5 things to know from Hue Jackson's introductory press conference

Hue Jackson’s whirlwind Wednesday is coming to an end, but the coverage has just begun. Fresh off Jackson’s introductory press conference, here are the five newsiest items that emerged from a 30-minute session that included Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown. 1. Jackson explains why the Browns, why now and why he didn’t interview with Giants Reports surfaced Tuesday after Jackson’s second interview with the Browns about a looming interview with the New York Giants. It would have been the third different team making a pitch to Jackson, who also met with the 49ers. Instead, the only flight Jackson took Wednesday was from Cincinnati to Cleveland, his new home as the Browns’ head coach. Why not hear what the Giants, a winner of two Super Bowls since 2007, had to say? Jackson said it all came back to the Haslams, Brown and Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta. “If I didn’t think that we had a chance to do something special here, then I wouldn’t be here,” Jackson said. “There is no questions about that. I cannot thank Jimmy and Dee enough for this opportunity because those two people are driven to success. I said this to Jimmy the other day that he has had success in doing most things that he has done. What did you say to me, Jimmy? “Except this,” Haslam said. “Let me tell you. I am here now – we want to change that,” Jackson continued. “He and his wife and this organization and this city deserves a winner. That is what I am here to do, to help this organization win.”2. Jackson ready to evaluate, meet with Johnny Manziel and rest of Browns roster Asked specifically about what he thought about Manziel’s future, Jackson lumped the quarterback in with the rest of the roster he’ll inherit. It was simply too early for Jackson, who said he didn’t know Manziel or many of the Browns players on a personal level yet, to discuss the makeup of the 2016 squad. “I think I have to give everyone on our football team the fair opportunity to see who they are and to truly learn who they are and then make decisions from there,” he said. Asked about Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, Jackson said he looked forward to meeting with “one of the best left tackles in the league, bar none.” “He has been one of the cornerstones of this organization and this football team,” Jackson said. “I can’t wait to have the opportunity to talk to him and give him our plan and hopefully, I believe in my heart, that he is going to get excited about what we are trying to accomplish.” 3. Jackson not viewing Browns as long-term rebuilding project When Haslam met with reporters shortly after the Browns’ season-ending loss to the Steelers, he confessed the team was “probably a several-year rebuilding program.” Jackson joked and smiled when he was made aware of that statement Wednesday but respectfully stressed it wasn’t the mindset he’d take into his first season with the Browns. “I really respect Jim saying that. At the same time, that is not my mindset and I don’t want that to be our player’s mindset,” Jackson said. “We want to go and we expect to win every game we play. Now that being said, there is a lot of things that need to happen to have that opportunity to come forth. At the same time, we are not going to be a football team that walks out there and says, ‘We say give.’ I am not interested in that. I did not come here for that. I came here to win.” 4. Jackson confident in ability to assemble staff, undecided if he’ll call plays The next immediate step for Jackson is to assemble his coaching staff. Part of that process will include meeting with assistant coaches from last year’s staff to determine if they’re the right fit for what Jackson wants to accomplish. Asked if he’d call plays in his first year as Browns head coach, Jackson said he loved doing it but hadn’t decided. Jackson was Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator the past two seasons and has called plays at six different places in his coaching career. When the number of vacancies he has to fill is settled, Jackson said he won’t have any shortage of candidates. He said he had 142 text messages on his phone and many were from coaches hoping to join him in Cleveland. “I am going to attract some good coaches and some great coaches, but to me we have to find the right fit for us,” Jackson said. “How fast that process is going to go? I don’t know, but I do need to get on that phone and start returning some of those text messages.” 5. Browns’ search for top talent evaluator to begin immediately Jackson will have a hand in the Browns’ search for a top talent evaluator, and the pursuit will begin immediately, Brown said. “We’re going to work together through this process. These guys are in charge of making those things happen, my job is to make sure that we win football games,” Jackson said. “All I want to do is win. I’m not worried about who picks this player, who picks this player. I want to make sure I know what we’re going to put on our team but at the same time give me players so I can coach them, that’s what my expertise is. “My thing is to get us to the game ready to play, motivated, fired up, enthusiastic and have an opportunity to win and that’s what I’m interested in.”

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5 things to know from Hue Jackson's introductory press conference