Hue Jackson has been a head coach two NFL franchises, and thinks a third such job could be in his future. If not that, then certainly an offensive coordinator job.
Jackson went 8-8 in 2011 with the Oakland Raiders and 3-36-1 from 2016-18 with the Cleveland Browns, but he doesn't think those results prove he can't coach.
“Oh, yeah, I mean I think I can,” Jackson said Wednesday on Charlotte’s WFNZ 102.5 FM. “I mean, just because the situation in Cleveland [didn ’t work out] doesn’t mean that you can’t coach. There’s a lot of great coaches who came before me that coached there and went on and did great things. Sometimes, the situation is different. I think if people dig in and really take the time to look at the overall situation there, maybe they would understand it more. At the same time, I understand what narrative gets put out there, that’s what people know. Hopefully, people will think back to the times when I’ve put myself in that position. I had to be doing something right. To go back and be a coordinator again or be a head coach, I do believe it’s in my future. I’ve just got to go work through the process and see where it goes.”
Jackson doesn't directly link himself to Bill Belichick -- "There’s a lot of great coaches who came before me that coached there and went on and did great things." -- he's happy to have you make the link yourself. Belichick went 36-44 as the Browns' head coach from 1991-95 before winning six Super Bowls and counting in New England.
And while even the post-New England version of Belichick would've struggled to win with Jackson's rosters, a 3-36-1 record is a 3-36-1 record. Perhaps worse for Jackson's prospects than his three wins in 40 tries is that the 2018 Browns went on to win five of their eight Jackson-less games after his midseason firing.
Still, Jackson interviewed for the Cincinnati Bengals job that went to Zac Taylor and the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator job.
The last coach before Jackson to endure a winless NFL season -- Rod Marinelli, who went 0-16 with the 2008 Detroit Lions -- never got another chance to lead a team, but he has spent a solid decade as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.