True test of Hue Jackson’s culture change still to come

Hue Jackson was the man chosen to oversee a massive overhaul of the Cleveland Browns’ culture.

The front office wanted Jackson to instill winning habits into the beginnings of a young core–setting the tone for a promising future if the front office did its job in adding the right talent. Creating a winning culture is hard to do with a roster so bare of proven veterans or even players who have won elsewhere before, but so far the Browns have at least been respectable.

They hung in with Joe Monta– I mean Carson Wentz in the first half of week one, and they have legitimate gripes about how they should have won these last two games. Young teams are typically bad in close games, so it’s not entirely fair to say the Browns should be 2-1, but the circumstances surrounding the losses suggest some bad luck. Luck, or some weird other worldly force, definitely exists in the NFL. Maybe that force is each team’s culture. Teams like the Browns and Lions always seem to figure out a way to blow it, while the Patriots and Steelers can always find a way around it.

There were definitely some sunny spots from yesterday’s painstaking loss. Terrell Pryor emerged in a massive way without having Corey Coleman to take the pressure off him. The Dolphins learned early he was going to be a big part of the offense, and they still couldn’t stop him. The Joe Haden-less defense was making plays. Granted, the Dolphins might just be really bad and this could be Tannehill’s last year with them at this rate, but this team will take positive signs anyway it can get them.

Most importantly, Hue Jackson has made three different starting quarterbacks look competent in three weeks. None of which having a blazing track record coming in, either. But, the team is still 0-3, and while Jackson at least has the team looking competitive for now, it’s fair to wonder how the team will react to the many losses still to come.

No matter how bad a team is, there’s always self belief early in the season. But as the year goes on, the continuous losing takes its toll on players. Going down ten points early in the season is a doable comeback, but after a 1-8 start teams tend to mail it in more often.

Therein lies the challenge for Jackson. With more losses sure to come–the more Browns-esque the losses, the heavier the emotional toll–how will he keep this team motivated? What happens when the whispers of tanking become a little louder?

Jackson has done a very nice job so far–especially considering the injuries–but the road ahead is far tougher and its hard for players to believe in their coach without positive results, regardless of the circumstances.