Jarvis Landry is doing what he can to change the culture of losing that has become the norm with the Cleveland Browns, but did he go too far in urging his teammates to practice through injuries?
Hue Jackson might think so.
On Tuesday, a reporter asked Jackson if he has noticed more players wanting to play through pain after the passionate speech Landry delivered, which aired on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” The coach indicated that Landry’s advice may not have been the best, noting that players need to be “smart” about their injuries.
Full quote from HC Hue Jackson who has been effusive in his praise of Landry and what he has brought to the team. Has given Landry credit for improving practices and his overall work ethic and leadership multiple times. pic.twitter.com/glrLCEVaOz
— Nathan Zegura (@NathanZegura) August 14, 2018
The Browns are 1-31 under Jackson over the past two seasons, so many have pointed out that “how we go about it,” as Jackson phrased it, has not been working. That said, you can understand why a coach wouldn’t want his players risking a long-term injury during training camp or the preseason just because their veteran teammate is pressuring them to play through ailments.
Jackson has praised Landry numerous times, so it’s highly unlikely he meant to throw the star receiver under the bus. We already know from the way he punished one of his rookies that Jackson has some untraditional methods, and he probably has no issue with Landry urging his teammates to toughen up.
