Hue Jackson wants another head coaching opportunity

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Hue Jackson doesn’t have a job, the first time in 32 years he has a fall with nothing to do. He hopes it’s a one-year hiatus.

Despite going 8-8 in one season as the head coach of the Raiders and 3-36-1 in 2 1/2 seasons in Cleveland, Jackson wants another chance.

“Oh, yeah, I mean I think I can,” Jackson said Wednesday on Charlotte’s WFNZ 102.5 FM. “I mean, just because the situation in Cleveland [didn’t work out] doesn’t mean that you can’t coach. There’s a lot of great coaches who came before me that coached there and went on and did great things. Sometimes, the situation is different. I think if people dig in and really take the time to look at the overall situation there, maybe they would understand it more. At the same time, I understand what narrative gets put out there, that’s what people know. Hopefully, people will think back to the times when I’ve put myself in that position. I had to be doing something right. To go back and be a coordinator again or be a head coach, I do believe it’s in my future. I’ve just got to go work through the process and see where it goes.”

Jackson, 53, interviewed for the head coaching job of the Bengals and the offensive coordinator job with the Cardinals during the offseason. But he isn’t likely to get to get a third chance to make a second impression as a head coach.

Instead, Jackson likely is remembered for his abysmal record in Cleveland.

That’s not how Jackson wants people to remember him.

“Here’s a guy who knows how to overcome,” Jackson said when asked his narrative. “There’s a lot of people who would run from it all. I’m not going to run from it. At the end of the day, our staff and the people who led Cleveland, that doesn’t mean those coaches can’t coach or they don’t understand what they’re doing. Maybe that just wasn’t the right fit, the right situation for that group, and they just need to have the right opportunity to have success.”

Jackson has coached for six NFL teams and at five colleges. Despite the record and the criticism he has drawn from inside the building since leaving, Jackson said he did his best coaching with the Browns.

“I’ve said this before, I think during those times, it was probably some of the best coaching I did contrary to what people think, because you’re always doing anything and everything you can to find a way to win,” Jackson said. “Now, whether it happens or not, that’s not up to me sometimes. Again, I think I learned a lot.”