Hue Jackson’s Biggest Problem May Be Talking

When John Dorsey was hired as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns at the end of last season, it was thought the circus atmosphere around the franchise would end.

Guess again!

Just seven games into the 2018 season, a season in which they have already won two games and tied another, a big improvement over last year’s winless season, the Browns are in the center of controversy once again.

And this time it started because one of Hue Jackson’s issues came out once again, the love of his own voice.

After another tough loss in overtime to Tampa Bay last Sunday, Jackson was asked about the offense’s struggles in the first half. His answer was that was his area of expertise, and maybe he could help out.

Afterwards, he stated that he was the head coach of the football team several times.

Jackson doesn’t know how to deal with or handle the media. For one, he tends to speak in absolutes. For example, there was a big deal about Josh Gordon starting the opener against the Steelers, because Jackson announced he would not start.

Our point is why say Gordon would not start? Jackson could have just told the media he would decide later as to who would take the first snap.

He’s done that before too. He did it earlier in camp when talking about Joel Bitonio playing left tackle, proclaiming it plan Z. A week later, Bitonio was playing the position.

He don’t know if Jackson says these things to make himself feel important, or to be glib with the media, but he needs to learn how to speak to the reporters. Don’t say anything that can be held against you later.

As for the comments after the game about getting involved with the offense, why not say something like we have to get better at all facets of the game immediately after kickoff, there is no need to point fingers at a particular unit or coach.

That comment became the story, and after watching the offense the last two seasons, we are sure the last thing Browns fans want to see is having Jackson’s hands on it.

All of this became an issue because of the ludicrous organizational set up the Browns have, where the GM and the head coach (and who knows who else) reports directly to owner Jimmy Haslam.

We would assume that Dorsey would love to bring in his own coach, but as of this moment, Jackson doesn’t report to him, so he has no authority to replace him.

That’s not how winning organizations are set up.

We feared this very thing in the off-season when Jackson was brought back after a two year record of 1-31. We felt because of all of the losing the past couple of seasons, if the Browns struggled this season, there would be clamoring for the coach’s job.

And that’s exactly what is happening. After an encouraging win over the Ravens at home, the team laid an egg against the Chargers and played a terrible first half vs. Tampa.

The wolves started howling.

When you think about it, the situation wasn’t fair to both Dorsey and Jackson. The GM doesn’t have the coach he wants, and Jackson is questioned about his employment every time the Browns lose a game.

However, Jackson needs to learn to be quiet. As someone once said, it is better to be quiet and have people think you are stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Let’s Not Judge Taylor Too Quickly

Nobody gets carried away like NFL fans after week one. After the opening game of the season, people make generalizations even though a lot depends on who you played in the league’s first week.

Take the Jets’ rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, for example. We already saw one article claiming both the Browns and New York Jets are regretting not taking Darnold after his performance against the Lions on Monday night.

We just said we didn’t want to make generalizations after one week, but the Lions don’t appear to be a very good football team. Let’s see how Darnold performs in the weeks to come before proclaiming him the next big thing.

This brings us to the Browns’ quarterback situation, which after Darnold’s game last Monday night, have some fans and media people wondering why Hue Jackson doesn’t start first overall pick Baker Mayfield.

First, we do not think, nor never have thought, that Tyrod Taylor is a great QB. If you ranked the signal callers around the NFL, he would rank in the mid 20’s.

Should the Browns have drafted Mayfield to make him the starter down the line, perhaps even in the second half of the season? Absolutely.

However, if you look at Taylor’s career, last Sunday’s performance vs. Pittsburgh was an outlier. His completion percentage was the worst of any game he started in the NFL, his yards per attempt were the fifth lowest of any of his starts.

So, it appears to us that Taylor just played a poor game.

That said, the criticisms of the former Virginia Tech product seemed to be valid. He seemed hesitant to throw guys open, and the reason he doesn’t throw a lot of interceptions is he is conservative in his passing attempts.

Both were evident against the Steelers.

After having a quarterback who needed a handle on the ball to hold it a year ago in DeShone Kizer, we understand why John Dorsey and Hue Jackson wanted someone who wouldn’t give the ball to the opponents on a regular basis.

And don’t think for a minute that 1-31 over the past two seasons doesn’t figure in to the decision to go with Taylor either.

Management wanted a quarterback who wasn’t going to assist in losing games. Is that a defeatist attitude? Probably, but when you’ve won once in the last two seasons, you want a passer who isn’t going to make big mistakes and cost the team a victory.

You would think going along with that, you would want to run the ball and play defense to keep your team in games and have a chance to win. They didn’t emphasize the run much, and that’s something to keep your eye on.

But let’s see how Taylor does in the coming weeks, especially in a game where a driving rainstorm isn’t happening. If he struggles like he did in the opener against New Orleans and the Jets, then you can start to have a conversation about putting Mayfield in the starting lineup.

If Taylor’s entire career was similar to the Steelers’ game, then it would be a different story, but the evidence shows he just played a poor game.

No decision should be made based on one week of play in the National Football League. We understand that there are only 16 games, so there is greater importance.

Don’t Forget, Dorsey Is Human

Tonight, the newest edition of the Cleveland Browns take the field in an exhibition game (we refuse to call them pre-season) against the New York Giants.

We really aren’t going to pay attention to the final score (it doesn’t matter) or get overly enthusiastic about the performance of players because we don’t know how the two head coaches are playing the game.

That is to say, are they playing a vanilla defense (probably), how much will the starters play (not much), and are they forcing things for different players, mostly guys on the bubble, to see how they handle it?

Remember, the Cleveland Browns, 0-16 in the regular season in 2017, went 4-0 in exhibition games.

If that’s not Exhibit A in making the argument that these games don’t matter, then nothing is.

However, the Browns were in the news this past week, because of the debut of Hard Knocks on HBO, and because their wide receiving position came under scrutiny.

GM John Dorsey traded former first round pick WR Corey Coleman to Buffalo for a 7th round pick in 2019. We don’t understand this move at all, but our reaction to the media’s coverage was interesting.

Why not keep Coleman around during the exhibition season to see what he can do? Coleman battled injury issues in both of his seasons with the Browns, playing in just 19 of 32 games, catching 56 passes with five touchdowns.

Did he deserve his draft status? No, but to be fair, he’s been injured. We agree that availability is an ability, but it’s also not as though the Browns’ wide receiver room has a plethora of talented wide outs.

We don’t know what Coleman is like in the locker room, and for all we know, he’s a giant pain, which may be the reason he was moved early in training camp. But the fact that not many reporters really took task with the GM about the trade shows the sheep mentality of the people who cover the Browns.

We get the feeling that Dorsey could deal Myles Garrett for a fourth round pick and he would get support.

This isn’t an indictment on Dorsey, even though we didn’t like the move. However, Dorsey will make mistakes, and it is alright for the media to disagree with him.

Remember, many of them clamored for a “football guy”, and they got him. We guess that means they have to follow in lock step.

The GM’s gamble to draft WR Antonio Callaway may also be coming back to haunt. Callaway had a boatload of issues in his career at Florida, and had a diluted urine test at the NFL Combine.

No doubt he has a load of talent, but is he worth the potential headaches he might provide. The first headache is already here and we haven’t even played the first practice game.

Perhaps this will be the last time Callaway ever has a problem. However, it’s not a good look for a new GM trying to change the culture in Berea. The Browns have had a bunch of craziness at the wide receiver spot over the last several years. Jarvis Landry can change all that, Callaway continues the problem.

No matter, Baker Mayfield will probably play well tonight, and we can start the fans and media alike clamoring for him to play right away.

Don’t get hooked. The best thing for the first overall pick is to watch and learn. Somehow, we think logic won’t get in the way for the people who watch.

Browns Should Be Patient With Baker

Philosopher George Santayana is credited with saying “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

This couldn’t be more apt for the Cleveland Browns right now. Once the team drafted Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, fans and media alike have been wondering when the rookie from Oklahoma will become the starting quarterback.

We continue to hope the Browns’ coaching staff and front office will resist the temptation to put Mayfield in there, at least until perhaps the last four games of the season.

We understand that other quarterbacks have moved right into the starting lineup for their teams over the past few years, guys like Carson Wentz, Jameis Winston, and Marcus Mariota, but there was unique circumstances here.

First, none of the teams those QBs played on did not win a game the year prior, nor did any of them win just one game over the past two seasons.

GM John Dorsey brought in Taylor because he’s a professional, putting up a 22-20 record as a starter over three seasons in Buffalo. He should start the season, and if he is putting up some wins, why wouldn’t Hue Jackson stay with him?

It’s not like all quarterbacks drafted high start as rookies, either. Sure, the quartet we mentioned did, but from last year’s class, Patrick Mahomes didn’t start until the last week of the season.

From the 2016 class, Jared Goff didn’t start until a little over the halfway point in the season.

And last season’s rookies that did start weren’t really replacing quarterbacks as good as Taylor. Mitch Trubisky took over after Mike Glennon started the first four games and put up more than 20 points just once.

Deshaun Watson took over in the first half of the first game for Tom Savage after he was awful in a 29-7 loss to Jacksonville in the season lidlifter. Savage was 6 for 13 for 62 yards and was sacked six times when he was benched.

Look, we understand that Taylor isn’t Tom Brady or a player who would ever be ranked in the top ten of QB’s around the league. However, he’s got a much better track record than Glennon or Savage.

With a very young team, the Browns need a veteran presence at quarterback to start the season off.

And even if Mayfield plays lights out during the exhibition, fans and media alike will have to remember he will probably be playing against a bunch of players who will likely not be on NFL rosters come week one.

This is not to doubt the ability of Mayfield, who we liked coming out of college, and we have no reason to not trust Dorsey’s selection as the future franchise quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.

Another argument used to rush the first overall pick into action is his age. Heck, he’s 23, you’ve got to get him in there. Mayfield is 23, not 33. Even if he doesn’t play at all in 2018, good QBs are playing into their late 30’s these days. It’s conceivable he could still play for 15 years.

The Browns have had a history of starting signal callers too early. DeShone Kizer was clearly not ready. Neither was Cody Kessler, Johnny Manziel, or Brandon Weeden.

Why not try something different and have the rookie watch and learn a bit before putting him on the field. We also understand that Mayfield is a competitive guy and wants to play as soon as possible.

That doesn’t mean the Browns should go ahead and put him in there before he is ready. The best plan is for him to sit and watch for awhile. There is no reason to rush the process.

Browns Adding Players At Important Positions

Browns’ GM John Dorsey has been full of surprises during this NFL Draft. Well, surprises to the fans and draftniks out there, at least.

Our guess (and reports have indicated this) is that Dorsey has known for a long time who he wanted and who he would take with both the first and fourth picks, and because they were different players than the national media reported, some people are disappointed.

We have always believed we will trust the professional talent evaluators until they give us a reason not to. That’s why we won’t second guess the front office’s choices this week.

Besides, we like Baker Mayfield as a quarterback. Yes, we would have preferred UCLA’s Josh Rosen, but said we wouldn’t have a problem with him, Sam Darnold, or Mayfield.

As for the pick being a reach, most mock drafts we saw had Mayfield going no later than at pick #3 to the Jets, so taking him two picks earlier isn’t a big deal.

The Heisman Trophy winner is accurate and has a strong arm. The biggest rap on him is his height, so he most definitely can become an elite quarterback. That said, we would still have him sit most, if not all of his rookie season, so he can learn the pro game before taking the field.

He’s 23 years old, not 28 or 33, so if he doesn’t play this season, it is quite possible he could be the Browns’ QB for 10-15 years if his performance merits.

In our opinion, the next most important position on defense after pass rusher is cornerback, so we understand the selection of Denzel Ward at #4.

Many thought the Browns really liked NC State pass rusher Bradley Chubb, but we think the Browns’ brass were impressed with Emmanuel Ogbah, and decided to go with someone who can guard wide receivers.

This goes along with what Dorsey did in free agency, when he added TJ Carrie, Terrance Mitchell, and E.J. Gaines, pretty much turning over the position.

Besides, we remember the last time the Browns were a perennial contender, their defense was built around two shutdown corners, Hanford Dixon and Frank Minniefield.

Friday night, Dorsey added to one of the team’s strengths selecting Austin Corbett, interior lineman from Nevada. This was the Browns taking the best player left on their board.

After correctly passing on Saquon Barkley in round one, by taking Nick Chubb from Georgia. Chubb will join Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson to form a running attack Hue Jackson can have confidence in.

WR Antonio Callaway (4th round) has had all sorts of issues in his collegiate career, but if (and that’s a big if) he can stay out of trouble, he has first round talent.

LB Genard Avery is great get in round five. He should play in the middle and could be a leader on special teams. He should be a contributor in 2018.

As we said previously, until given reasons otherwise, we trust the Dorsey and his staff of talent evaluators who have a proven track record. We also reject the notion that Mayfield and Ward were reaches.

Both of them were considered among the best, if not the best player available at their respective positions.

So relax Browns’ fans. They are better today than on Wednesday before the draft started. The bigger question is will the head coach get the most out of this group?

Browns Can’t Gamble At Quarterback This Time.

In about two and a half weeks, the Cleveland Browns will select their potential future franchise quarterback with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Forget about the mock drafts which have Cleveland taking Penn State RB Saquon Barkley, when the best signal caller you have had since returning to the NFL in 1999 is Tim Couch, you need to address the position.

By the way, that’s not a slight at Couch, who was battered and beaten during his time here because the offensive line was not built at that time.

Really, the last time the Browns have had a QB who ranked in the top ten in the league was when Bernie Kosar was behind center. That was 25 years ago.

We disagree with those who say GM John Dorsey should take a passer who has the biggest upside. After going 1-31 over the past two seasons, and having a void at the position for years and years, we feel you have to take the player with the highest floor, and in our opinion, that player is UCLA QB Josh Rosen.

Rosen was considered one of the three best passers coming out of high school, and basically has held that ranking throughout his college career.

The scouting report on him has him as the most natural pocket passer, with great mechanics and a tight spiral. Since we believe the most successful NFL teams win with pocket quarterbacks, we would seem to be a player who will be a solid pro passer.

We wouldn’t be overly upset if Dorsey selected USC signal caller Sam Darnold, because he’s only 20 years old, and has a lot of upside. His biggest strength is accuracy, but he had turnover issues last year in college.

Baker Mayfield is another player we like, but we worry about his upside since he is turning 23 years old on Saturday.

The NFL media is drooling over Wyoming’s Josh Allen, because he’s 6’5″ and can throw the ball 70 yards in the air. However, accuracy is of the upmost importance in the NFL, the ability to throw receivers open.

That’s the rap on Allen. We believe the national draft pundits are trying to be the guys who are touting the next Carson Wentz, the guy from a small school who becomes a big NFL passer.

Perhaps Allen will be the next Wentz or the next Ben Roethlisburger, but what if he’s the next Derek Anderson or Paxton Lynch? In our opinion, you cannot take that chance with the first overall pick in the draft.

Yes, the Browns have upgraded the position for this year by getting a solid veteran in Tyrod Taylor. But that doesn’t mean you can gamble at #1.

After all these years with no quarterback, you simply must get someone who will be able to handle the position for the next ten years.

Rosen may not seem like a guy who wants to play here, but if Dorsey and the front office like him, they need to sell him that things will be different now, and this is a team that can grow together with young players like Myles Garrett, Emmanuel Ogbah, David Njoku, and the others picked in the last two years along with this draft class.

This is not the time to gamble. You have Taylor for this year and maybe the next, but all that does it buy time for whoever you take to develop so he can take over.

It’s not time to take a project. Take a quarterback who has played against the best college competition.

Free Agency Frenzy Improves Browns

Since last Friday afternoon, GM John Dorsey is remaking the Cleveland Browns with a series of trades and free agent signings.

He attacked the biggest weak points on the team, and in doing so, he didn’t touch the organization’s biggest draft assets, their picks in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.

There are critics on the deal for QB Tyrod Taylor, which cost the team the highest pick they gave up, the first pick in the third round, but if you think of that pick as the Browns’ sixth draft choice, it makes a lot of sense.

Taylor is the antithesis of what Cleveland has had at quarterback for much of the recent past, he takes care of the football.

In the midst of all this talent acquisition though, came the loss of the Browns’ best player, Joe Thomas.

An perennial all pro, Thomas will head to Canton and the Hall of Fame in five years. It is a shame that he never got to play in a playoff game during his time in brown and orange.

Dorsey addressed the offensive line and the secondary in the first days of free agency.

In the defensive backfield, he signed CB T.J. Currie (from Oakland), who should claim a starting role and CB Terrance Mitchell (from Kansas City), who will provide depth at the position.

We also feel strongly that one of Cleveland’s first five picks will be used on another cornerback, perhaps Ohio State’s Denzel Ward.

Dorsey needed to replace Thomas on the offensive line, and perhaps T Chris Hubbard from the Steelers, who wasn’t a starter, but played well when pressed into duties with Pittsburgh last season.

Hubbard, 26, could get a crack at replacing Thomas at left tackle, or perhaps Shon Coleman could move there, or one will be drafted.

The only other free agent that will likely be a front line players will be RB Carlos Hyde, who replaces Isaiah Crowell, who went to the Jets.

Hyde is a bigger back, the kind we believe the coaching staff prefers. He can pound in between the tackles, which really Crowell was better at too, but Hue Jackson seemed intent on running him outside.

He’s also a better receiver. All in all, it’s probably a wash, and look for the Browns to add a running back in the first two rounds of next month’s draft.

The rest of the signees were about building depth, most notably DE Chris Smith from the Bengals, and after the last two seasons, Dorsey needed to have options when the injuries which inevitably hit an NFL team come around.

All in all, this free agent class doesn’t really affect how the front office will view the draft.

The Browns will still be looking for a quarterback, a running back, another pass rusher to pair with Myles Garrett, a left tackle, and cornerbacks.

Outside of running back, those are perhaps the most important positions on the football field. And the Browns are looking for great players at those spots, guys who impact the game.

You generally can’t get those people in free agency, meaning right now, we like the new GM’s approach at this time of the year.

Browns’ Reboot Begins Big Time

As NFL teams started making moves last week, the cynics out there were making subtle jabs at Browns’ GM John Dorsey for not being involved.

On Friday, Dorsey basically told those people to shut up.

The GM started the procedure to get the brown and orange to a competitive level with a trio of moves and left the five picks the organization has accumulated in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft intact.

First, he traded a 4th this year and a 7th in 2019 to Miami to get WR Jarvis Landry, a three time Pro Bowler. The Dolphins are over the salary cap and wanted to dump the receivers’ salary and Dorsey was happy to take him off Miami’s hands for a relatively cheap price.

Landry was averaged 100 catches per season in his four years with the Dolphins and gives the Browns a reliable target, one who will catch the football.

True, Miami targeted him a lot, and his average yards per catch is low, but he is only 25 years old and to get him for nothing higher than a fourth rounder is a feather in the new GM’s cap.

Next Dorsey showed he’s the guy in charge of things in Berea by trading the 65th overall pick next month for QB Tyrod Taylor.

Taylor is the perfect bridge quarterback for the Browns, holding the position for whoever the team selects with the first overall pick in April. And make no mistake, they will pick the future franchise QB in the draft.

Taylor is the antithesis of what Browns’ fans have seen over the past two seasons, meaning he takes care of the football.

He’s 29 years old, has a 22-20 record as a starter (with Buffalo), and he led the league in interception percentage last season at 1.0%.

He’s not a gunslinger, barely throwing for over 3000 yards in his best yardage years, but he does not make the crucial mistake. Plus, he’s mobile too, rushing for more than 427 yards in each of his three seasons as the Bills’ starter.

He will allow whatever rookie is drafted to sit and watch for awhile. Fans who think this trade will give Cleveland the option of not drafting a QB with the first overall pick are crazy.

It also shows the GM is in charge as the team didn’t go after Hue Jackson’s guy, A.J. McCarron.

And with the next move Dorsey made, the Browns might be looking for another passer too.

He sent last year’s starter DeShone Kizer to Green Bay for CB Damarious Randall, a former first round pick, and a swap of draft picks in the 4th and 5th rounds.

The best thing for Kizer is to watch for awhile, and he will get that opportunity in Green Bay. Even if Taylor were to get hurt this season, it wouldn’t have been good for the Browns to put Kizer back in.

His confidence had to have been shattered by last season’s disaster.

Randall has started 30 games in the NFL in three seasons, picking off 10 passes, and defending 32 more.

He is the first piece in rebuilding a secondary that is currently a weakness for the Browns. We believe another piece will be added with one of the five picks Cleveland has in the firs two rounds, and also with a high priced free agent, maybe the Rams’ Trumaine Johnson.

There are rumors that Randall may be moved to free safety with the Browns, who have said Jabril Peppers will move to strong safety.

It was a day the Browns started to get better, and there are rumors another big move will come before the free agent signing period gets under way.

The asset accumulation period is over, and the talent acquisition phase has kicked in for the Cleveland Browns. Hopefully, the days of one win in two years are over.

Browns’ Draft Thoughts

In two months, the endless draft talk regarding what the Cleveland Browns should do after a pair of horrific seasons which netted one win in 32 games.

Looking at the draft, we agree with the notion that former Browns GM Ernie Accorsi has said, the two most important positions in pro football are quarterback and a guy who can get to the quarterback.

Certainly, the brown and orange need a passer. They haven’t had one since Bernie Kosar was unceremoniously released in 1993.

They got a guy who can get to the QB last season in Myles Garrett, but like pitching in baseball, you can never have too many pass rushers.

We think Emmanuel Ogbah can develop into a great bookend with Garrett, but we think GM John Dorsey will look for another player who can get to the opposing team’s passer.

Still, we feel the offensive and defensive lines are the team’s strengths, although the Browns have to be on the lookout for Joe Thomas’ replacement whether or not he retires prior to next season or not.

Besides quarterback, in our opinion, the biggest needs for the organization are the secondary, including linebacker, and running back.

We would also say that anyone who feels the Browns can pass on a passer with the first overall pick are crazy. Again, it’s been 25 years since Cleveland has had a top 10 quarterback in the NFL.

Which one of the college QBs would we take? The guy who has the highest floor, the one who has the lowest bust factor. We think that is Josh Rosen.

Rosen was the premier prep quarterback coming into college as a freshman, meaning he was at the top of the class then, and he has maintained that position.

That said, we like Baker Mayfield a lot too. And if Dorsey and his cadre of talent evaluators think he is the answer, then we would have no problem with the Browns selecting him.

After all, if they are right, then the Browns are a step closer to competing for a Super Bowl.

There are a lot of draft “experts” who rate Penn State running back Saquon Barkley as the best player in this year’s draft.

While we certainly have seen running backs help teams transform into winners the past two seasons with Zeke Elliott in Dallas and Leonard Fournette in Jacksonville, we don’t put Barkley in the same category.

Barkley is a home run hitter, but we have questions as to whether he can take the pounding of getting 20-25 carries every week in the NFL.

Besides, this year is purported to be a deep running back draft, so you can get a solid back with one of your second round selections.

We would be more intrigued with CB/S Minkah Fitzpatrick from Alabama, DE Bradley Chubb from NC State, or CB Josh Jackson from Iowa, all of whom would fill a big need for the Browns.

We would probably look for Thomas’ replacement with one of the four selections the Browns have from pick #33 through #65, as well as one of the spots they didn’t fill with the fourth overall choice.

Trading down? We would stay away from that, in fact, we would probably look to trade back up for another first rounder.

If they would consider moving down, it should only be to drop two or three slots, so you can still get the guy you like.

There will be plenty of speculation between now and April 26th, particularly this week with NFL Draft Combine going on. Although, none of the candidates have played a game since January.

There. We got that out of our system. No more draft talk until at least April.

Browns QB Shouldn’t Just Be Jackson’s Decision

There is no question the Cleveland Browns are looking for a quarterback, and after a 1-31 record the past two seasons, that’s the correct decision.

You can make a very good argument that the best QB play the Browns have had over that span is from Cody Kessler, who faces an uphill fight to make the roster in 2018.

The list for GM John Dorsey may have gotten a little bit longer the other day with the news of Cincinnati backup passer, A.J. McCarron was declared an unrestricted free agent.

Of course, the Browns famously had a deal worked out for the free agent at last season’s trade deadline, reportedly giving up a 2nd and 3rd round pick, but the paperwork was not turned into the league office in time, so the transaction did not go through.

There are media members saying there is a very good chance McCarron will sign with the Browns when the free agent signing period opens, because coach Hue Jackson wants him and the front office should accommodate that request.

That’s ridiculous!

First, we have nothing against McCarron, who could prove to be a fine bridge quarterback until whoever the Browns take in round one is ready to play.

Our objection to the proposed deal was the cost. Those two picks were too high of a price for McCarron, who hasn’t started a game since 2015, and his high in passing yards in his three NFL starts is 200 yards.

But signing him because that’s who Jackson wants is beyond laughable. The coach has a 1-31 record with Cleveland, and it is quite likely the only people on the planet who would have kept him on for a third year with an NFL team are Jimmy and Dee Haslam.

He should have very little credibility, and his voice should just be one in the group of Dorsey’s new front office. Also, new offensive coordinator Todd Haley should be able to be part of the decision making process as well.

Let’s get off of this “quarterback whisperer” reputation that Jackson is supposed to have. Has Kessler, DeShone Kizer, and Kevin Hogan made any progress at the position in the past two years?

Jackson was the offensive coordinator in Washington in 2003. His quarterbacks were Patrick Ramsey and Tim Hasselbeck. They were 5-11.

In 2007, when Jackson was OC with the Falcons, the QBs were Joey Harrington, Chris Redman, and Byron Lefwich. Atlanta was 4-12.

He was the QB coach in 2008 and 2009 with Baltimore, coaching Joe Flacco, but sorry, Flacco is not an elite passer.

With the Raiders, he had Jason Campbell and traded a king’s ransom for Carson Palmer. Both seasons ended in a .500 record for Oakland, the first with Jackson as OC, the second as head coach.

And of course, with Cincinnati, he had Andy Dalton and McCarron, in two playoff seasons, which got him the gig with Cleveland.

Not exactly a list of Hall of Famers is it?

Really, our point here is simply to point out that Dorsey and the rest of the talent evaluators shouldn’t be doing anything because Hue Jackson wants it done. He hasn’t earned that gravitas.

If Dorsey and his group think Chase Daniel, Kirk Cousins, Tyrod Taylor, Case Keenum, or anyone else available to the Browns is a better option than A.J. McCarron, then that’s who they should sign.

And then get grab your possible franchise QB in the first round of April’s NFL Draft.