Throughout the Browns' search for a new head coach, ClevelandBrowns.com will break down the candidates after their interview with the team's search committee is complete. It continues today with a look at Jerome Henderson, the first candidate to have a past with the Browns.
- Henderson is the first candidate to interview who has spent extensive time in the Browns' facility in Berea. Henderson came to Cleveland in 2009 with Eric Mangini, whom he coached under the previous two seasons with the New York Jets. Though Mangini was fired at the end of the 2010 season, Henderson remained with the Browns for one more season in the same position under Pat Shurmur. He reunited with former Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan in Dallas for the 2012 season and has remained with the Cowboys under multiple other defensive coordinators.
- In Cleveland, Henderson was Joe Haden's first defensive back coach. Haden is the lone remaining defensive back who was with the Browns during Henderson's tenure. Haden, who had six interceptions as a rookie, often credited Henderson for his quick adjustment to the NFL. "He was on top of me, as far as my technique would go," Haden told MLive.com in October 2013. "I mean, every single day, every practice play, he would never, ever get off my back. He was a big reason. He kept pushing me to never take any plays off and get my technique more and more sound every practice."
- The Cowboys went through a woeful 2015 season and finished with one of their worst records in years, but pass defense wasn't an issue. Dallas finished the year fifth in the league, allowing 227 yards through the air per game. The Cowboys allowed just five players to go over 100 receiving yards and intercepted eight passes.
- In a January 2012 meeting with reporters, Henderson was asked if he's laid back or more of a taskmaster. "I'm whatever I need to be at the time," he said. "There are times when I'm laid back. There are times when I get aggressive because the situation dictates me to be aggressive. It's situational football, even for me as a coach. I got to be able to come into the situation and say, 'what do I need to be with this group to get them where we've got to go?'"
- As a player, Henderson was a second-round pick out of Clemson in 1991. He lasted eight years in the NFL with four different teams -- New England, New York Jets, Philadelphia and Buffalo -- and appeared in 98 games (34 starts). Henderson played in two Super Bowls, one with the Bills and another with the Patriots, but came away on the losing end of both. Henderson played for Hall of Fame coaches Marv Levy in Buffalo and Bill Parcells in New England and New York.
Throughout the Browns' search for a new head coach, ClevelandBrowns.com will break down the candidates after their interview with the team's search committee is complete. It continues today with a look at Jerome Henderson, the first candidate to have a past with the Browns.
1. Henderson is the first candidate to interview who has spent extensive time in the Browns' facility in Berea. Henderson came to Cleveland in 2009 with Eric Mangini, whom he coached under the previous two seasons with the New York Jets. Though Mangini was fired at the end of the 2010 season, Henderson remained with the Browns for one more season in the same position under Pat Shurmur. He reunited with former Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan in Dallas for the 2012 season and has remained with the Cowboys under multiple other defensive coordinators.
2. In Cleveland, Henderson was Joe Haden's first defensive back coach. Haden is the lone remaining defensive back who was with the Browns during Henderson's tenure. Haden, who had six interceptions as a rookie, often credited Henderson for his quick adjustment to the NFL. "He was on top of me, as far as my technique would go," Haden told MLive.com in October 2013. "I mean, every single day, every practice play, he would never, ever get off my back. He was a big reason. He kept pushing me to never take any plays off and get my technique more and more sound every practice."
3. The Cowboys went through a woeful 2015 season and finished with one of their worst records in years, but pass defense wasn't an issue. Dallas finished the year fifth in the league, allowing 227 yards through the air per game. The Cowboys allowed just five players to go over 100 receiving yards and intercepted eight passes.
4. In a January 2012 meeting with reporters, Henderson was asked if he's laid back or more of a taskmaster. "I'm whatever I need to be at the time," he said. "There are times when I'm laid back. There are times when I get aggressive because the situation dictates me to be aggressive. It's situational football, even for me as a coach. I got to be able to come into the situation and say, 'what do I need to be with this group to get them where we've got to go?'"
5. As a player, Henderson was a second-round pick out of Clemson in 1991. He lasted eight years in the NFL with four different teams -- New England, New York Jets, Philadelphia and Buffalo -- and appeared in 98 games (34 starts). Henderson played in two Super Bowls, one with the Bills and another with the Patriots, but came away on the losing end of both. Henderson played for Hall of Fame coaches Marv Levy in Buffalo and Bill Parcells in New England and New York.
