The team held the No. 2 pick in 2016, when Wentz and Jared Goff were in the draft. Jackson had extensive conversations with Wentz in the months leading up to the draft, and by all accounts, Wentz was ready to be a Brown. The team sent him part of its playbook, and he studied it voraciously, hoping to impress Jackson and the front office. He had regular conversations with Jackson by phone and made it clear he was quickly picking up the Cleveland offense. (The playbook was printed on Jackson's stationery.) Twice a day, Wentz would go over the Browns' plays on the whiteboard in North Dakota State's film room with Ryan Lindley, a former NFL quarterback who was mentoring him before his pro day. When friends and fans bumped into Wentz in Fargo, they would often express hope he wouldn't end up in Cleveland. But Wentz always politely brushed those worries aside and made it clear he was ready to embrace the challenge of helping rebuild the Browns. Lindley teased him that if he succeeded in Cleveland, so desperate for a winner, the city would put him on its version of Mount Rushmore. When one of his college coaches showed Wentz an Instagram picture of a high school kid in North Dakota wearing a Browns jersey with WENTZ on the back, the quarterback thought it was cool. He was even considering getting a Browns tattoo. The morning of his pro day, Wentz met with Jackson and former QB coach Pep Hamilton for an hour, admitting he'd barely slept because he was up late, anxiously studying their playbook like he was prepping for a final exam. After he put on an impressive performance during his pro day, Wentz felt confident he'd shown them he was worthy of becoming the second pick in the draft. No other team had sent a head coach to Fargo to watch him throw. Wentz never got the chance to find out what he could do in Cleveland. The Browns, intent on stockpiling draft picks, traded the spot. Cleveland's front office later stated he wasn't one of the top 20 players in the draft. Wentz went on to change the fortunes of the Philadelphia Eagles, who are 12-2 and have clinched the NFC East and a first-round playoff bye. When asked last week whether he had wanted Wentz and gotten vetoed by the front office, Jackson declined to comment.
Hey DeShone, Congratulations on your rookie season. And condolences, too. Let me explain. You’ve been through the Cleveland Browns meat grinder, where quarterbacks are routinely chewed up and spit out. With a game to play, you can be their first rookie quarterback to start more than 10 games and not finish the season in a body cast, walking boot, shoulder harness or in concussion protocol. In fact, your 15 games started are the second-most for a quarterback in the Browns crappy expansion era. Only Tim Couch started them all in 2001. Derek Anderson started 15 in 2007. I consider that a positive accomplishment. You have the genes to withstand the physical rigors of the position in the AFC North. You still have a lot of baby fat, so I think a couple seasons of conditioning will make you even stronger. That’s exciting. Now for the bad news. I think we can agree that Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly was correct in saying you needed another year of college ball to be better prepared for the NFL. But I don’t think anyone expected your rookie season to turn out like it has. I had such high hopes when the Browns drafted you with the 52nd overall pick in the second round. I thought taking you with their fourth overall pick lessened the pressure on the team to play you right away. I thought it was important for you to stand back and watch an NFL veteran for six or eight games, at least. He could have shown you how to prepare for an opponent in the regular season, how to study defensive tendencies, how to handle losing, how to handle leadership in the locker room. Alas, your coach and organization failed you. First, they failed to provide you that veteran mentor. They cut Josh McCown in February. Such a mistake. You would have benefitted so much from just hanging with him. He would have taught you more about being an NFL quarterback than the coaches. I liken it to my time in college when I learned more from fellow journalism students putting out a daily newspaper than I learned from professors in the classroom. When they traded for Brock Osweiler – strictly for a second-round draft pick in return and to bask in their analytics ingenuity – I wanted to throw up. Everyone knew he wasn’t going to stick around. So when Hue Jackson named you the starting quarterback in preseason, I knew you were in for a tough year. Still, I didn’t expect it to be this bad. I thought Hue was smart enough to protect you with simplified game plans with an emphasis on the running game. I mean, wasn’t that the point of spending all that money on guards Joel Bitonio and Kevin Zeitler, and center JC Tretter? I saw Marty Schottenheimer – a far better coach than Hue – lock the handcuffs on Bernie Kosar for a whole first year. No disrespect, but Bernie was far more advanced than you coming out of a pro-style offense at Miami. And even he struggled with the defenses he saw. Then there was the problem at receiver. How anyone could have thought Kenny Britt would be a positive influence speaks to the total ineptness of the “systems and processes” in place. Fortunately, those will change. But you had to suffer the errors of their ways. I don’t know what got into Hue, but having you throw so much to a roster of receivers so lacking in fundamental skills was a professional dereliction of duty. And just giving you run-pass options in critical situations – such as the end of the first half in Detroit – was dumb. He should have told you to throw the fade and make sure nobody but your receiver can touch it, then kicked a field goal if necessary. And that play-call a couple weeks ago against the Ravens – a seven-step drop into the end zone without any help for Spencer Drango at left tackle? I heard the whole sideline couldn’t believe it. I hope John Dorsey took note of that when evaluating Hue’s coaching acumen. I’m sure there were many more instances of Hue setting you up for failure. I can’t explain it other than to say I have seen so many coaches enter that building with good reputations and come out looking like village idiots. Did you know that place was once so riddled with staph infections that they had to fumigate? I think there’s still a strain of something viral in there that attacks the brains of otherwise smart men. So your rough season was the product of a group effort. Dan Orlovsky, who played on the 0-16 Detroit Lions in 2008, told me that he hopes you can recover from going winless. He was able to overcome it, and you will, too. Now, as difficult as the season was, the offseason will be a different kind of mental challenge. You’re going to be hearing a lot about new quarterbacks coming in – a veteran, for sure, and a top draft pick, too. You’re going to wonder about your future with the Browns. Just relax. This isn’t the end for you. It’s just the beginning. And because they botched the beginning, they have to make corrections. It wouldn’t surprise me if you don’t play much in 2018 – if at all. Consider it a redshirt season. It wouldn’t be the worst thing for you. Don’t be discouraged. You need to start all over. You may go to the end of the line next year – behind the veteran and the rookie No. 1 pick. Or you may play some. Just know that you have a long career ahead of you. The next time your opportunity beckons, you will be better equipped to succeed. Take care.
@bluez... I saw that "apology letter" from Grossi. The only thing I don't like is that it absolves Kizer from any of the blame. For me, it's 10/30/60 - Front Office, Kizer, Hue.
I agree, but would distribute the blame a little differently... 60/10/30 Kizer should have never played a down in 2017 Hue should have had a better choice than starting the rookie Hue, should have ignored the fact he was the best option on the roster and sat him anyway The biggest issue dealt to this team in 2017 was the lack of a veteran QB on the roster to begin with, that's on Sashi. I'm all for the youth movement and applaud Sashi for what he DID do for this roster..It's what he didn't do with veterans that cost him his job and this team a chance to win a single game in 2017.
BEREA, Ohio -- Hopefully, the 2018 season for the Browns will be much more competitive than the 2017 version (or 2016 version as far as that goes). With that said, the Browns opponents for 2018 is all but set. There are only two teams that are still to be determined after this weekend's final regular season games. Besides playing their AFC North rivals (Bengals, Ravens, Steelers) at home, the Browns will play teams from the AFC West, NFC South, AFC East and AFC South. The other five games at FirstEnergy Stadium will be with the Chiefs, Chargers, Falcons, Panthers and (AFC East 4th place finisher--Dolphins or Jets). On the road, the Browns will travel to play the Broncos, Raiders, Saints, Buccaneers, (AFC South 4th place finisher--Colts or Texans) besides the AFC North teams. For all of your Browns news from Berea follow @FredGreetham
Letting McCown walk in the offseason was just plain STUPID !McCown is a class act on & off the field . he would have been a tremendous help for a young QB room . IF he had played we wouldn't be setting here staring at 0 - 16 .I think he would have found a way to win a couple games even with Clueless Hue trying to screw it up with brain dead play calling & the worst WR Corps in team history . Will Hue be any better with a OC ? I have my doubts and hide his challenge flag . give it to someone else . I have ZERO Faith in him . sad because i was all in on Hue . then the season started . Can he get a play call sheet" bigger" than a 65" TV
Crazy Crextin’s Mad musings: Well here we are again fellow lounge Houndz.at the end of another forgettable season. It’s easy to see why sashi got the boot before Hue. After not identifying (i.e. passing on) a franchise QB( Wentz, Goff, Watson, possibly Presoctt) and watching said QB’s lead their respective teams to playoff contention. I can’t but agree. I also agree that the lack of veteran leadership on this roster has also hampered the team’s progress. I’m also inclined to believe that Hue had a hand in deliberately pointing this out and forcing Sahsi out. By playing Kizer so soon and throwing the ball 2/3 of the time even when not necessary just to make a point. Once again draft talk started way too early around here as the FO pissin match raged on. Sure am glad I spent my time hunting and fishing while I could. So once again we turn our attention to how to get this ship righted and sailing in the proper direction. Step one we hope has been completed and we now have a GM in place who knows the game of football. Step 1-A Get EVERYONE reading the same book and on the same page. There needs to be more unity and team spirit from the TOP all the way down. Step two IMHO is either a new HC (which seems a bit unlikely) or Hue is forced to add an assistant HC and an OC, at a minimum. I can’t but agree that hue is in over his head trying to do three jobs at once and is shows on the field. Step three… Agree that a Veteran QB needs to be brought in. Whether that’s a Josh McCown type of QB or a younger veteran that the FO can build around until the Browns identify and develop the long term future signal caller. Admittedly I’m not a fan of the idea of going after Cousins. Step four… Start the long process of building this teams character in the right image. Jim bob has got to understand that he is rapidly losing the fan base to obscurity. While Browns fans may not be jumping ship and rooting for other teams. The just simply aren’t showing up to support this disgusting product that Jim Bob and the NFL are trying to sell us.
https://t.co/dfxdVGc9g0 we need WR on this team . they have DONE NOTHING to upgrade the position . All 4 the bean counters drafted look like total BUSTS that cant catch .
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports the Browns aren't expected to fire Hue Jackson. The Browns have consecutive last place finishes, but GM John Dorsey has "told people close to him" the plan is to keep Jackson for another year. Jackson has one win since taking over in 2016, and is a loss away from an 0-16 season. It's still not a lock that he's back, but Jackson looks to have the support of ownership. Jackson will likely have to give up playcalling if he returns. Give me one good reason why they should keep this clueless toilet bowl licker ???? Fucking hilljack SELL SELL SELL !!!
This shit team has quit on cluelss Hue . i might quit if i was playing just to get rid of the stupid SOB . Missed tackles . a QB who has the IQ of a fucking rock . T TOTAL Embarrassment . FIRE THE MORON . Take him swimming with bricks tied around his clueless neck .
I love a tuff smart physical disciplined football team . Can we find one somewhere ? it sure as hell isn't the toilet bowl lickers i see out there today . FIRE THE FUCKING MORON !!!!!!
I love watching TDs, but shouldn't an 0-15 team get a 15 yard penalty for celebrating when you are still down 14-21?
