Hue Jackson shrugged off the notion of any trepidation in naming rookie DeShone Kizer the Browns starting quarterback this fall.
"I've been down this road before," Jackson said. "I didn't make a decision to make him the quarterback because I had fear in it or I didn't know how it was going to unfold."
Against that backdrop, he and the Browns are prepared to stick with Kizer — the second-round pick from Notre Dame — through whatever growing pains there might be this season.
In promoting the 21-year-old to the top of the depth chart, Jackson made clear that status is "not just for the moment" and doubled down on that sentiment as Cleveland prepares for its preseason finale.
"We're going to make this happen. We're going to work through this because I think he is talented," he said. "I think this guy has the right stuff and I think if I am worth my salt as a coach, I will get it out of him, and if I think if he is willing to do the work he will rise to the occasion and I think he will."
Indeed, Jackson said the Browns will ride with Kizer through "the good, the bad, the whatever comes" in 2017 in hopes of developing the youngster in a permanent answer at the position.
Kizer -- who has shined through three preseason games -- will also have to continue to earn the respect of his veteran teammates by "putting in the time every day, doing what you need to do as a quarterback in this building."
"Come early, stay late, the hardest worker in the building," Jackson continued. "That's what our quarterbacks have to be because your teammates are watching that, and that is earning it each and every day."
Kizer, who's set to be the first rookie to start at quarterback for the Browns since 2012, spoke of a growing bond with Jackson, whom he'll lean on as he continues a development process that began this past spring.
"To have him by my side is an awesome experience at the quarterback position," Kizer said. "We know in this sport the quarterback-coach relationship can go a long ways. You see a lot of the successful teams have great quarterback and head coach relationships. For us to start off the way we have … if we can go out there and have a little success and we continue to grow in that sense, hopefully, this can be something that can last for 10-15 years."
In the meantime, the Browns will exercise patience in helping Kizer be the best he can be.
"I have a vision for it. It might not go that way. If it does, great. If it doesn't, we will keep working through it," Jackson said. "I probably felt better about this one and making this decision than some in the past because I think the guy can do it. I really do.
"Will it be hard? Yeah, it's going to be hard. It's going to take a lot of work on his part, my part, our staff's part, the rest of the team because everybody is involved in this. It's not just me and him. Everybody has to do their part in order for this young man to have success. I think we all get it. I think his teammates get it. I think he gets it. I think the coaching staff does. We have to make this right."
