Browns head coach Hue Jackson has brought in a former Cincinnati Bengals player.
Wow, there’s a shock, huh?
Jackson served seven seasons in two different stints as an assistant coach with the Bengals. So he knew all about little-used wide receiver and special teamer James Wright, whom the Browns claimed off waivers from the Bengals on Tuesday.
This comes less than a week after the Browns began free agency by signing ex-Cincinnati guard Kevin Zeitler to a fat five-year contract worth $80 million, $31.5 million of which is guaranteed.
Jackson feels comfortable with getting former Bengals. He’s familiar with them. He’s coached a lot of them. He has practiced with and against them.
As such, he doesn’t really need scouting reports on them, nor does he need to watch film. In fact, he could write those scouting reports. Plus he knows their character and work habits.
But this is not new. From the time the Browns were born, their head coaches have added players they knew from previous coaching stops.
Paul Brown had gotten to Cleveland based on the merits of what he did at Massillon High School and Ohio State, which led him to signing Pro Football Hall of Famers Otto Graham, Bill Willis, Marion Motley, Dante Lavelli and Lou Groza, along with Tommy James and Horace Gillom, both of whom are Cleveland Browns Legends, and Lin Houston. Some of them he coached. Some of those he coached against.
Sam Rutigliano drafted an Alabama wide receiver named Ozzie Newsome he saw play several times against LSU on TV while based in SEC country while serving as offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints.
Bud Carson brought in players from the New York Jets, with whom he had been an assistant coach.
So did Eric Mangini, who had been head coach of the Jets.
Bill Belichick brought in players from New York’s other team, the Giants, with whom he had been a two-time Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator.
Romeo Crennel had been a defensive assistant with the Giants and New England Patriots, so he added players from those clubs.
Butch Davis, formerly head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, had the Florida and Miami connection going.
Interestingly enough, in Davis’s last game in Cleveland before resigning, a 58-48 loss in Cincinnati down the stretch in 2004, one of the guys on the opposite sideline was a first-year Bengals wide receivers coach by the name of Hue Jackson.
