BEREA, Ohio - Browns owner Jimmy Haslam says he believes the forced marriage between new general manager John Dorsey and coach Hue Jackson will work.
The Browns chose to fire Sashi Brown as vice president of football operations but retained Jackson -- at least through the 2018 season.
"I think it would be a mistake to just zero in on '18," Haslam said of retaining Jackson. "We're planning on Hue Jackson being our football coach for a long time."
Haslam acknowledged Jackson's 1-27 record and 0-12 mark this season.
"I wouldn't call that Hue's record," Haslam said. "The record is on all of us, including ownership."
Brown was let go Thursday, about six weeks after Haslam told Brown he was going to add a more veteran voice to football decisions. Haslam interviewed and talked to several people, but -- on the advice of Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf -- pointed to Dorsey, the former Chiefs GM who parted ways with Kansas City in June.
"John and Hue have spent almost their entire adult life in the NFL," Haslam said. "I think philosophically they look at things the right way. I have a high degree of confidence they will be perfectly aligned, and they both understand how important the alignment is for our success."
Dorsey, who will have final say over the roster and personnel, said he looks forward to discussing the vision and plan with Jackson, though he conceded the two do not know each other well.
"All the people I talk to about Hue, they love Hue," Dorsey said. "And they say, 'You two guys are going to work wonderfully together.' I'm excited about that."
Dorsey said he likes Jackson as a man, and finds his offensive scheme "kinda cool."
"I just like the way the team plays, they play hard," Dorsey said.
Jackson said he's confident Dorsey will learn the coaching staff and their systems, and he will bring in players who fit the systems.
"That is why I think he is so good at what he does," Jackson said. "He is so good at identifying talent and knowing what does fit. When I can talk about a receiver that plays like X, he knows what that looks like and feels like. He can bring in these guys that look like this."
"I think that is the only way you can get to where you want to go in these situations," Jackson added.
Haslam said he never offered a front-office job to Peyton Manning and added that the failed trade deadline deal for Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron had nothing to do with Brown's departure.
The Browns moved fast with this hire, naming Dorsey less than 12 hours after Brown was let go. Haslam said he'd wished ex-Browns guard John Wooten of the Fritz Pollard Alliance had called him before speaking publicly to wonder whether the Browns had met the requirements of the Rooney Rule, which mandates that NFL teams interview of minority candidates for head-coaching and executive positions.
"He did try to call late last night," Haslam said. "I've tried to call him this morning. We'll have a good conversation, but we absolutely satisfied the Rooney Rule."
ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed that one of the candidates interview was former Bills GM Doug Whaley.