Indecision central

Apparently, there is something about Hue Jackson the Browns’ head coach search team doesn’t like.

Why would they interview the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator twice and not offer him the job to succeed Mike Pettine?

If they liked him and he liked them, why allow him to interview with the New York Giants? That’s like saying, “We’re not sure you’re our man, so go right on ahead and talk with the Giants.”

It’s just another example of the indecisive nature that pervades the Ivory Tower in Berea. It has plagued this franchise for way too long.

It continued a string of head coach hires who were not the club’s first or second choice. Or the third and sometimes fourth choices. If you want someone badly enough, you do anything to get him.

When you interview a candidate twice and still don’t offer him a contract, something is wrong. How much more can one learn about a person seeking a job in a third interview? First impressions must not mean much to Jimmy Haslam III and his minions.

If you can’t glean what you’re looking for, or if a candidate can’t sell himself, in two interviews, then thank him for his time and move on. Why bother to continue?

According to reports, Jackson is the only one of seven interviewees thus far who has been accorded a second sit-down with Cleveland. By not offering him a contract after No. 2, that logically indicates they either don’t want him or have serious reservations.

Jackson would probably be a better fit with the Giants, anyway, because they have something the Browns don’t have – a quarterback. Not just any quarterback, but one who owns two Super Bowl championship rings.

The Browns, on the other hand, have struggled for 17 seasons to find their quarterback and the prospects of finding him aren’t any more optimistic for next season with a weak group of college prospects.

In comparing the two teams, there is no question the Giants are the better team in just about every respect. They possess a quality the Browns have sought futilely since the resurrection in 1999. It’s called stability.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Jackson emerges with a contract to succeed Tom Coughlin after just one interview with the Giants. His reputation as an offensive and quarterbacks guru precedes him.

That’s also one of the main reasons he would be a solid fit with the Browns. This team needs an offensive-mined head coach who knows what he’s doing. They tried with Pat Shurmur and Rob Chudzinski a few years ago, but they weren’t ready to be head coaches. Jackson is.

He has already had one moderately successful stint in Oakland several years ago, but was the victim of a new general manager who wanted his own coach.

If Jackson winds up somewhere other than Cleveland and is successful, it will be just another case of the Browns screwing up once again and answering the question that has dogged them the last 17 seasons.

That question? “Where did we go wrong?”