Hue Jackson

[Mr. Scot]

In the discussion of potential head coaches (granted, Rivera isn't an absolute lock to be fired) a lot of people are interested in Hue Jackson.

 

So let's talk a little bit about him...

 

Jackson has been a head coach once before, but only for a year, and with the Raiders.  Some would say that doesn't amount to a real opportunity (Mike Shanahan used to say his time coaching the Raiders didn't count) but it's worth noting that in that one season, he led the Raiders to an 8-8 record.  Not bad for a first time head coach working for a lousy organization.

 

Now, you can rightly say "Yeah, that one season was decent, but it is just one season."  To which the responding argument would likely be "Well, that's one season more than a lot of other guys have."

 

Likewise, as a coordinator or an assistant, Jackson has a pretty consistent record of success.  he's known to be a pretty solid offensive mind and he runs a Coryell system, so the base offensive principles wouldn't require that much adjustment if Jackson were hired as the head coach.

 

So what's the downside?

 

Weeellllll, let's talk a little about his personality

 

If you watched Hard Knocks during the seasons they covered the Bengals, you've got a bit of a head start on this discussion.  Jackson can be a lot like Steve Smith in that what makes him good at his job also gives him a bad habit of rubbing people the wrong way.  And while a coach isn't generally meant to be a good PR person, bad working relationships can and often do have an effect on a team (just ask the people who work with Jim Harbaugh).

 

Being abrasive can also make job interviews a bit of an adventure.  One of the reasons it took Mike Zimmer a long time to get a head coaching job was that some GMs and owners found him a little too blunt.  Zimmer is the kind of guy whom, if asked "Does this make me look fat?" would likely respond "Hell yes, it makes you look fat!  Sh-t, how the f--k did you let your ass get that big?  Looks like a f--king side of beef!"

 

Jackson's been known to be kinda like that too.  Ironically enough, Jackson and Zimmer were known to clash occasionally when they were on the Bengals staff together, though it was generally understood they respected each other's abilities.  You do have to kinda wonder how well he'd get along with a guy like Dave Gettleman or, for that matter, Jerry Richardson (who famously didn't get along with the super high strung Bill Polian).

 

Of course, Jackson would be spending more time with players than with brass.  And while most players expect a coach to be gruff, there are some who have been known to not respond all that well to guys like Jackson.  How well would Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, Thomas Davis and others respond to someone like that?

 

So what's your verdict?  Interested?  Hopeful?  Better options elsewhere?  No chance he gets hired here?  What?

[Mr. Scot]

Someone mind deleting this cloned thread, please?

 

I tried, but it won't let me.