Bengals seriously consider hiring Hue Jackson as their head coach
Hue Jackson has the second-worst career record in the history of NFL coaches, but that has not stopped the Cincinnati Bengals from considering him for the head coaching job vacated – after 16 years – by Marvin Lewis. And Lewis, who has enjoyed a long-term friendship with Browns owner Mike Brown, is recommending Jackson as his most logical successor. “I think he’s an excellent coach,” Lewis said. “He’s detailed. I think he’s been in a couple of difficult situations, and it hasn’t broken his way.” Actually, Lewis had a better record in Oakland – 8-8 – than most Raiders coaches. But his 2.5 seasons in Cleveland set the all-time standard for futility. He lost 30 of his first 31 games before rallying to a 2-5-1 for 2018. Soon after the Browns fired him, Lewis hired Jackson as one of his assistants. Jackson’s performance with the Browns this season looks worse in light of his successor, Gregg Williams, going 4-2 with the same players. Still, Williams’ tenure was not extended. Perhaps the bar is lower in Ohio’s second-largest city, Cincinnati. It wasn’t just Jackson’s abysmal record that left bad impressions. There was his quarterback, Baker Mayfield, calling him “a fake.” And there was his farewell address, where he blamed his failure on personnel decisions by others. “We passed on three franchise quarterbacks the first two years in Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.”
Dear Coach: Never mind the fact that you were not recommending that the Browns select Wentz with their first pick in the 2016 draft. You said he was good but not THAT good.
Grizzlies in postgame locker-room scuffle: Temple vs. Casspi
J.B. Bickerstaff, coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, did not show up for his postgame press conference until 35 minutes after Wednesday’s game ended with their 101-94 loss to Detroit. He walked to the media room podium with eyes reddened. Appearing weary, he rested his head on his fist. His team had suffered its eighth loss in 10 games, and he dutifully answered questions about the problems that were mounting. And as the interrogation continued he admitted he was delayed by an impromptu team meeting, an airing of grievances. “A conversation that needed to be had that will stay between those of us that were in that locker room.” But of course, it didn’t stay entirely in the locker room. As reporters looked for what Bickerstaff was trying to hide, the story emerged that the meeting had turned physical. Veterans Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi scuffled. Marc Gasol said: “We were openly sharing our thoughts and trying to fix the situation and getting back into being a really good basketball team together and doing the things we need to do consistently to win games.” Mike Conley said, “Losing causes a lot of frustration at the end of the day. If we had won tonight, nobody’s talking.” Gasol said that the point has come when players must confront each other on team deficiencies. “I’ve worked on not being that critical with my teammates because in the past it’s created some problems. But now that’s going to change a little bit.”
Between the Lines: Apparently the dispute developed because Temple, a starter, was unhappy with lack of enthusiasm on the bench, a complaint that Casspi, a 12-minutes-per-game role-player, took personally. Such locker-room eruptions are not rare in the NBA, but most go unreported.
With Browns showing no interest in him, Arians looks to Tampa Bay for his return to coaching
Bruce Arians, who “retired” as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals at the end of the 2017 season, recently said he would return to coaching only if he could work for the Cleveland Browns, who have one of the most talented young QBs in the NFL in Baker Mayfield. The Browns apparently have not responded to Arians’ feeler, so the 66-year-old coach told Ian Rapaport of NFL Network that he’s looking in another direction: Tampa Bay. This news is surprising considering that the Buccaneers, much unlike the Browns, are not regarded as a rising power. The Bucs were 5-11 this season, and they are committed to one of the league’s most problematic QBs, Jameis Winston, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 draft. Winston is turnover-prone: 14 interceptions, 19 TDs after he was suspended for the first three games of the 2018 schedule because of allegedly groping a female Uber driver. But Bucs general manager Jason Licht has determined that Winston is the team’s franchise QB, and it will be up to the next coach to develop him. “I know Jason Licht,” Arians said, “so I would listen.” As offensive coordinator in Indianapolis, Arians was credited with developing the young Andrew Luck. And as head coach in Arizona, Arians achieved impressive results with the aging Carson Palmer.
Dear Coach: You damage your marketability by announcing what teams interest you. If the Browns and Bucs won’t interview you, others will be reluctant because they don’t want to be your third choice.
Antonio Brown is a no-show for practices, meetings and a crucial game
When the Pittsburgh Steelers listed All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown as inactive for the season finale against Cincinnati, the reason coach Mike Tomlin gave for the decision was “knee discomfort.” But multiple news reports circulated that Brown was healthy enough to play. He was being disciplined because he failed to show up for practice on Thursday and Friday and missed a walk-through and team meeting on Saturday. Additionally, NFL Network reported that during a Wednesday walkthrough Brown had an altercation with Ben Roethlisberger after the QB was unhappy with Brown’s route and called for a repeat of the play. Upset about being “shown up,” Brown tossed the football toward the feet of Roethlisberger, whose back was turned, preventing him from seeing the display of defiance. In his season-ending press conference Wednesday, Tomlin said Brown “didn’t do a good job of communicating or being available in the hours leading up to a significant game.” He said Brown also missed Monday’s team meetings. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported that Brown, who led the NFL this season with 15 TD receptions, has asked the team to trade him because he feels Tomlin is siding with Roethlisberger against him. Tomlin said Brown has not asked to be traded. But it’s known that the receiver is unhappy with Roethlisberger treating JuJu Smith-Schuster as his No. 1 target. Brown at 30 may be losing speed. But more troubling are several recent off-field incidents, the most alarming being a lawsuit filed against him in Miami after he allegedly tossed furniture from his 14th-story apartment, endangering a 22-month-old child at street level.
Between the Lines: Some Steelers players have been grumbling in the locker room about Tomlin using too light a hand in dealing with Brown. The Steelers would like to rid themselves of a constant distraction, but Brown’s contract ($21 million cap hit for next season) will be difficult to unload.
Raiders consider playing next season in London, sharing stadium with a soccer team
Although Jon Gruden, head coach and de facto CEO of the Oakland Raiders, has said he abhors intercontinental flights because they cause him to have vertigo, the Raiders are considering playing their 2019 home schedule in London. Several news sources, beginning last week with Jay Glazer of FOX NFL, have reported that other NFL teams have encouraged the Raiders to make this temporary move while they await completion of a stadium in Las Vegas. The Daily Mail of London reported the team is negotiating with the Tottenham Hotspurs, who expect to have a new 62,000-seat stadium in 2019. The proposal is for the Raiders to play on an artificial surface while the soccer team plays on natural grass. The Raiders would play four consecutive home games and then travel to America for four road games before returning to London for another four-game home stand.
Between the Lines: This would continue a trend toward more NFL in London. The league is already committed to playing four games there in 2019, and for several years there has been talk of a full-time NFL franchise in London.
