If only O-line protected Tyrod Taylor as well as Head Coach Hue Jackson
IF ONLY O-LINE COULD PROTECT TAYLOR AS WELL AS HUE
By STEVE KING
Browns head coach Hue Jackson is protecting his starting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor.
It’s been evident ever since Jackson announced that Taylor was his guy.
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And can you blame him?
Just as it is the quarterback’s job to win the game, it is the head coach’s job to protect his quarterback.
Look, we all saw it on Sunday in the 21-21 tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers that Taylor was awful in his Cleveland debut. He did so many things wrong that it would be much easier to list what he did right, and that was limiting his turnovers and running his way out of trouble on occasion. That’s it. Nothing else.
The Steelers turned it over six times – six times! – and the Browns still couldn’t win. They couldn’t win because of their offensive shortcomings. And there were offensive shortcomings because of Taylor’s shortcomings.
But that was just the first game, and Jackson is nowhere close to pulling the plug on Taylor and inserting Mayfield. Mayfield is not ready yet to go into the game, and Taylor is not ready yet to go out of the game. Possibly later in both regards, but certainly not now. The Browns’ – Jackson’s – best chance to win right now is with Taylor.
As such, Jackson has dug in his heels in his protection of Taylor. He did it after Sunday’s loss – er, tie – and he did it again when he met with the media on Monday. While he admitted that Taylor made some mistakes against Pittsburgh, he kept insisting that for the most part, it was the mistakes of the offense as a whole – the mistakes of the other 10 players as well.
But the Browns traded for Taylor because he has the experience to fight through all that and still make plays. That he did not “surprised me,” Jackson said.
The most important thing he said Monday – and the thing that should send a real clear message to Taylor – is that the quarterback doesn’t have forever to get himself and this offense straightened out.
“We’re trying to win games,” the coach said.
And Taylor’s performance was not a winning one – or victory-worthy, as it were – in any way, shape or form.
Jackson doesn’t have time to fool around. He’s on thin ice after his horrible first two seasons. If Taylor keeps struggling, he’ll have no recourse but to make a change – or else Jimmy Haslam could change coaches. And as much as Jackson is dedicated to protect Taylor, he’s more dedicated to remaining employed.
