I like the way that Browns head coach Hue Jackson seems to be a players’ coach.
I’m sure he has a lot of straight-to-the-point conversations with them behind closed doors, but in the very public way of dealing with the media, Jackson never throws his players under the bus. At times, it’s hard to tell if he’s praising a guy or offering him constructive criticism.
That’s a real art, and Jackson is extremely good at it.
Nobody wants to dragged through the mud in front of everyone, and that Jackson doesn’t do it no doubt earns him a lot of respect from his players.
But it seems that Jackson may have gone a bit too far on Saturday in a conference call with the Cleveland media. Either that, or he sees things a lot differently that just about everybody else.
When Jackson was asked is center Cameron Erving is playing up to expectations, Jackson said, “Yes, he is. Cam is doing a lot of really good things.
“He is a young player who I think is ascending. He is going to be a tremendous football player for us.”
I don’t know if anyone else would say that about Erving. Without question, he is doing a little better than he did last year as a rookie, when he struggled mightily, but she till has a long, long, long way to go.
Now, will he ever get there? That’s the big question, and it’s up to debate. But I would guess that most observers would say no.
Perhaps Jackson really believes what he’s saying. Or perhaps he is trying to build up the confidence of a player who is in desperate need or such.
Then, too, it may be a little of both. Who knows? Only Jackson and his top offensive assistants such as Pep Hamilton and Al Saunders, plus offensive line coach Hal Hunter Jr., know for sure.
Whatever the case, Jackson is putting himself out there by, first, using Erving since way back in the spring practices, and now apparently going with him as the starter to begin the regular season, and finally by praising him so effusively. The coach is a brave and principled man.
For if it ends up that Erving can’t cut it, then it’s not only going to make Jackson look bad, but it’s also going to mess up the offense royally. The quarterback isn’t the only one who handles the ball on every play. It’s also the center, who, by the way, handles it before the quarterback.
If Erving can’t get the ball to quarterback Robert Griffin III effectively in those shotgun snaps, or if he allows there to be penetration through the middle of the line, then Griffin will be under duress, which he was for most of the time in the first half of last Friday night’s one-sided 30-13 loss to the mediocre Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the running attack will go absolutely nowhere.
No passing and no running, no offense. And no offense, no winning. The NFL is an offensive-minded deal, and has been for a long, long time. You don’t really stop your opponents. You have to outscore them. Even a defensive-minded guy like Bill Belichick has known that for a decade and a half.
In what seems like an eternity ago now, Jackson raised a lot of eyebrows when, in talking about getting the team’s quarterback straightened out, said, “Trust me.”
Does that “trusting” phrase also apply to getting Erving straightened out?
We’ll see. But it appeared on Saturday’s conference call that it’s exactly what Jackson was saying.
No matter, because Browns fans have to trust Jackson. They have no other choice. He’s the head coach, and he’s calling all the shots.
Let me ask you this: Do you trust Hue Jackson on Cam Erving?
