hose analytics-heav

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Federal lawmakers from Louisiana and Washington have submitted legislation to award former New Orleans Saints and Washington State football player Steve Gleason the Congressional Gold Medal , the highest civilian honor awarded by Congress.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and doctor who helped sponsor the legislation, seeks to honor Gleason for his work as an advocate for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"Steve Gleason was a hero for Saints fans and now he is a hero for all Americans as he finds hope and meaning in overcoming disability and creating greater opportunity for others who are disabled," Cassidy said.

The 41-year-old Gleason, famous for blocking a punt in 2006 on the night the Superdome reopened for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. He has spearheaded efforts through the Team Gleason foundation to develop and provide technology to help ALS patients live longer, more fulfilling lives. Those include devices that track eye movements to help people who are paralyzed type words that can be transformed into speech. Gleason has used the technology to communicate, post messages on social media, address lawmakers from around the world and give motivational speeches to athletes.

Congress this year approved the Gleason Act, which provided funding to help ALS patients get those devices.

The legislation submitted Thursday also is sponsored by Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Sen. John Kennedy , R-La.; Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.; Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.; and Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La.

Murray praised Gleason for making "his biggest impact as a tireless advocate in the health world" and changing "countless lives for the better."

The bill must be passed by the House and Senate and signed into law by the president before the medal can be awarded.

Previous recipients include Thomas Edison, Robert Frost, Bob Hope, Walt Disney, Roberto Clemente, John Wayne, Jesse Owens, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson , Ruth and Billy Graham, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
Two miserable seasons. One measly win.

Still, Cleveland coach Hue Jackson continues to have the ”unwavering” support of owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, who believe his third year will bring out the best in him – and the Browns.

”I think we will see the real Hue Jackson,” Jimmy Haslam said Saturday before practice.

Jackson has lost 31 of 32 games since taking over a Cleveland franchise that has undergone numerous coaching changes and front-office upheaval since the team’s NFL expansion return in 1999. However, the Haslams feel the worst is over, and thanks to a roster overhaul directed by general manager John Dorsey, Jackson has the pieces to win.

”He has good quarterbacks, he has some skill players, he has a veteran offensive lineman – now, we have to figure out left tackle – and three really good (running) backs and a good defense.”

Jackson has also been helped by not also handling offensive coordinator duties. With some urging and the blessing of the Haslams, he turned his offense over to Todd Haley, who was fired after six seasons with Pittsburgh.

”You have to give Hue credit for bringing in Todd Haley , which I think will allow Hue to be the head coach,” Haslam said. ”I think this will be the first opportunity Hue will have to do what we know he can do as head coach as a leader. Even though Todd will be calling all of the shots on offense, I think Hue will obviously have some impact there like he will defense. We are excited to see it.”

The Browns went 0-16 last season, matching the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams in NFL history to lose all 16 games. But while there were many Cleveland fans calling for Jackson’s firing, his players remained united behind him and the Haslams decided to bring him back for another year.

That doesn’t mean Jackson’s job is permanently safe, but Haslam refused to say there was a mandate on wins this season.

”No, we’re excited about Hue Jackson,” Haslam said. ”I think our commitment to him has been unwavering and still is.”

As the 2017 season unraveled, the Haslams chose to fire head of football operations Sashi Brown, whose analytics-heavy approach yielded mixed results and not enough wins. Dorsey, who guided Kansas City’s turnaround from 2013 to 2016, replaced Brown and spent this past offseason acquiring talent.

Haslam felt it was fair to assess Jackson’s upcoming third season as his first.

”I think in some ways you could say because of the talent he’s had, particularly at quarterback , particularly last year, it could view it as his first year, but we don’t look at that,” Haslam said. ”I know everybody’s saying Hue has to win this many games or he has to win that many games. We don’t look at it (like that).”

”We’re really excited about the relationship that Hue and John have and not just that they have but their staffs have, how the building is working together. I mean we’re in here at 7 this morning talking about who else we might need to add to the roster. So we feel good about the chemistry, we feel good about the work ethic, but at the same time, we all understand we’ve got to win games.”

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