WHAT AMOS JONES SHOULD HAVE SAID TO THE MEDIA

By STEVE KING

I talked in I my last post about Browns offensive coordinator Todd Haley being such a great quote because he knows the game and is open and honest. He doesn’t mince words.

I also mentioned how some coaches are terrible quotes. They utter coach-speak and say a whole of nothing.

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I have thought that he was, but I know now for sure, after his painful performance on Friday when he did his weekly press conference with the Cleveland media, that Browns special teams coordinator Amos Jones is in the latter category. He is awful with his quotes, and his teams aren’t any good, either.

I have confidence – actually, I’m just hoping and praying — that he and his teams will get better as the season goes along, but as of right now, this is looking like a turn back the clock to the horrible days of former special teams coordinator Chris Tabor.

The Browns had a great opportunity to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday in the regular-season opener, but a field-goal attempt by Zane Gonzalez late in overtime was blocked, preserving a 21-21 tie.

Yes, the Browns had the chance to make a big statement by defeating their arch rival and gaining their first win since Christmas Eve 2016, but they flubbed it because of a major special teams breakdown. What a wasted chance! What a letdown!

Jones was asked all about the play on Friday and gave what I like to call gobbledygook answers. They didn’t reveal anything. He owes the fans – who wanted that win so badly – a more thorough explanation. But he didn’t do it.

With that, then, here’s the gist of what Jones should have said to reporters:

“Look, I can’t throw anybody under the bus and blame them for what happened. I’m sure you can understand that. And for that matter, you saw the play. Make your own conclusions. That’s fair for you to do that.

“But regardless of what player, or players, messed up, the fact of the matter is that the real culprit is me. As special teams coordinator, I’m responsible for coaching those guys to do things successfully, and then to make sure that it happens on game days. Obviously, I failed in both regards. And for that, I apologize.

“I haven’t been here very long, but I know the history of the Browns. Everybody in the NFL does, or should. It’s been rough for the fans since the team came back, and it’s been especially so these last several years. They deserve a winner. And they deserved to see a win last Sunday. I know the fans were sick about it, and so was my players and I.

“We let not only the fans down, but the team as well in a big way.

“We need to do better, and I, in particular, need to do much, much better since I’m in charge of these units. We have worked hard this week to be sharper in all of our special teams work, and especially the field-goal kicking. When the game is on the line and there are points to be had, we have to produce. There are no excuses. There can be no excuses. That’s the bottom line.”