Browns head coach Hue Jackson says that with the addition of new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, he doesn’t have to worry about that side of ball. As such, he has decided to take on the responsibilities of the departed Pep Hamilton, who was his top offensive aide in his role as assistant head coach/offense.
There are plenty pros and cons to that move, and it’s hard to determine which side of the argument has the stronger evidence.
The pros?
It’s that every head coach is hired to be fired. Even some of the very best ones – Bill Belichick and Tom Landry, just for starters – do not leave of their own accord. So if a coach will pay with his job if he’s not successful, then he’s going to do it his way.
This is Jackson’s offense. He designed it, and he calls the plays. Nobody knows it better than he does, and so does he really need an intermediary to do nothing more than get in the way and muddy up the waters, so to speak?
In that respect, probably not.
On the other hand, being a head coach, especially in the NFL, is a big deal – a REALLY big deal. A head coach has to be involved with all phases of his team. He has to be in on the defense a little bit, even if he trusts his coordinator there. He has to be in on the special teams. He has to be in on the offense. He has to be in on injuries. He has to be in on time management. And he has to be in on the flow of the game.
That’s what a football team CEO does. It’s a full plate.
Considering that, then, can Jackson really afford to disregard most of everything else and concentrate almost totally on offense?
Perhaps not.
But Hue Jackson thinks he can do it, and he’s the head coach. So he bounced the idea off himself, liked it and is moving forward with it.
So we’ll see.
