Jackson denies 'internal discord' with Haley

Hue Jackson admitted Thursday he and Todd Haley didn't always see eye to eye, but the former Cleveland Browns head coach doesn't believe he and his former offensive coordinator suffered from "discord."

"I didn't perceive it (that way)," Jackson told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "I think you can disagree with people and not have it be discord. Discord to me is a strong word. It means there's always infighting. That's a pretty hot word.

"I know there was disagreements and rightfully so. Who doesn't disagree? But I think the term internal discord was a little much."

Jackson and Haley were both dismissed Monday, with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam citing "internal discord" as one of the primary reasons for their terminations. Of course, the Browns' stagnant offense and modest numbers of rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield were also factors.

Related: Jackson says he wanted Browns to draft Wentz in 2016

Jackson served as the Browns' offensive play-caller for his first two seasons, but conceded those duties - at the request of his superiors - to an incoming Haley at the beginning of Year 3.

"What I didn't and couldn't predict was that our offensive production would turn out the way it did - especially considering us leading the league in turnovers on defense," he said. "We all knew that trending down with a rookie future franchise QB on board was not an option. I do believe that having the opportunity to finish it out would've been best."

Jackson finished his tenure in Cleveland with a 3-36-1 record. There were reports he unsuccessfully tried to reclaim play-calling duties from Haley, and said he felt his firing was premature.

"We had a lot of football left, were 2-5-1 with a rookie QB, left tackle, already played Pittsburgh twice, beat Baltimore, and could have easily been 3-4-1 if the first down isn't taken back (in Oakland)," he noted. "The fact that we played four overtime games says that we were a better football team."

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