Cleveland is rocking and coaching jobs are rolling. Two of the three professional head coaches lost their jobs in the last two days. The Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue was fired yesterday after losing the first six games of the season, and the Browns head coach Hue Jackson was fired today.
It was just a matter of time. Fans have been calling for Jackson to be fired for what seems like years. This was his third season coaching the Browns. Season One: one win. Season Two: Zero wins. Season Three: two wins and one tie. Forty games in Cleveland and only three wins. Hue’s Browns were 0-20 on the road.
The Cleveland Browns have fired six head coaches in the last ten years, and strangely enough, all after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The age old rivalry gets everyone fired up! Or fired. Hue probably knew what was coming after yesterday’s awful loss to the Steelers.
And, the firing didn’t stop at the top! There have been reports of discord amongst the Browns coaches. Power struggle between Hue Jackson and offensive coach, Todd Haley? Fire both!
Gregg Williams is the Browns interim head coach. He has coached with eight different NFL teams and has been a defensive coach with the Browns since 2017. He has one stint as a head coach with the Buffalo Bills for a couple years in the early 2000’s.
The Browns have not been in the playoffs since 2002 and have not had a winning season since 2007. Jackson knew what he was getting into.
Hue Jackson’s career winning percentage is a .205. That is the second worse in NFL history among all coaches who have coached at least 40 games. The only coach with a worse record was Bert Bell, with a .176 coaching the Eagles. In 1933, Bert Bell bought the Eagles for $4500 and named himself head coach. Bell did not lose his job because he was also the team’s owner.
In contrast, Manager Terry Francona has a .562 winning percentage with the Indians, and four playoff appearances in six years. Francona’s Indians have three straight American League Central division championships and one trip to the 2016 World Series. The players love Francona. And the fans love Francona. He is not going anywhere anytime soon!
Thankfully, the Browns season is half over and the Indians season begins on March 18th. It is tough business being a Browns fan, but there is always next year.
