MCLAIN: Jackson’s firing comes a little late

Baker Mayfield walked out of the visitor’s locker room at Heinz Field by himself on Sunday, measuring each step to calculate how they would lessen the soreness to his body.

Moments before, the rookie quarterback had slowly ascended the three steps to a podium to address reporters after the Cleveland Browns had lost another game to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 33-18. Appearing tired and anxious for a comfortable spot on the bus ride home, Mayfield was asked, among other topics, his feelings concerning reports of a rift between coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

Mayfield handled the question professionally, summing up his answer by saying any decisions that might be coming are above his pay scale.

Those images, more than anything else that were witnessed at Heinz Field, were signs that the end was near for Jackson, who was relieved of his duties on Monday morning. Hours later it was announced that Haley also was let go, cleansing the organization of the boyish antics that were becoming a distraction to whom is most important to the future of the Browns — Baker Reagan Mayfield.

Make no mistake about it: the decisions to send Jackson and Haley packing were orchestrated by general manager John Dorsey, who spent much of the game sitting in the second row of the press box and jotting down numerous handwritten notes. He wasn’t surrounded by any other members of the football operations, which gave him a chance to fully immerse himself into the game.

Dorsey is understandably concerned about the development of his prized draft choice. He surprised virtually all close draft observers when he bypassed quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen for the smaller but perhaps more talented Mayfield with the first overall pick. The plan was to sit Mayfield behind Tyrod Taylor and let him learn the NFL game.

Scenarios like that rarely play out in Cleveland, as we again discovered when Mayfield replaced an injured Taylor in Week 3 and rallied the Browns to a 21-17 win over the New York Jets on national television.

Like it or not, Mayfield was handed the starting job the following week, and there are no plans to return to Taylor. The biggest problem with that move was that it put Mayfield in the crosshairs of a feud that was bound to develop between Jackson, who was forced to yield play-calling duties to Haley, a controversial coach that has never given a thought to filtering his comments before opening his mouth.

When Jackson talked about taking a larger role in offensive game-planning after an overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers nine days ago, it was clear the end was near for either him or Haley (no one could have guessed it would be both). When Mayfield was suddenly inserted into the middle of the mess during his post-game press conference on Sunday, Dorsey needed to act as quickly as possible.

Here was a rookie quarterback making his fifth start being asked a question that you might expect someone of Tom Brady’s experience and locker-room standing to be asked. It wasn’t fair that Mayfield should have to comment on the topic, especially about 20 minutes after having his body tossed around by the Steelers’ defense.

The most appropriate question after the news events of Monday might have been why it took owner Jimmy Haslam so long to make the call? The loss to the Steelers dropped Jackson’s record since assuming the coaching reins in 2016 to 3-36-1. The perfect time to cut ties would have been after the 0-16 record of last season, when Dorsey first began work as GM.

Perhaps Haslam wanted to show that he’s not an impulse owner in the aftermath of having fired three coaches since becoming owner in 2012. There is a theory that the legal issues Haslam has dealt with concerning his Pilot Flying J business made him more sensitive to firing Jackson. Another theory is that Haslam’s wife Dee, who has an active role within the organization, has shown strong support for Jackson.

Whatever the reason, Jackson’s tenure in Cleveland was eight games too long. There should have been a change at the end of last season so that a new coach (hopefully a young person with a sharp offensive mind) could start off with Mayfield on day one and walk side by side in the crucial learning years.

Instead, Mayfield walked out of the locker room bruised physically and alone with his thoughts. That’s not what Dorsey wanted to see midway through Mayfield’s rookie season.

It’s also the reason why Jackson and Haley won’t be devising game plans for the Kansas City Chiefs this week.

Mike McLain is a sports correspondent for The Vindicator.