Hue Jackson will return to a place where he is missed and compete with some dear friends.
As much as the coach will try to suppress his feelings when he leads the Browns (0-6) against the Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, there are undeniable emotions tied to this game.
“You would expect that it probably means more to him,” Browns nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said. “I’m sure he wouldn’t say anything about it, but anytime you have sort of a homecoming, there’s a little added motivation and pressure.”
Jackson had quite a love affair with the Bengals.
He coached their wide receivers from 2004-06. Then after the Oakland Raiders fired him following an 8-8 record in his lone season as their head coach in 2011, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis threw him a lifeline. Jackson served as a secondary and assistant special teams coach for the Bengals in 2012, their running backs coach in 2013 and their offensive coordinator from 2014-15.
Quarterback Andy Dalton and the offense flourished under Jackson’s guidance, leading Lewis and Bengals owner Mike Brown to try to convince Jackson to stay in Cincinnati when the Browns were courting him this past January. They even presented Jackson with a succession plan in which, at Lewis’ suggestion, he would become head coach of the Bengals after the 2017 season, according to a lengthy NFL.com profile written in August by Jackson’s good friend, Michael Silver.
“We had clearly spoke of an opportunity for Hue to stay here if he so liked,” Lewis said during a conference call with reporters who cover the Browns. “And if that was what he chose to do, and then eventually, he would become the head coach.”
Lewis believes the arrangement would not have been awkward because he and Jackson are very close and have the same goals.
Jackson wasn’t as certain and ultimately chose to become head coach of the Browns on Jan. 13.
“That is Marvin’s football team,” Jackson said. “He’s been there a long time. It is hard to ever replace a best friend that way and be there waiting behind. I didn’t think it was the right thing for me to do. I didn’t think it would be right for their team.
“Meeting with [Browns owners] Dee and Jimmy [Haslam] and [head of football operations] Sashi [Brown] and [chief strategy officer] Paul [DePodesta], I thought it gave me the right opportunity and the right fit for me. Obviously, I will always be in debt to the Bengals, but I think I’m where I’m supposed to be right now.”
There’s no evidence Jackson has second-guessed his choice. After all, he’s publicly vowed to win a Super Bowl in Cleveland at least three times, even though the Browns have an ultra-young, injury-riddled roster and are the NFL’s only winless team.
But the growing pains haven’t been easy, and they won’t be anytime soon.
“I just continue to re-encourage him to stick to his plan,” Lewis said.
Jackson considers Lewis one of his best friends. They talk on the phone or text just about every week.
“I miss him, but we spent 10 years coaching together, so you love him like a brother that I never had,” Lewis said. “I have spent a lot of time with him. When we coached together, [he] has always done such a great job. He brings out the best and challenges everybody to be the best.”
Dalton can attest to the power of Jackson’s influence. He had the best statistical production of his career last year — completing 66.1 percent of his passes with 25 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a rating of 106.2 — until he suffered a season-ending fractured thumb in Week 14.
“Hue did a great job with me of understanding expectations and pushing me to be the best that I could be,” Dalton said during a conference call. “I think that was a big reason why my numbers were what they were last year and the success that we had.
“He is hard on his players, but he also makes it fun to play for him. When you are doing the right things and you are doing things the way he wants it done, he is very complimentary and he makes the atmosphere loose. I think that is why he is a great coach and why a lot of guys like to play for him.”
The Browns love to play for him despite their record.
“You want to get a win for him,” wide receiver Terrelle Pryor said. “Just like every game, you want to play your best for Coach Hue because he shows us every single day how much this game means to him and he coaches his butt [off].
“Coach Marvin said something like he misses him. Yeah, he misses him because he’s a great coach. He puts us in the right position all the time. It’s up to us to capitalize.”
There isn’t an opponent Jackson will be better prepared to game plan against than the Bengals.
“I know the [Bengals] players just like they know me,” Jackson said. “It won’t be about that. Those guys are a group of men that have won a lot of games together. They know how to play and have good coaches. It is a great organization, led by the Brown family. What I know is what I know. Just like what they know is what they know. The players will decide it.
“This is not about personal friendships, relationships or any of that. This is about trying to win a football game. We are trying to be the best we can be. Our guys are working their tails off to get prepared for a big game this week. This weekend won’t be about Marvin and Hue Jackson. It will be about our football teams.”
It’ll also be about Jackson going back to Cincinnati, even though he’s downplaying the reunion.
“This is not my first rodeo,” Jackson said. “It is not the first time I have been someplace else and gone someplace else. I have been through this before.
“I’m sure there will be some high-fives and handshakes to people who have meant a lot to my career, but we are there to play a game. That is what we are focused on.”
Asked if he can sense what this game means to Jackson, Browns special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said, “I can. Sure. There is no question.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.