Browns Fire Head Coach Hue Jackson: Reports

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson has been fired, according to reports. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley was also fired.

The Browns lost Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers, falling to 2-5-1 on the season. It was the best start to a season Jackson had ever enjoyed. The Browns were 1-15 and 0-16 in Jackson's two other seasons as head coach.

It wasn't a good enough start to save Jackson's job, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who broke news of the coach's firing on Monday morning.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller noted that letting Jackson go during the season will give the franchise time to interview and evaluate candidates that can take over the head coach position long-term.

Firing Jackson will continue the image of the Browns as a coaching carousel, rotating lead men every few years. However, there's little argument to be made in defense of Jackson. During his tenure, he was consistently unable to win games, despite having new players and new assistants. All of the pieces changed on the losing Browns team...except Jackson.

Jackson joins a growing list of Browns head coaches that get fired after the second game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Schefter noted. Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmur, Rod Chudzinski, Mike Pettine were also let go after their second try at beating Pittsburgh during the regular season.

Patch wondered aloud last week if Jackson should continue to be employed by the Browns. After another overtime loss, that one to Tampa Bay, there was a growing and vocal contingent of fans that wanted a new head coach.

Jackson didn't help his case by giving a contentious post-game press conference that seemed to blame everyone else on his staff for the team's struggles. It continued an odd streak from the head coach. After his team proved itself historically inept last year, and went winless over the course of a season, Jackson spoke to the media and seemed to want praise for the job he was doing.

"I don't think anybody else could've did this job," Jackson said in a press conference last season. "I don't think anybody else could've stayed in this job for two years and been 1-31. A lot of coaches would've said 'uncle' after last year."

When John Dorsey was hired to become the team's new general manager in the off-season, many speculated he would fire Jackson and start fresh. He didn't. He gave Hue time to manage the team and a chance to improve the Browns' record with a fresh crop of new players.

His patience and faith were not rewarded. Cleveland has repeatedly lost close games this season. The Browns' two opening week contests may have been victories if Jackson had started prized No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield at quarterback. He didn't. He started Tyrod Taylor and the Browns floundered.

Speculation suggests defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will be named interim head coach.

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Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images