Well it happened.
On Thursday, the Cleveland Browns fired executive VP of football operations, Sashi Brown. I had advocated for such a move in October, but this is a gloat-free zone. The Browns have a long way to go to turn around their culture of losing, the dismissal of Brown is merely a first step.
Head coach Hue Jackson has won the massive tug of war that was going on between he and Brown. Team owner Jimmy Haslam announced that Jackson will return to the sidelines in 2018, despite the fact that the Browns are 1-27 over the past two seasons.
Jackson addressed the media following Brown's dismissal and had quite a few 'dynamite drop-ins.' I shall attempt to TRANSLATE THIS and try to give you what I think Hue is really trying to say.
Question: Why should you remain head coach after Brown was fired, given the team's record?
Hue's Answer: “You would have to ask Jimmy that. I can’t answer that for.”
TRANSLATE THIS: I'm not the one who let Mitchell Schwartz walk out the door, traded out of the #2 pick, bungled negotiations with Terrelle Pryor, paid $16 million dollars for Brock Osweiler and a second-round pick, and failed to get my boy A.J. McCarron at the deadline. (Mic drop)
Question: Would you like to have input on who the new personnel director will be?
Hue's Answer: “Those are decisions that Jimmy is going to make, but I’m sure as he goes through it, hopefully, he will ask questions, see how I think and what I feel because I think the true part of all of this is making sure that, if I know Jimmy a little bit, is just getting it right, putting us in the best situation so we have an opportunity to move forward and win games.”
TRANSLATE THIS: Hell yes I'll have input. Jimmy can't seem to grasp that the coach is supposed to report to the GM. I'm gold.
Question: John Dorsey's name has been mentioned as a possible GM candidate here. Do you know who John Dorsey is?
Hue's answer: "I know who he is. You'd have to ask Jimmy about that. I don't know anything that we are doing right now."
TRANSLATE THIS: Of course I know who he is. He's actually going to listen to me when I make quarterback suggestions going forward, so I won't have to say 'trust me' to you guys when we pick someone I don't want ever again. I'm all in.
Question: Now that you won the 'power struggle' within the organization...
Hue's interrupting answer: “I didn’t win a power [struggle]. I’m sorry that you feel that way. I respect that you feel that it was a power struggle. I don’t look at it that way. I look at it as I was coaching a football team and trying to do the best that I can. I think everybody is trying to do the best they can."
TRANSLATE THIS: Victory is oh so sweet.
Question: What will it take for the Browns to make a turnaround?
Hue's answer: "I’m going to say it again – this is a performance-based business. I get it. My performance, if you measure it by wins and losses, is not very good. At the same time, I am in charge with coaching this team and trying to do the best I can with what I have. That is where we are. "
TRANSLATE THIS: If I keep saying performance-based business, we're measured by wins and losses, and this is a pass-fail league, maybe they'll forget that we're 1-27.
And finally:
Question: Why were their leaks within the organization and did they come from Hue, his agent, or his friends?
Hue's answer: "I don’t deal in leaks. I have been doing this for quite a while. I don’t know what you are referring to when you say ‘leaks out of here’. This has been a leaky place for years. This is not the first time you have ever heard leaks out of the Cleveland Browns."
TRANSLATE THIS: Damn, I better delete those texts to Silver and LaCanfora.
Ok, so we had some fun there at Hue's expense. Give him credit though, he is the last man standing and was successful in convincing Haslam that he deserves another chance.
It will be absolutely essential that whomever the Browns hire as GM or head of football operations is in lockstep with Jackson. Otherwise, we'll be playing this game again next year.
