Hue Jackson hasn't had much time to check out his new city. He'll find time for that when it permits.
Since Jackson was hired as Browns head coach, the schedule he's undertaken and embraced has been relentless. His office hours, whether they've been inside the team's facility in Berea or on the sidelines at last week's Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama, have been completely booked.
This is the second time Jackson has taken on this kind of challenge as an NFL head coach, and he made it clear last week that his experience is paying dividends.
"I've been through it, so I know it's coming. I know how to prepare for it," Jackson said. "Last time, I'll never forget this time I was worried about schedules, just how to put schedules together as a first-time head coach. You worry about those things and stay up all night worrying about those things. It's important but it's not the most important thing.
"The most important thing is making sure when our players get back that they know this is different, this is a different opportunity for them and a different opportunity for us and we've got to seize this opportunity."
As he looked ahead from the bleachers at a Senior Bowl practice last week, Jackson said his upcoming agenda included continual evaluation of the roster, completing his coaching staff and preparing the team's offseason program. This weekend, he's in San Francisco for Super Bowl 50 but will be back in Berea soon as the entire football operations department combs through what it gathered from the Senior Bowl and prepares for the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of the month.
Offseason workouts are permitted to begin as early as April 4.
"You think it's far away but it's right around the corner," Jackson said. "Just to make sure we're crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's as a staff making sure we're prepared so when these players get back here we hit the ground running."
Jackson's communication with players has spanned from in-person meetings to text messages, either initiated by himself or the player. It's all depended on the player's schedule and living situation.
Wide receiver Travis Benjamin told reporters in San Francisco he was able to stop by and meet Jackson, and quarterback Josh McCown, in town for the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, also spent some time with the new head coach.
"It's been really outstanding," Jackson said. "I thought I'd need to text all of them but there has been some guys that have texted me and I've really enjoyed that. And there are some guys that I've talked to on the phone. I'm trying through every different avenue to make sure I get a hold of every different guy on our team and talk to them."
During his time at the Senior Bowl, Jackson said he was often stopped by coaches and executives who were familiar with Cleveland and the Browns fan base. Needless to say, he was encouraged by their words of encouragement and optimistic feelings toward the turnaround he plans to execute.
"Everywhere I turn, there's someone who has worked in Cleveland that said 'Hue, what an unbelievable fan base, a city that's starving for a winner and you're just the guy to do it,'" Jackson said. "That resonates with me because I believe that myself. I believe Jimmy and Dee (Haslam) have given me that opportunity because I can make a difference here.
"With our staff and the organization, our football players, I think that's what we're going to set out to do. We're all about improving and winning and that's all I want to talk about with our guys. That's what we're expecting and that's what we're going to get done."
