As usual, there were a ton of shakeups as the NFL regular season came to an end. As previously reported, on Monday five African-American coaches were let go from their head coaching positions a list that includes 16-year coach of the Cincinnati Bengals Marvin Lewis who despite turning the franchise around in the late ’90s accrued a 0-7 playoff record during his tenure.
Earlier in the season, Hue Jackson was fired as head coach of the Cleveland Browns after a 3-36-1 career record with the franchise and was soon after hired by Lewis as an assistant for the Bengals which ultimately positioned Jackson for a shot at Lewis’ job.
Reports revealed that Lewis actually recommended that the struggling franchise hire Jackson as his replacement as opposed to in-house candidates Darrin Simmons and Bill Lazor who both already interviewed for the job.
Prior to news of Jackson chasing the head coaching gig in Ohio, CBS Sports reported that Jackson and his former Bengals colleague and current Minnesota Vikings Head Coach, Mike Zimmer, could be due for a reunion. The Vikings released Offensive Coordinator, John Defilippo toward the end of the season and are currently looking to fill that spot with an offense that seems to have most of its pieces in place to be real contenders with the right OC.
CBS reports that during Jackson’s last season as the Bengals offensive coordinator in 2015, the offense was ranked 7th in the NFL.
Looking strictly at Hue Jackson’s record with the Browns, it would seem as though his head coaching days might be over but considering the lack of talent and bad luck, Jackson might be worthy of a mulligan. Football fans will remember stud Wide Receiver Josh Gordon who continuously struggled with marijuana addiction and hadn’t played more than a few games under Hue Jackson due to suspensions.
Also, the star quarterback from Texas A&M, Johnny Manziel, turned out to be a bust after he struggled with alcohol addiction very early in his pro career. After a series of similar situations with the athlete, the Browns cut ties and Manziel currently plays in the Canadian Football League after being one of the most admired college QB’s entering the NFL.
