No matter the profession, whether it be as the head coach of an NFL team or as the CEO of a grocery store chain, there are seminal moments when you have to make tough decisions and earn your stripes.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson is facing one of those moments as he tries to work his way through a quarterback controversy.
Should he start DeShone Kizer in Sunday’s road game against the Houston Texans? Or should he start Kevin Hogan?
Jackson, known as the quarterback whisperer, was hired to get the Browns’ longstanding problems at quarterback figured out. If he does, then he stays employed. And if he doesn’t, then he won’t. At some point, then, he would get fired.
It’s as simple as that.
Jackson said he will announce his decision on Wednesday. Until then, he says he has to get by himself and think this thing through.
Jackson gave a window into his head, and thoughts, on Monday when he was asked if Kizer, who has struggled for four straight games and was benched at halftime of last Sunday’s 17-14 loss to the New York Jets, can still be the team’s franchise quarterback?
“I still believe that. That hasn’t changed. I am not backing off of that,” Jackson said. “We started this with everybody in this room saying, ‘Hey, Hue, he might not play as well at times.’ That is what this is, so I don’t think anybody should be surprised by it. This was going to happen.
“I said this to you guys, it is going to happen at some point in time. What I decide to do about it, that is my decision on what I think is best for our football team and what is best for the player.
“He has bounced back from some things when they didn’t go as well. He has improved in some areas. Like I said, he did a good job of getting rid of the ball and not taking sacks. That has definitely gotten better.
“The interception issue is something I brought up to our football team. That is one of the goals of our team. We don’t turn the ball over. If you don’t turn the ball over, we have a chance to win. If you turn the ball over, you don’t have a chance to win.
“I have to do a great job with the football team. It is not just about him because I am also responsible for 53 other guys and maybe more than that, however many are over there that I am responsible for, making sure they understand that we are trying to win.
“We talked about development the other day. It is not just about development. It is about winning. Winning is first and foremost. Development is second, because that is our job. That is what we do, develop players, but it is all about winning. That is what it is.”
