BEREA: Although the Browns are 0-12 and in serious danger of finishing this season winless, coach Hue Jackson is convinced his job is safe.
“I am not distracted by what my fate will be because I never would have taken this job if I thought it was going to be anything other than me being here and seeing this through,” Jackson said Tuesday as many of his players left town for the bye. “That part has never been an issue.”
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has fired three regimes since he officially bought the team in October 2012. He even fired CEO Joe Banner, General Manager Mike Lombardi and coach Rob Chudzinski after just one season on the job. That crew went 4-12 during the 2013 season.
“I know the history here,” Jackson said. “Trust me, I don’t need you guys to tell me. I know it extremely well. I get it.”
Still, Jackson is confident he won’t be a one-and-done coach in Cleveland because he asked Haslam blunt questions along those lines when he interviewed with the Browns in January.
“I have trust in the people who hired me,” Jackson said. “Those questions have been asked. I wouldn’t be standing here. You have to ask those hard questions. I feel very comfortable that they are committed to what we are trying to do. They haven’t been anything but committed.
“Continuity is a huge piece of this. They told me that from the outset and I knew it. Now, did I know we were going to be where we are today? No, I didn’t, and I don’t think anybody did, but this is where we are and this is our reality. There is no getting around that. This is not where any of us want to be, so we just have to fix it.”
Nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas has played for six head coaches since the Browns drafted him in 2007, and he’s starving for some continuity.
“The optimism and positivity and the effort you still see out there on a daily basis is because everybody here knows we’re working for something down the line in the future and it’s not just going to get destroyed at the end of the season,” Thomas said.
“Whereas some of the years past when you’re sitting in this situation with poor records, the coach is imminently going to get fired, all the players on the team are going to get cut, traded or released, and you know a bomb is going to get dropped on the organization.”
Thomas lamented the bomb Haslam dropped on the team at the end of the 2013 season.
“I thought, ‘No way are they going to fire [Chudzinski]. That would be idiotic,’ ” Thomas said. “I couldn’t believe it. But we did, and that’s the way it was, I guess. That was the most shocked I’ve ever been.”
But neither Jackson nor Thomas can envision a similar scenario unfolding this time around.
Serious injuries
Rookie quarterback Cody Kessler insisted he’s comfortable resuming his career despite suffering two concussions in 29 days. He practiced Monday and Tuesday after being cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol.
“There is a lot of emphasis on concussions in the NFL,” Kessler said. “But my thought process is if I am cleared and I feel all right and I am ready to go, then I want to be out there.”
Kessler said he has talked to his parents and girlfriend about coming back from the concussions. He suffered the first one Oct. 23 against the Cincinnati Bengals and the other Nov. 20 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“They were concerned for me and making sure I was OK, but this one was not as bad as last time. I felt symptom-free all week,” Kessler said. “They are obviously concerned about me ... but they trust me, too. I let them know and tell them I am OK and let them know that I am fine.”
Under siege
Running backs, tight ends and quarterbacks play roles in pass protection, but it always starts with the offensive line.
So the Browns allowing an NFL-high 45 sacks obviously doesn’t reflect well on their offensive line.
Offensive line coach Hal Hunter said the scheme hasn’t been the problem.
“What we need to do is be better technically,” he said. “ ... It’s discouraging, and we all know it and we’re committed to trying to work at it. We were out here today. We did not take one minute of rest off. We need to be better technically and be more consistent technically.
“They’re committed. They’re working hard at it. But in the NFL, working hard just gives you a chance. You’ve got to go out there and perform.”
Extra points
• Hunter said Jonathan Cooper, the seventh overall pick in the 2013 draft, practiced Tuesday with the starters and will receive a chance to replace right guard John Greco, who’s out for the season with a mid-foot sprain.
• Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor took the high road when asked about the nasty insults Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins hurled his way Sunday night on Twitter. “I’ve got respect for everybody that plays this game, and I would never talk down on nobody,” Pryor said. “So I wish everybody well, and I wish everybody gets the love from God and has success.”
• Tight end Randall Telfer (thumb surgery Monday), quarterback Josh McCown (soreness) and Thomas (knee) didn’t practice Tuesday. Jackson expects Telfer to return to practice Monday.
• Former NBA guard Chauncey Billups spoke to the Browns. “He was really taking our guys back through his career and the ups and downs and how to stick to it and how to work, how to grow, how to learn in this process,” Jackson said. “Even when things are not going great, how to still find some good in it all because there is good in this.”
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.