DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Hue Jackson impressed with culture in Browns locker room: 'That's when you know you’re on your way'

Hue Jackson impressed with culture in Browns locker room: 'That's when you know you’re on your way'

Jackson said Cleveland's veterans have taken ownership of the culture

The Browns completed their third week of offseason workouts on Thursday afternoon and in seven days, they’ll welcome 21 new faces — including 10 draft picks — to Berea for rookie minicamp.

Those rookies will be immediately entrenched in a culture that head coach Hue Jackson on Thursday described as strong as it’s been in two years.

“I think the beautiful part for me is I don’t have to carry the message, the players are,” Jackson said on Cleveland Browns Daily.

“I think the culture is so strong in our locker room that's there's a way we do things and what the expectation is and I don't have to talk about that anymore, the players do it. And I think that's when you know you’re on your way, and that's what it’s going to be like when the new guys walk in the building.”

After a 1-15 season that saw the Browns struggle because of inexperience, injuries and a lack of depth, they fortified their offensive line in free agency and added several talented players via the draft whom they hope will contribute next season.

The Browns have two more weeks of offseason workouts before OTAs begin May 15. Rookie minicamp is set for May 12-14, which will be the first time Jackson and Co. get their hands on the likes of defensive end Myles Garrett (the No. 1 overall pick), safety Jabrill Peppers (No. 25), tight end David Njoku (No. 29) and quarterback DeShone Kizer (No. 52).

Fifty-seven members of Cleveland’s 89-man roster are in either their first or second NFL season. Jackson said those youngsters will have no choice but to follow a foundation laid by veterans like Joe Thomas and Joe Haden.

“It won't be me talking about it,” Jackson said, “I think these guys have committed to a standard that they truly believe in, that they believe is going to give us a chance to get this turned around.“

And the people that become a part of it have to meet that standard,” Jackson continued, “or they can’t be in that locker room.”

Cool story. It reminds me of a lot of other stories we've seen around this time of the year in the past. I'll wait for the results on the field.

Have the Brown's practiced since the end of last year? Because if they haven't.......would't the culture of the locker room helped w/the win total last year?

Or, is this just another fluff piece?

I believe this was the first time the vets have been with the rookies.



Yes.

Oh thanks. I did not know that.

We have earned the right to be skeptical and this is a pretty fluffy piece. However, I do see some real and better differences this year:

Roster tear-down and re-build. We've never done it quite like this before. One could argue that it even went too far.

We have a head coach who has a fair amount of experience in the league. As a matter of fact, he was arguably the #1 HC candidate available the day we signed him.

We used free agency and the waiver wire to acquire guys that fit the apparent parameter for comp picks, potential and age. NOT to band-aid the wound with little to no impact other than writing big checks.

It is rather apparent that the Coaches and FO are in synch, they have a plan and are sticking to it (with for better or worse yet to be determined) and the owner has calmed himself down.

We plucked (4) of the first 64 players in the draft and have a shot at (5) of the first 64 players in the next draft.

This year is different...just like every other year was different. But this looks and feels like a much better kind of different. "They" still have to execute and "we" have every right to remain skeptical until they do.

I'd say Fluff....

We've been fluffed up like marshmallows since 1999 .. coincidentally, we play like them too

As a team, yup,, Gotta agree. But there have been plenty of players here since 1999 that gave it there all. Joe Thomas comes to mind. Mack comes to mind.

But overall, Sta Puff has nothing on us.

...or optimistic until they don't.

Agreed. My non-marshmallow team would include guys like Thomas, Mack, Cribbs, and a select few others

Just Win

It is all fluff until/unless they back it up.
They've earned nothing, yet.

What I really was asking was about the locker room. Have we had workouts already? I know OTA's haven't started, but I didn't get that part about the guys in the locker room. Is he talking about last year's locker room or has the team actually met this year? I'm seriously confused because I didn't think they had met this year?????????

Obviously, Hue said what he said. He thinks his locker room is improved and he likes it and he gave good reasons for what he said he saw and felt.

But, You never hear this kinda stuff coming out of the Pats coach or the Steelers coach. That's because everyone already knows their locker rooms are solid.

Ours probably hasn't been for most of the time since 1999.

I have no idea what that means really, it's just that this comes across to me like Fluff. When we see it in a game, we'll know if it's real.

JMO

The building has been open to the players for 3 weeks now. It's all voluntary. The strength coaches are the only ones who can have any real hands on at this point.

I am sure other coaches are there, talking to guys, but they can't be putting the players through drills or anything like that.

I believe that there has been nothing except the regular offseason workout program, thus far - so, no... no organized practices, per se, but the guys are in the building and as such they would be going about things a certain way - and making sure the newer guys did as well.

Okay............thanks to you and peen. His comments make more sense now.

Here you go Vers, via Cleveland dot com.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/04/cleveland_browns_offseason_wor_1.html

Many of us have played sports. And I would say if you're a good motivator, it's not that difficult to jazz your players up when your record is 0-0. When and if losses begin to pile up, that task becomes more difficult.

The only way to change the culture is over time. It doesn't just magically appear when your last seasons record was 1-15. Now I don't doubt that the players may be upbeat and positive. But that's a far cry from a change in culture.

I think another thing that can be done to improve changing the culture is to get rid of players who have been through several or more seasons of losing. They can get beaten down by it year after year. I think that's one reason a lot of guys were let go. It's hard to improve the culture though talk because talk, like the losing, gets old.

I also think that's one reason they kept all 14 draft picks last year. That's 14 guys who've never experienced losing at this level. They haven't been beaten down by it. Of course, those who stuck with the team last year have now had their first real bad losing season but should be able to rebound from it.

It's posted on here somewhere that 57 of the 89 players the Browns have now are either first or second-year players. Of course all of those won't be on the final roster but over half of them have not experienced consistent losing at the Pro level.

I think a young team can bounce back better since they haven't been punched in the gut so many times.

I certainly have to agree that I think you have a point from that mental aspect of it. Good food for thought!

I don't know. It is probably open to anyone who wants to go there and not pay a gym membership. I am just saying the voluntary, team sponsored workouts started around 3 weeks ago.

i remember one off season when I was in high school I visited a friend at Baldwin Wallace (maybe 2003 or so?)

anyways, we would play pickup basketball with Jamel White (remember him? shifty back, had a few decent years for us). He was, by all accounts, one of our 'good guys'. Always had a good attitude, good teammate, etc.

I distinctly remember him being honest with us about how demoralizing it was to be with the Browns. Basically, no hope and the losses became meaningless.

A few things about that have always stuck with me:
1. He was considered a good teammate ... imagine the BAD ones
2. That was during a time when we weren't THAT bad ... like, we made the playoffs around there
3. It's gotta be that same feeling for most players

The only way to rid that culture is to do what we're doing IMO. Go young. Purge the rest. From the ground up.

Wow.............that's an interesting story.

As a former coach.......I know this. You can talk a great game. You can preach about outworking the opponent. You can preach being a great teammate. You can get your guys to work way harder than they ever have before and make more sacrifices than they ever dreamed of............but, you better have some success.

Because, after awhile........players will start asking why the hell are we doing all this and we're not winning any games. LOL......I remember putting on that brave, hard-ass front w/my players so many times, but a part of me was pretty damn scared that we wouldn't have early success.

Winning breeds winning and losing breeds losing. ddub talked about it earlier and he is right on.

Bottom line: we gotta win some games this year. I think our talent has improved, but man, the QB position is a huge concern, as our the WRs and secondary.

I really like Hue. It would be a shame to lose him.

Yep. Great quote here. Even if it's small success at first. It is imperative that we don't have another abysmal year IMO.

Maybe an attitude like that is why Jamel White ended up playing for the Toronto freaking Argonauts.
And like you suggested, 2001-2003 is considered our golden years, post 1999.

I would add Joe Haden and Phil Dawson to that group.

I agree we need to see some wins this year, and I think we will. At least I hope we will.

I am not as concerned with the seconday, but the other two have big question marks. I think the QB room is a bit better, but the WR room is a probably a push. Britt probably isn't as good as Pryor, but some of the other guys should be better than last year. Time for us to catch a break at QB. Kessler blooms, Brock finds his magic, or Kiser studs. How good would that be if we could go in to next draft without the burning need to grab a QB?

As for Hue, I might not be as sold on him as you, but unless he does some really stupid things, I don't think he goes anywhere this season. Even if we only win 1 game, unless as I said, you can pin losses directly on stupid decisions. I think the following season is when Hue hits the hot seat. If we falter this year, and don't improve in 18, he might not make it past the bye.

I was having a similar flow of thought when reading your post. Looking at position groups this year vs last year:

QB - I'll call it a slight improvement because the default starter will be a year older and get a chance to get prepared before the season begins - unlike last year. PLUS we have a potential guy to groom who is thought of as a potential future FQB.

RB - I'll call it a push. We need a third back to make this group better than last year.

WR - I'll call it a slight improvement based on my belief that the young guys from last year simply cannot be as invisible this year as they were last year, right? That also assumes that Britt/Pryor is a push.

TE - I think that group is better with the chance of being much better. DeValve & Telfar will have another year under their belts and Njoku is more-suited to Hue's offense than was GB. It may take a few games for those group to surpass last year's group. I'd feel better if GB was still in that group.

OL - Significantly better and much deeper. If S Coleman comes on, this group could be dramatically better.

DL - I think the entire D will be better under GW than Horton. We need an AFC North attitude. Switching to a 4-3 would have been an improvement all by itself. Then we went out and drafted the stud DE and two guys to play the other DT. Ogbah/Nassib/Shelton with another year of experience and preparation.

LB - Again better if for no other reason than the new DC and the switch to a 4-3. We need depth but didn't have that last year either. In a 4-3 set with JP at SS, who is the 3rd LB? Still fewer questions than last year.

DB - Better...maybe much better...but the group was bad last year. Another year for the promising young guys and Haden supposedly healthy. I'm not going to project improvemrnt due to increased QB pressure until it actually...you know...happens.

K - Better...even if Parkey wins the job. Last year's last minute-ness was an issue for more than just the Miami game.

P - Same...which isn't a bad thing.

LS - Super Bowl.

STs - I think this group will be interesting. JP solves the PR problem - which was putrid last year. Alford was decent at KR but I'm not sure he makes the team. I think we will keep "a lot" of OL & DL which limits the number of potential ST guys. Our LB group outside the top 2 is fairly non-descript and the guys who stick will absolutely have to be ST guys. I think JP - alone - makes this group better.

I have to once again agree with you. lol

I believe it's far too early to bash or be sold on the coaching staff or the FO. I believe the middle ground is certainly a reasonable and logical place to be at this point. The only results we have actually seen to date is a 1-15 season. Now that doesn't mean that's the only measurable that one looks for, but it's the only tangible results there are to gauge them on.

I do like this draft better than last draft. I do like the FA moves they've made. I do like what I perceive as an upgrade in our DC.

For me it's more about making wholesale changes in the FO or coaching staff before they actually have the time to implement a plan. To me they need the time to acquire and develop the talent needed to execute their plan.

I do agree that if we see sheer stupidity on a large scale, we may need to re-think things. But I don't see anyone flipping a coin to decide who our staring QB is for quite some time to come. lol

It seems that logical discussions are becoming more frequent and I LIKE IT!

Nice post, Pit.

I think expectations are a bit high, but I could be misconstruing other's opinions of our team. I read bone's thread and people are saying we are 4, 5, 6, and even a 9. That means they think we are a middle of the pack team or even better.

I don't see it. We don't have a viable qb at this time. Our WRs are poor. We don't have a TE who is dependable. Our secondary is probably the worst in the league. We have very little experience. We don't have many guys who have won elsewhere. We endured a 1 win season a year ago.

Man, that's a lot to overcome.

Now...........I am NOT saying that the FO blows or anything close to that. What I am saying is that this team is a ways away from being truly competitive.

So bro...............here is my question: If the Browns win 1, 2, or even 3 games next year..........what will the fans and media be saying about Hue and the coaching staff considering they have been raving about how great our off-season has been?

Not sure if you remember this..........but, I did not like the Horton hire all that much last year. I was bad-mouthing it and people were attacking me and pointing out how we were 9th in overall defense last time he was here. My point is that I knew the defensive talent sucked and that we got rid of a lot of our vets and that this D would struggle. I predicted SEVERAL times that Horton was going to be the fall guy.

What happened, bro? At the end, I was defending the guy I bashed and all the "positive posters" were saying he had to go and later supported the move to fire him.

One year later.............I am now predicting that HUe is going to receive the blame next year.

I think that will be a mistake. I think Hue is a good coach and we should keep him no matter what. The players respect him. They play hard for him. He is a good teacher. He has high goals.

He just doesn't have the necessary talent/experience to compete next year.........and firing him would be yet another huge mistake!

I think regardless of what happens Hue, the coaching staff, and the FO should be here at least 4 more seasons (counting 2017)

Actually give the FO time to build a roster.

Actually give the coaching staff time to implement schemes (so stop changing them)

Because I believe (hope) that by year 4-5, when everyone can come in to TC and not have to learn anything. And just get better.. that's what we need to be building towards.

Maybe Kessler or Kizer aren't the guy. (Brock obviously isn't)

But if you give this team 4 years to add talent, while keeping the same scheme. We will actually be able to do that thing everyone always says we should do. And "plug and play" a QB. Whether he's a vet or we trade up for a rookie.

Keep preaching it, brother!

That's the problem with the media and a lot of fans. While it's true that W's and L's are the bottom line, when building a team where your talent is young and developing, you have to look deeper than that.

You have to look more big picture. Are the players giving their all? Are the units starting to gel together? Injuries. No matter what anyone says, we both know that a lot of injuries to a younger team lacking in quality depth have a huge impact. Is there increased competitiveness as the season continues? There are many other factors but I believe you get my meaning.

Even with all that said, you also have to consider whether or not the FO drafted quality talent. As we've seen in the past, FO's have failed miserably at drafting good talent then people blame the coaches for not developing talent. So from my perspective coaches are far too quickly blamed and dismissed without actually seeing whether their plans would have worked long term or not.



Yes, I remember.



I think we agree on what happened here on the board because it seems some fans change like the wind in support of whoever is in the FO and their decisions regardless. But from the results side I'm fine with how it worked out. I'm a firm believer in "upgrading". I believe you can upgrade players at any position and it helps your team and talent level. I believe that can also be said on your coaching staff.

I feel our talent was best suited for the 4-3. That's it's easier to draft talent that fits the 4-3 and I believe we ended up with a better DC.



I agree with you on all counts. We've been told the owner will stay the course, yet nothing in his short history here indicates that he will.

I'm hoping for evidence to the contrary, but seeing is believing. I hope you're wrong, but I wouldn't make book on it.

And why do teams have to be rebuild with 1-2 wins a season?

I don't think that's a rebuilding team, that is IMHO a failed team, with very litle to rebuild on.

5-6 wins a season should be the least admited, no matter what phase you are if a Coaching/FO staff cannot deliver on it they should be fired because no matter what you want to call them, they are incompetent, they have the NFL wrong.

Teams don't stop to rebuild, they do it on the move, upgrading positions and tweaking play stile, the don't rebuild they evolve.

A 1 win team can achive what in the next years? 5 wins? and in the year after that what?

I'm afraid this FO has got it all wrong, strategy is wrong, you don't rebuild a team by letting go of your best players...

It depends on the system of rebuilding the team employs.

We took a shot at a QB who had been successful in the past. That experiment didn't work.

We went young almost everywhere. Rookies, 1st and 2nd year players were everywhere. Our WR corps was less experienced than any I can ever remember, anywhere. We played last year with the idea of developing players on the fly, and maybe getting lucky on a player here or there who can contribute. (like, perhaps, Reynolds or Boddy-Calhoun) There were few veterans, and those we did have had no experience in our offensive or defensive schemes.

We could have rebuilt with signing a lot of free agents, but that's never really a formula for sustained success. Great teams have a draft pipeline, that injects talent into their team every year, but their draftees are not forced into game action from day 1, if they are not ready. Players get a chance to develop, grow and learn.

This team had precious few of their own players at the beginning of last season. We are building a roster full of players we drafted, with just a couple of free agents, and that's the only way to really build a team.

So, you would of fired Jimmy Johnson, is what you're saying.

I think the most difficult hurdle for Hue and company will be getting this team to believe they can win. Losing is an addiction just like alcohol and smoking and its just as hard to quit. Losers find a way to lose.