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Cleveland Browns Must Let Hue Jackson Pick His Quarterback

By Zac Wassink

Nov 20, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson checks field conditions before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson checks field conditions before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Browns are sticking with head coach Hue Jackson, and thus he must be allowed to pick his quarterback for the future.

Trust the process. It’s the mantra associated with NBA franchise the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers, a club that had zero chance to win anything of note not all that long ago, allegedly “tanked” seasons in order to acquire top-tier draft picks. Philadelphia is still a lousy team in the standings, but the club has big-man Joel Embiid and a future that seems much brighter than it was even 12 months ago.

Related Story: Browns Must Move On From Robert Griffin III

Fans of the Cleveland Browns need to embrace this saying heading into the spring of 2017. Cleveland fans are understandably impatient. The Browns have been an NFL laughingstock for the better part of the past 18 years, since the team returned to the league in 1999. Cleveland flirted with going 0-16 this season. Moreover, the only team the Browns managed to beat was a San Diego Chargers side that phoned-in the holiday season and already had one foot in Los Angeles. This impatience is causing some supporters of the Browns to lose focus of the process at hand.

Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam gave the keys of the roster over to former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson a year ago for one main reason: Jackson, who now has two total years of being a head coach under his belt, is supposedly a quarterback guru. The hope, at the time, was that Jackson would be the man to bring a franchise quarterback to Cleveland.

So stop overthinking the upcoming offseason, everybody.

The 2017 NFL Draft is the hot topic on Cleveland sports talk radio in early January. The Cleveland Indians don’t officially begin preparing to defend their American League title for another month. The Cleveland Cavaliers play multiple games every week, but things really don’t get interesting until the playoffs arrive. Fans can’t help themselves but incessantly discuss the draft.

It must be stated that there is literally zero evidence Jackson and his staff can pick the right quarterback for the Browns. After all, Jackson thought it wise to sign Robert Griffin III last March, and that experiment blew up in his face after four quarters of meaningful football.

Jackson was also responsible for drafting Cody Kessler over Dak Prescott, a move no general manager or head coach would make as of Jan. 12, 2017. With that said, Jackson remains the club’s head coach. He deserves a mulligan and one more chance to get it right.

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Cleveland executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown should simplify the process for Jackson and everybody else associated with the Browns. Make a list of quarterbacks, those who will be free agents and those entering the 2017 NFL Draft, have Jackson pick one and then go get him. That’s it; no argument or discussion necessary.

Does Jackson believe Mike Glennon and his big arm can beat AFC North opponents? Pay him, if so. Is Jackson smitten with Jimmy Garoppolo? Call the New England Patriots in February, dive into negotiations and acquire Jimmy G. Does Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson or any other future first-round pick excite Jackson? Take that quarterback prospect first-overall, and don’t risk losing him to another team because “experts” say you have to use that selection on a defensive star such as Myles Garrett or Jonathan Allen.

You may ask, what if Jackson knows he can get the QB of his choice on the second or third day of the draft? That’s acceptable as long as the Browns don’t get too cute and lose that quarterback to some other team.

Stop discussing draft grades and draft values. The Browns need a quarterback immediately—as in yesterday. The Houston Texans repeatedly failed to grab their franchise QB, and Houston now has boatloads of cap space dedicated to defensive end J.J. Watt and unproven commodity, Brock Osweiler. Both of those contracts potentially become less expensive after 2017, but the club will then have to think about paying Jadeveon Clowney. Ask Rex Ryan and the New York Jets what happens when you build a championship defense but don’t land a franchise quarterback

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The shell of Peyton Manning was better than any quarterback the Denver Broncos put under center this season. Manning, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger are the quarterbacks who won Super Bowl titles from 2009-16.

To steal the political slogan: It’s the quarterback, stupid. Trust Hue Jackson to find the right quarterback—his QB—between now and the end of April, Browns. It’s the only logical choice you have. If Jackson doesn’t accomplish this mission, the Browns will begin yet another rebuild next January.

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