people how you want to be treated.”
Moving forward, Dorsey is confident in the “good people in this organization that really want to win” and believes there is enough talent on the roster to get the ship righted sooner rather than later.
“We have a lot of football left in this season,” Dorsey said. “We have some very talented players on this team right now, as we speak. As we sat down and talked to the players today, I expressed that to them. I said, ‘You know what? We have a lot of football left here, you guys,’ and they understand that.
“As I look at this thing, our job is to support (interim coach) Gregg (Williams) and his staff right now, put those players in position, okay, to succeed, and we’re going to do this moving forward. Like what Jimmy said, right now, we’re trying to create the best environment moving forward, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
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