Firing Hue Jackson Will Not Fix the Browns Problems
Yesterday the Browns suffered an absolutely embarrassing loss to an average Cincinnati Bengals team 31-7. There wasn’t much to build on from this game as the offense and defense both played poorly. Once again we saw a Browns’ offense that looked lost and was unable to get much going on the ground or through the air. The Browns only compiled 215 yards, got 16 first downs, and struggled greatly on third downs. The defense was again exposed letting Andy Dalton have a career day tearing up the Browns’ secondary. Despite these major problems firing Hue Jackson will not solve them.
As I said there are a lot of major problems on this Browns team both on offense and defense. Kenny Britt once again had a disappointing game with three catches on eight targets for 52 yards. Browns’ fans can’t help but wonder why the Browns brought in Britt as opposed to bringing back Terrelle Pryor, the best playmaking receiver for the Browns last season. Britt has been a useless signing for this team and looks to be a major waste of at least $17 million dollars.
Aside from Britt, the rushing offense has been incredibly disappointing. Coming off of a season in which he nearly eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards, Isaiah Crowell currently only has 146 yards through four games this season. The rushing attack has been a major problem for the Browns team only breaking 100 rushing yards in a game once this season, which they did last week in Indianapolis last weekend rushing for 111 yards as a team. A consistent rushing attack would help to take the pressure off of rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer and help prevent third and longs that we’ve seen this team fail to convert all too often.
The problems don’t just stop on the offense there are major problems on defense most specifically, rookie Jabrill Peppers play so far this season. Peppers has been exposed numerous times this season in coverage, most recently in yesterday’s game when he got burned by AJ Green in 1-on-1 coverage. Now, this isn’t all on Peppers, in his defense the Browns should have known that coverage was not Peppers’ strong suit. Peppers is much better suited as a roamer who flocks to the ball and as a blitzer to disrupt the backfield. Peppers is not being used properly and that will need to change if they want to start getting production from their first-round pick.
These are fixable problems for the Browns. On offense, the first thing that they need to do is bring in an offensive coordinator to take over the play calling from Jackson. Currently, Jackson is not running an offense well suited for the talent that he has. Unlike when he was coaching in Cincinnati, the Browns do not have a deep threat receiver like AJ Green. A new coordinator could help develop an offense more suited for a rookie quarterback which would greatly help Kizer’s growth. Additionally the Browns main focus next offseason should be bringing in playmakers whether it be through free agency or the draft. If they want Kizer to reach his full potential he’ll need the weapons around him, because the ones he currently has just aren’t cutting it.
Overall the Browns are still in a transition period and that isn’t always easy for fans. Everyone needs to remember that this is not a quick process. The Browns are currently the youngest team in the league, so it is going to take some time for these players to develop. The Browns are going to continue to build, especially through the draft where the Browns have five picks through the first two rounds in 2018. The Browns need to stick with their current regime because this team needs stability if they ever want to become a playoff team again. Firing Jackson and once again starting over will just set this team back again. The Browns need to keep Jackson give him the necessary time and allow these young players to grow and develop.
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