I appreciate Browns head coach Hue Jackson protecting his starting quarterback, DeShone Kizer.

And I don’t appreciate new General Manger John Dorsey failing to do so.

Dorsey said the Browns need a quarterback. Yes, that’s probably true, for Kizer has had an up-and-down season, with, frankly, more downs than ups. But the GM doesn’t need to broadcast that publicly. The psyche of an NFL rookie is fragile enough as it is. The psyche of an NFL rookie quarterback is really fragile. The quarterback needs to be built up, not torn down. Dorsey’s words no doubt did that.

Jackson tried to do damage control during his Friday press conference when asked if he thought Dorsey’s comments affected Kizer.

“I would hope not at all,” Jackson said. When you are on the team and playing quarterback, I don’t think you can worry about those things.

“Just me knowing DeShone, he would tell you he can only worry about what he can control. What he can control is playing well against Baltimore, finishing the season strong. Right now, none of those things matter.

“Like I said, John is doing an outstanding job in doing what he needs to do as we move further and continue to put better talent on our team. I think he will look at every area of our football team and see how we can become better, but at the same time, we are in the midst of this season. I don’t think any of that talk bothers any of our players.”

I don’t think it hurts the players, either. Instead, I know it does, and it really hurts Kizer. That’s only common sense.

Kizer is a tough young man. He has never complained one bit about anything this season, even when he very easily could have and, in some regards, probably should have. But he has kept his mouth shut.

Sometimes, John Dorsey needs to do the same thing.