Hue Jackson

Hue Jackson has his players believing they can turn this around next season.

(John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Believeland was the perfect landing spot for Hue Jackson. He not only has his players believing in him, he has them believing they can go from worst to first next season.

"We talk all the time,'' said Haden, who's never made the playoffs in his seven seasons. "He always comes up to me, like, 'Joe, next year this time we're going to be getting ready for the playoffs.' I'm with you. We feel the same way. I believe in coach.''

For Jackson to have his players thinking the smell of manure means they're getting a pony is a tremendous accomplishment in this 0-13 season. They'll play the 6-7 Bills in Buffalo on Sunday, and are down to three more chances to avoid the dreaded 0-16.

"Trust me, I've had losing seasons before, but this is the worst season that I've ever had playing football,'' said Haden. "But with coach Hue, I have his back 100 percent.''

Not only are the players not completely beaten down by this disastrous year, they're optimistic about 2017. For them, It's a Wonderful Life.

"Next year, I'm super excited about it,'' said Haden. "Definitely we've got to finish this year off strong, we've got three more games, trying to come out there with some victories for sure. But I'm not deterred. I'm even more motivated. Hue is definitely motivated. He didn't expect this, I didn't expect this.

"So it's going to be a hard off-season workout, it's going to be a very tough organized team activities and be a very tough training camp. I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to see who's going to be ... you know the way stuff happens. It's going to be a different locker room, different guys here, so I just can't wait to figure out who I'm going to be able to go to war with.''

Haden acknowledged that hurtling toward 0-16 is made more palatable knowing Jackson is coming back. Browns Executive Vice President Sashi Brown said last month that Jackson will be retained, and Jackson has been given assurances of the same. Owner Jimmy Haslam, who meets regularly with Jackson and spent time on the practice field on Thursday, hasn't reassured the players that Jackson is definitely coming back, but "it's just my feeling. I hope. That's my guy,'' said Haden.

It's a different vibe than in Buffalo, where Rex Ryan is firmly on the hot seat after losing five of his last seven.

Linebacker Chris Kirksey agreed with Haden that Jackson coming back puts a different spin on things than last year, when Mike Pettine was clearly on his way out.

"This has been a learning experience for me this season and it's been a learning experience for all of us," he said. "But things will get turned around soon. ... I believe it's a process in things. And I believe Hue knows what he's doing and I trust it, so there's no doubt in my mind that this team's going to go in the right direction. We've just got to keep fighting. A change is coming.''

The last time the Browns traveled to Buffalo, in 2014, they were riding the wave of a 7-4 season. But they lost that game, then the next four to finish 7-9. Since that game at New Era Field, the Browns are 3-31.

"I don't know what happened but (7-4) was a good time,'' said Haden.

Kirksey also believes a 2017 turnaround is in the cards.

"(Jackson's) not panicking right now, he's not going crazy,'' said Kirksey. "I truly believe when he says it's not going to be like this next year. I'm following his lead.''

Haden admitted he feels better after venting last week about the Browns being the butt of every joke. He said it was good that guys such as Jackson and Pryor have also shown emotion.

"Being able to get out how you really feel sometimes is good,'' he said. "Being in it, it sucks. If you don't lose a little sleep at night with your record being 0-13, you don't really have the love for the game that we want you to have. So with Terrelle, with coach Hue, with myself, with a lot of other guys in this locker room that it really means something to them, if that's not showing up on tape, only we can change that stuff.''

The Browns haven't necessarily used Marcell Dareus' guarantee that the Bills will win Sunday as motivation.

"If I was on the Bills, I would want to say the same thing," Haden said. "You wouldn't want to be the team that loses, but on our side of the ball, we feel like we're going to be the team that beats them. ... Being a competitor, every little side motivation that you want to get, it is what it is.''

Jackson knows he'll get the Bills' best shot -- just like every other team that doesn't want to be the first to lose to the Browns.

"They are going to play for [Ryan],'' said Jackson. "That's just what they do. Rex always gets his guys to play. I have worked with Rex so I know what kind of coach he is. He's as good a football coach as I've been around. They will rally their guys and get them ready to play. For us, we just want to go try and win a game.''