Hue Jackson is coaching in Cleveland now, and that’s big. Big for the Browns, and big for the Bengals. Play-calling and scheme have a huge impact on offensive production, and Jackson has been the most run-heavy coach in the league in recent years.
He’s been with the Bengals for the last two years as the offensive coordinator, and Cincinnati in that time has run the ball on a higher percentage of plays than any team other than Seattle. More than Carolina, believe it or not (and unlike the Seahawks and Panthers, Jackson has done it without a running quarterback).
Around the end zone, Jackson prefers to rely on the run. He’d rather mash it in, it seems, than take too many chances putting it in the air. That’s the way it tended to play out in Cincinnati, with the Bengals scoring a league-high 37 rushing touchdowns over the last two years. And Jackson had the same kind of run-dominated mindset when he was running Oakland’s offense in the 2010-11 seasons.
During his last four years running NFL offenses (two in Oakland, two in Cincinnati, Jackson’s offenses have run the ball on 63 percent of their plays inside the 10. During the same time period (2010-2015) no other team has run the ball on 60 percent of their plays inside the 10.
This needs to be worked into draft boards. Cleveland’s running game is definitely heading up. Isaiah Crowell, I’m thinking early, is a back who could be very, very intriguing. Last year, the Browns were the opposite kind of offense -- one that simply never ran near the goal line.
With the Bengals, meanwhile, I expect their running frequency will drop around the goal line, working against Jeremy Hill.
| RUN PLAYS INSIDE 10 (2010-2015) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Plays | Pass | Run | Run% |
| Hue Jackson | 271 | 100 | 170 | 63% |
| Carolina | 389 | 156 | 232 | 60% |
| San Francisco | 393 | 164 | 226 | 58% |
| Minnesota | 385 | 166 | 218 | 57% |
| Kansas City | 348 | 151 | 196 | 56% |
| Seattle | 401 | 176 | 225 | 56% |
| Baltimore | 414 | 188 | 226 | 55% |
| Houston | 435 | 198 | 237 | 54% |
| Cincinnati | 438 | 203 | 234 | 53% |
| Buffalo | 333 | 155 | 177 | 53% |
| Oakland | 349 | 166 | 182 | 52% |
| New England | 582 | 281 | 300 | 52% |
| NY Jets | 397 | 194 | 201 | 51% |
| Philadelphia | 465 | 228 | 235 | 51% |
| Cleveland | 357 | 177 | 180 | 50% |
| Atlanta | 485 | 246 | 239 | 49% |
| Washington | 414 | 208 | 204 | 49% |
| NY Giants | 461 | 236 | 225 | 49% |
| Chicago | 441 | 232 | 209 | 47% |
| Miami | 402 | 210 | 190 | 47% |
| Arizona | 355 | 188 | 165 | 46% |
| New Orleans | 482 | 262 | 220 | 46% |
| San Diego | 391 | 213 | 178 | 46% |
| Pittsburgh | 464 | 256 | 208 | 45% |
| St. Louis | 350 | 193 | 154 | 44% |
| Tampa Bay | 356 | 200 | 155 | 44% |
| Dallas | 412 | 234 | 178 | 43% |
| Jacksonville | 373 | 214 | 159 | 43% |
| Denver | 460 | 262 | 195 | 42% |
| Tennessee | 338 | 192 | 143 | 42% |
| Indianapolis | 440 | 255 | 184 | 42% |
| Detroit | 431 | 267 | 164 | 38% |
| Green Bay | 509 | 325 | 182 | 36% |
—Ian Allan