Hue Jackson may not have many supporters after guiding the Cleveland Browns to a 1-31 record over his last two seasons as head coach - but one of the people in his corner is arguably the team's biggest locker room presence.
Joe Thomas has spent his entire 11-year career with the team. In an article for Sports Illustrated published Tuesday, the offensive tackle insists Jackson has filled a role that no one else would have been able to, and that no one else would have wanted to.
Thomas says Jackson took the job not knowing that management planned to get rid of "all their good players and current draft picks for future picks," and then had to steer a team that wasn't supposed to succeed.
"Hue was expected to hold the team together, develop players and get them to play hard - when everyone in the building knew the front office put us in the best position to lose. ...
"In spite of playing with half a deck of cards, Hue kept the team together, kept the players focused, kept the coaches motivated, and continued to develop players through two of the worst seasons ever. I don’t think many coaches could do that," Thomas wrote.
The 10-time Pro Bowl tackle says the previous two seasons have given the team the flexibility to draft elite-level talent and make a strong play in free agency - though the latter may be a tall order given the franchise's recent history.
The Browns currently hold the No. 1 and No. 4 picks in April's draft, and have just over $110.5 million in effective cap space for next season.
