Deposed Mangini trumpets Browns' progress, has few regrets

[peterbell]

Deposed Mangini trumpets Browns' progress, has few regrets

 

 

By Clark Judge

CBSSports.com Senior Writer

 

Jan. 4, 2011

 

Let's be honest: In another place, at another time, Eric Mangini would not have been fired. So he didn't win many games this season with the Cleveland Browns. Neither did Gary Kubiak in Houston. But Kubiak is back and Mangini is not because the Houston Texans have the patience that Cleveland does not.

 

That is not a knock on the Browns. It's an observation.

 

 

Jake Delhomme's turnover tendencies didn't help settle Eric Mangini's QB problem in Cleveland. (Getty Images) It's also the reason Mangini was home Tuesday, taking his boys to school, instead of studying the Browns' depth chart and wondering how and where to improve it. Mangini lost over twice as many games as he won in his two seasons with the Browns, and the team's management decided enough was enough.

I get that. But be careful what you wish for. Mangini did what he was supposed to do, which was to lay a foundation for the future and return the Browns to respectability. I don't care that they were 5-11 this season. I care that he took a team that didn't have an abundance of talent but did have an abundance of injuries, as well as the NFL's toughest schedule, and made it a factor.

 

I'm serious. The Browns were the last team to beat New England. They clobbered defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans in New Orleans. They beat defending AFC North champion Cincinnati, ending a streak of eight straight division wins. They should have beaten Tampa Bay and the New York Jets. They could have beaten Kansas City and Baltimore and Atlanta and Jacksonville.

 

I know they didn't. They also didn't have the players or the talent those clubs did, with Mangini forced to play half the season with his third-string quarterback, rookie Colt McCoy, and without defensive captains Scott Fujita and Robaire Smith.

 

So injuries happen. They happened in all the wrong places for Cleveland, and they doomed the head coach. Look, I don't know that Mangini would've made it had he beaten Buffalo and Cincinnati or not gotten hammered by Pittsburgh at home in the season finale. But I do know that he didn't have a chance once he couldn't steer clear of those defeats.

 

That's supposed to be OK because that's life in the NFL. But it shouldn't be OK for Mangini because he did what he was supposed to do -- put the Cleveland Browns back on the map. Yes, you would have liked him to win more, but he made the Browns something they were not, which was relevant -- and if you don't believe me, ask the Patriots.

 

Say what you will about Mangini. I say he's a coach who knows how to make a football team whole, proving it when he finished last year with four straight victories and again this season when seven of Cleveland's games were decided by four or fewer points and 10 by no more than seven.

 

"I really believe this was a different situation than what I went through in New York [with the Jets]," he said Tuesday morning, "because there it was all about trying to figure out who you are and how well you can do with your next chance. But in two years here my growth professionally and personally has been tremendous. I think I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin, and that was huge for me.

 

 

"What I know now is that you don't microwave success. You build something to last, and that takes a lot of hard work, discipline and patience. Pittsburgh is a great example of that, and it's reflected by its record.

 

"When I look back at what we accomplished, I think we dramatically changed the culture of the building and the organization. Football became relevant again in Cleveland. People were passionate about the team again, and I think that came from the passion of the players. The city felt it, and was excited about it.

 

"I'm proud of that, and I'm proud of the guys we had there. They're the types of players that you can build with because there are mentors now in the locker room. Because of that I think the Cleveland Browns have a chance to build something special."

 

They do, and it would have been nice to see Mangini have that chance to build it with them. But Jerry Glanville was right when he said the NFL stands for Not For Long. Josh McDaniels lasted a year-and-a-half in Denver. Mike Singletary was around for two-plus seasons in San Francisco. Brad Childress was fired a year after signing a contract extension. Tony Sparano may be gone after three years in Miami, and Tom Cable's future is in doubt after winning every game within the AFC West.

 

Mangini should've known this season wasn't going to be easy. It never is when the team's president and GM didn't hire you. But Mangini also knew what he had to do -- make a bulletproof case for himself -- and he failed, with consecutive losses to Buffalo and Cincinnati almost certainly cementing his fate.

 

So he was fired and now considers life after Cleveland. Already, he said, he has been contacted by college and pro teams looking to hire him, but he's in no hurry to make the next move -- and he shouldn't be. Instead of the first opportunity, he must look for the right one. In the end, Cleveland was not that place.

 

Had he been afforded more time -- as Kubiak has in Houston or Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville -- it might have worked. But the Browns are on the clock, and team president Mike Holmgren and Mangini come from completely different backgrounds, so it's no surprise their one-year marriage didn't last.

 

In fact, it's a wonder it lasted this long. It's to Holmgren's credit that he stuck with his head coach after Mangini's first season, but I don't know many within the NFL who thought it could survive beyond this season. Nevertheless, Mangini declined to fault Holmgren for his dismissal. He knew the Browns had to make something dramatic happen, and they didn't. And when the team collapsed down the stretch it was over. Holmgren didn't have to say it; those empty seats in the second half of Sunday's loss said it for him.

 

"I'm not sure what I would've done differently," Mangini said. "I think at that moment we made the right decisions. I don't know if I had the chance that I would've done one thing differently. I know I wish we could've finished games better. I'm not sure what exactly broke down, and I would've studied that in the offseason -- trying to determine what was the difference in the first half and the second half."

 

What could have been the difference for Cleveland this season was its quarterback, and I say "could have been" because I don't know if the Browns found themselves a future starter or not. Once I thought I did. But, the Colt McCoy I watched in his first five starts was different from the quarterback I saw finish the season -- and the numbers reflect it. Where he committed three turnovers in his first five games and authored the upset of New England, he threw six interceptions in his final two. More than that, he seemed to lack the confidence and swagger that characterized his earlier starts.

 

"For a rookie he did a lot of good things," said Mangini. "You hope [the interceptions] are an aberration, but they're definitely a concern. The development of Colt McCoy [is critical to the future of the club], and you really hope he can continue to improve. I think he can, but he must protect the football."

 

Of course, that was an issue with the Browns all year, and it started with Jake Delhomme. He was supposed to solidify a position so unstable that in 2009 Mangini won five games with his quarterbacks completing a total of 33 passes in those victories. So the Browns imported Delhomme, and he responded by committing a raft of errors -- including two interceptions in the season-opening loss to Tampa Bay, a game where the Browns blew a 14-3 lead.

 

"[The Browns] need more playmakers on offense," said Mangini. "Ben Watson had 68 catches, and that was a huge upgrade for us. Peyton Hillis did a really good job, but there was no back behind him, and once he was hurt [he broke two ribs in a Dec. 26 loss to Baltimore] it really slowed him down."

 

Yet despite all that, the Browns hung tough for most of the year. I don't know what happened down the stretch. What I do know is that for three-quarters of this season the Browns were one of the most intriguing, most competitive and most compelling stories in the NFL.

 

In short, they were one of the league's toughest outs, and don't ask me how Mangini or his coaches managed with the roster they had. I just know they did. Which is why I know that in a different time and a different place, Eric Mangini not only would have lasted; he would have been successful.

 

"I know we were on the right path," Mangini said, "and I think the city was disappointed we didn't win more -- as we were. But I'm proud of the way the guys played and how hard they played, and that's the first step. There's not a sense of loss or regret because I couldn't be more proud of the guys and the changes we made, and that's the first step in creating something special. If that's going to be my legacy here then I look at it positively."

 

 

 

 

[Zombo]

Deposed Mangini trumpets Browns' progress, has few regrets

 

 

By Clark Judge

CBSSports.com Senior Writer

 

Jan. 4, 2011

 

Let's be honest: In another place, at another time, Eric Mangini would not have been fired. So he didn't win many games this season with the Cleveland Browns. Neither did Gary Kubiak in Houston. But Kubiak is back and Mangini is not because the Houston Texans have the patience that Cleveland does not.

 

That is not a knock on the Browns. It's an observation.

 

 

Jake Delhomme's turnover tendencies didn't help settle Eric Mangini's QB problem in Cleveland. (Getty Images) It's also the reason Mangini was home Tuesday, taking his boys to school, instead of studying the Browns' depth chart and wondering how and where to improve it. Mangini lost over twice as many games as he won in his two seasons with the Browns, and the team's management decided enough was enough.

I get that. But be careful what you wish for. Mangini did what he was supposed to do, which was to lay a foundation for the future and return the Browns to respectability. I don't care that they were 5-11 this season. I care that he took a team that didn't have an abundance of talent but did have an abundance of injuries, as well as the NFL's toughest schedule, and made it a factor.

 

I'm serious. The Browns were the last team to beat New England. They clobbered defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans in New Orleans. They beat defending AFC North champion Cincinnati, ending a streak of eight straight division wins. They should have beaten Tampa Bay and the New York Jets. They could have beaten Kansas City and Baltimore and Atlanta and Jacksonville.

 

I know they didn't. They also didn't have the players or the talent those clubs did, with Mangini forced to play half the season with his third-string quarterback, rookie Colt McCoy, and without defensive captains Scott Fujita and Robaire Smith.

 

So injuries happen. They happened in all the wrong places for Cleveland, and they doomed the head coach. Look, I don't know that Mangini would've made it had he beaten Buffalo and Cincinnati or not gotten hammered by Pittsburgh at home in the season finale. But I do know that he didn't have a chance once he couldn't steer clear of those defeats.

 

That's supposed to be OK because that's life in the NFL. But it shouldn't be OK for Mangini because he did what he was supposed to do -- put the Cleveland Browns back on the map. Yes, you would have liked him to win more, but he made the Browns something they were not, which was relevant -- and if you don't believe me, ask the Patriots.

 

Say what you will about Mangini. I say he's a coach who knows how to make a football team whole, proving it when he finished last year with four straight victories and again this season when seven of Cleveland's games were decided by four or fewer points and 10 by no more than seven.

 

"I really believe this was a different situation than what I went through in New York [with the Jets]," he said Tuesday morning, "because there it was all about trying to figure out who you are and how well you can do with your next chance. But in two years here my growth professionally and personally has been tremendous. I think I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin, and that was huge for me.

 

 

"What I know now is that you don't microwave success. You build something to last, and that takes a lot of hard work, discipline and patience. Pittsburgh is a great example of that, and it's reflected by its record.

 

"When I look back at what we accomplished, I think we dramatically changed the culture of the building and the organization. Football became relevant again in Cleveland. People were passionate about the team again, and I think that came from the passion of the players. The city felt it, and was excited about it.

 

"I'm proud of that, and I'm proud of the guys we had there. They're the types of players that you can build with because there are mentors now in the locker room. Because of that I think the Cleveland Browns have a chance to build something special."

 

They do, and it would have been nice to see Mangini have that chance to build it with them. But Jerry Glanville was right when he said the NFL stands for Not For Long. Josh McDaniels lasted a year-and-a-half in Denver. Mike Singletary was around for two-plus seasons in San Francisco. Brad Childress was fired a year after signing a contract extension. Tony Sparano may be gone after three years in Miami, and Tom Cable's future is in doubt after winning every game within the AFC West.

 

Mangini should've known this season wasn't going to be easy. It never is when the team's president and GM didn't hire you. But Mangini also knew what he had to do -- make a bulletproof case for himself -- and he failed, with consecutive losses to Buffalo and Cincinnati almost certainly cementing his fate.

 

So he was fired and now considers life after Cleveland. Already, he said, he has been contacted by college and pro teams looking to hire him, but he's in no hurry to make the next move -- and he shouldn't be. Instead of the first opportunity, he must look for the right one. In the end, Cleveland was not that place.

 

Had he been afforded more time -- as Kubiak has in Houston or Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville -- it might have worked. But the Browns are on the clock, and team president Mike Holmgren and Mangini come from completely different backgrounds, so it's no surprise their one-year marriage didn't last.

 

In fact, it's a wonder it lasted this long. It's to Holmgren's credit that he stuck with his head coach after Mangini's first season, but I don't know many within the NFL who thought it could survive beyond this season. Nevertheless, Mangini declined to fault Holmgren for his dismissal. He knew the Browns had to make something dramatic happen, and they didn't. And when the team collapsed down the stretch it was over. Holmgren didn't have to say it; those empty seats in the second half of Sunday's loss said it for him.

 

"I'm not sure what I would've done differently," Mangini said. "I think at that moment we made the right decisions. I don't know if I had the chance that I would've done one thing differently. I know I wish we could've finished games better. I'm not sure what exactly broke down, and I would've studied that in the offseason -- trying to determine what was the difference in the first half and the second half."

 

What could have been the difference for Cleveland this season was its quarterback, and I say "could have been" because I don't know if the Browns found themselves a future starter or not. Once I thought I did. But, the Colt McCoy I watched in his first five starts was different from the quarterback I saw finish the season -- and the numbers reflect it. Where he committed three turnovers in his first five games and authored the upset of New England, he threw six interceptions in his final two. More than that, he seemed to lack the confidence and swagger that characterized his earlier starts.

 

"For a rookie he did a lot of good things," said Mangini. "You hope [the interceptions] are an aberration, but they're definitely a concern. The development of Colt McCoy [is critical to the future of the club], and you really hope he can continue to improve. I think he can, but he must protect the football."

 

Of course, that was an issue with the Browns all year, and it started with Jake Delhomme. He was supposed to solidify a position so unstable that in 2009 Mangini won five games with his quarterbacks completing a total of 33 passes in those victories. So the Browns imported Delhomme, and he responded by committing a raft of errors -- including two interceptions in the season-opening loss to Tampa Bay, a game where the Browns blew a 14-3 lead.

 

"[The Browns] need more playmakers on offense," said Mangini. "Ben Watson had 68 catches, and that was a huge upgrade for us. Peyton Hillis did a really good job, but there was no back behind him, and once he was hurt [he broke two ribs in a Dec. 26 loss to Baltimore] it really slowed him down."

 

Yet despite all that, the Browns hung tough for most of the year. I don't know what happened down the stretch. What I do know is that for three-quarters of this season the Browns were one of the most intriguing, most competitive and most compelling stories in the NFL.

 

In short, they were one of the league's toughest outs, and don't ask me how Mangini or his coaches managed with the roster they had. I just know they did. Which is why I know that in a different time and a different place, Eric Mangini not only would have lasted; he would have been successful.

 

"I know we were on the right path," Mangini said, "and I think the city was disappointed we didn't win more -- as we were. But I'm proud of the way the guys played and how hard they played, and that's the first step. There's not a sense of loss or regret because I couldn't be more proud of the guys and the changes we made, and that's the first step in creating something special. If that's going to be my legacy here then I look at it positively."

 

Good article, good guy. I will always be appreciative of Mangini, he had very little talent to work with but he did his damndest to get us headed on the right path.

 

Thanks, Eric.

 

Zombo

[Carolina Brownie]

Great read.

[miktoxic]

it's obvious that our FO has never heard the word patience. it was amazing to see the number of coaches who were supposedly on the hot seat, returning to their teams next year. it only proves to me that holmgren had his mind made up all along and was his plan to bring in his guys and do it his way even if the browns would have gone 8 and 8.

 

lost all respect for the fat schlub. i hope he proves me wrong.

[peterbell]

Mangini was brought in to clean up the garbage heap that was here and establish a culture and turn the

Browns into a competitive football team..He did his job without putting the Browns in salary cap hell'

He returned the Browns back into a relevant NFL team, that is undeniable...In an article he did in August

he said he didn't want to be known as the "cleaner"..and have another coach reap the benefits of his

hard work..(See rex ryan) Coach Mangini proved to be prolific..

 

If Holmgren coaches this team it will be an unmitigated disaster..mark my words.

[Hoss]

it's obvious that our FO has never heard the word patience. .

 

They did bring him back for 2010 - I think that showed patience. Just didn't work out. Holmgren has something specific he is looking for in a team and decided all the work they do during the week was not going to produce the change he required. Both on offense and defense I heard comments about learning pages and pages of plays that were thrown out by Friday. Seems like wasted work. I also think the game specific planning, while it sounds okay, means a different set of plays every week. I never got the sense we had 20 bread and butter plays that we would go to, and I don't think the players felt that way either.

 

 

[longhorn]

Clark Judge is an NFL zen-master. Believe all he says.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/1389980...with-browns/rss

[Mark O]

Great article. I understand why the change had to be made...but it doesn't change the fact that Mangini is a good football coach who will land on his feet and be successful somewhere else.

 

[WRREBEL]

Clark Judge is an NFL zen-master. Believe all he says.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/1389980...with-browns/rss

 

 

That's awesome dude!

 

 

I will say even though I called mangini to be fired he was a good guy dealing with a crappy situation. I don't think he is a horrible coach but I will never thing he is great either.

 

Either way I will miss the baffled look on the sideline he had after a loss. Seeing that look I knew someone felt sicker than me after a loss.

[Tour2ma]

Thank you one and all... I was begining to think I was alone in believing that there is not a lot of upside in the options out there.

 

If I ruled the world, Mangini would have gotten another two-year deal with a mutual three-year option.

[kshutchins]

Deposed Mangini trumpets Browns' progress, has few regrets

 

 

By Clark Judge

CBSSports.com Senior Writer

 

Jan. 4, 2011

 

Let's be honest: In another place, at another time, Eric Mangini would not have been fired. So he didn't win many games this season with the Cleveland Browns. Neither did Gary Kubiak in Houston. But Kubiak is back and Mangini is not because the Houston Texans have the patience that Cleveland does not.

 

That is not a knock on the Browns. It's an observation.

 

 

Jake Delhomme's turnover tendencies didn't help settle Eric Mangini's QB problem in Cleveland. (Getty Images) It's also the reason Mangini was home Tuesday, taking his boys to school, instead of studying the Browns' depth chart and wondering how and where to improve it. Mangini lost over twice as many games as he won in his two seasons with the Browns, and the team's management decided enough was enough.

I get that. But be careful what you wish for. Mangini did what he was supposed to do, which was to lay a foundation for the future and return the Browns to respectability. I don't care that they were 5-11 this season. I care that he took a team that didn't have an abundance of talent but did have an abundance of injuries, as well as the NFL's toughest schedule, and made it a factor.

 

I'm serious. The Browns were the last team to beat New England. They clobbered defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans in New Orleans. They beat defending AFC North champion Cincinnati, ending a streak of eight straight division wins. They should have beaten Tampa Bay and the New York Jets. They could have beaten Kansas City and Baltimore and Atlanta and Jacksonville.

 

I know they didn't. They also didn't have the players or the talent those clubs did, with Mangini forced to play half the season with his third-string quarterback, rookie Colt McCoy, and without defensive captains Scott Fujita and Robaire Smith.

 

So injuries happen. They happened in all the wrong places for Cleveland, and they doomed the head coach. Look, I don't know that Mangini would've made it had he beaten Buffalo and Cincinnati or not gotten hammered by Pittsburgh at home in the season finale. But I do know that he didn't have a chance once he couldn't steer clear of those defeats.

 

That's supposed to be OK because that's life in the NFL. But it shouldn't be OK for Mangini because he did what he was supposed to do -- put the Cleveland Browns back on the map. Yes, you would have liked him to win more, but he made the Browns something they were not, which was relevant -- and if you don't believe me, ask the Patriots.

 

Say what you will about Mangini. I say he's a coach who knows how to make a football team whole, proving it when he finished last year with four straight victories and again this season when seven of Cleveland's games were decided by four or fewer points and 10 by no more than seven.

 

"I really believe this was a different situation than what I went through in New York [with the Jets]," he said Tuesday morning, "because there it was all about trying to figure out who you are and how well you can do with your next chance. But in two years here my growth professionally and personally has been tremendous. I think I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin, and that was huge for me.

 

 

"What I know now is that you don't microwave success. You build something to last, and that takes a lot of hard work, discipline and patience. Pittsburgh is a great example of that, and it's reflected by its record.

 

"When I look back at what we accomplished, I think we dramatically changed the culture of the building and the organization. Football became relevant again in Cleveland. People were passionate about the team again, and I think that came from the passion of the players. The city felt it, and was excited about it.

 

"I'm proud of that, and I'm proud of the guys we had there. They're the types of players that you can build with because there are mentors now in the locker room. Because of that I think the Cleveland Browns have a chance to build something special."

 

They do, and it would have been nice to see Mangini have that chance to build it with them. But Jerry Glanville was right when he said the NFL stands for Not For Long. Josh McDaniels lasted a year-and-a-half in Denver. Mike Singletary was around for two-plus seasons in San Francisco. Brad Childress was fired a year after signing a contract extension. Tony Sparano may be gone after three years in Miami, and Tom Cable's future is in doubt after winning every game within the AFC West.

 

Mangini should've known this season wasn't going to be easy. It never is when the team's president and GM didn't hire you. But Mangini also knew what he had to do -- make a bulletproof case for himself -- and he failed, with consecutive losses to Buffalo and Cincinnati almost certainly cementing his fate.

 

So he was fired and now considers life after Cleveland. Already, he said, he has been contacted by college and pro teams looking to hire him, but he's in no hurry to make the next move -- and he shouldn't be. Instead of the first opportunity, he must look for the right one. In the end, Cleveland was not that place.

 

Had he been afforded more time -- as Kubiak has in Houston or Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville -- it might have worked. But the Browns are on the clock, and team president Mike Holmgren and Mangini come from completely different backgrounds, so it's no surprise their one-year marriage didn't last.

 

In fact, it's a wonder it lasted this long. It's to Holmgren's credit that he stuck with his head coach after Mangini's first season, but I don't know many within the NFL who thought it could survive beyond this season. Nevertheless, Mangini declined to fault Holmgren for his dismissal. He knew the Browns had to make something dramatic happen, and they didn't. And when the team collapsed down the stretch it was over. Holmgren didn't have to say it; those empty seats in the second half of Sunday's loss said it for him.

 

"I'm not sure what I would've done differently," Mangini said. "I think at that moment we made the right decisions. I don't know if I had the chance that I would've done one thing differently. I know I wish we could've finished games better. I'm not sure what exactly broke down, and I would've studied that in the offseason -- trying to determine what was the difference in the first half and the second half."

 

What could have been the difference for Cleveland this season was its quarterback, and I say "could have been" because I don't know if the Browns found themselves a future starter or not. Once I thought I did. But, the Colt McCoy I watched in his first five starts was different from the quarterback I saw finish the season -- and the numbers reflect it. Where he committed three turnovers in his first five games and authored the upset of New England, he threw six interceptions in his final two. More than that, he seemed to lack the confidence and swagger that characterized his earlier starts.

 

"For a rookie he did a lot of good things," said Mangini. "You hope [the interceptions] are an aberration, but they're definitely a concern. The development of Colt McCoy [is critical to the future of the club], and you really hope he can continue to improve. I think he can, but he must protect the football."

 

Of course, that was an issue with the Browns all year, and it started with Jake Delhomme. He was supposed to solidify a position so unstable that in 2009 Mangini won five games with his quarterbacks completing a total of 33 passes in those victories. So the Browns imported Delhomme, and he responded by committing a raft of errors -- including two interceptions in the season-opening loss to Tampa Bay, a game where the Browns blew a 14-3 lead.

 

"[The Browns] need more playmakers on offense," said Mangini. "Ben Watson had 68 catches, and that was a huge upgrade for us. Peyton Hillis did a really good job, but there was no back behind him, and once he was hurt [he broke two ribs in a Dec. 26 loss to Baltimore] it really slowed him down."

 

Yet despite all that, the Browns hung tough for most of the year. I don't know what happened down the stretch. What I do know is that for three-quarters of this season the Browns were one of the most intriguing, most competitive and most compelling stories in the NFL.

 

In short, they were one of the league's toughest outs, and don't ask me how Mangini or his coaches managed with the roster they had. I just know they did. Which is why I know that in a different time and a different place, Eric Mangini not only would have lasted; he would have been successful.

 

"I know we were on the right path," Mangini said, "and I think the city was disappointed we didn't win more -- as we were. But I'm proud of the way the guys played and how hard they played, and that's the first step. There's not a sense of loss or regret because I couldn't be more proud of the guys and the changes we made, and that's the first step in creating something special. If that's going to be my legacy here then I look at it positively."

 

 

I really hate seeing this guy go.

[Gips]

Mangini is a fantastic first level disciplinarian and line coach but he lacked the system, creativity, decision making and cunning to take it to the next level as a head coach..

I would highly recommend eric mangini to teams that have discipline problems as a 1 to 2 year stop gap solution, but the team should make sure they have a solid GM and personnel department in place first...

[Harry Buffalo]

Only reason the guy was fired was because Holmgren was brought in. It would have been nice if Holmgren didn't take that one year off and could have been brought in that year instead of Mangini so we didn't have to deal with firing him after two years, but thats just bad luck. I'm sure he will coordinate for a few years and then get back to head coaching and the team that picks him up will be lucky.

[marcus]

What would really suck is if he goes and coaches Michigan and is actually successful after they shit can NimRod.

[calfoxwc]

Mangini's legacy is that he started the Browns back on the right road. It'd be great if he went into the front office...

 

His choice of Dabol messed up the offense. That part I don't get.

 

Good luck to Mangini wherever he ends up.

[ronfu]

I believe firing Mangini was a mistake and really dont think the next coach will fare any better with the lack of talent. I suppose the next coach will get little more time to produce a winner since he will be hired by Holmgren and will also be in a better position since Mangini got rid of the idiots Romeo brought in.

I for one thought they could get another OC under Mangini and roll with him for a couple more years

 

[BrownIndian]

What do the folks think about the Mangini era in comparison with the Romeo era ?

[Xanthros]

First off let me say that I think Mangini is a great coach. Is he a good HEAD COACH though? That remains to be seen. I think he will probably grow into that role, but the one intangible that no one, not the media, not the fans, and not the organization is mentioning is his decisions ON the field. The inability of the team to capitalize on the situations handed to them. Gameplan or not if they have you figured out you need to adapt and I never saw EM adapt all season. To me this is the reason that MH let him go...Being an Ex-HC himself you can't fault MH for his decisions. Think after all of how he (MH) himself was demoted from GM/HC back to just HC. That in itself must have been a humbling experience...something that EM has not dealt with. My point is this...EM is not done as a HC. I guarantee that. MH was brought in here to establish a winner. Does he have a timetable? Of course he does. Its very possible that this past year was simply EM babysitting the team while MH evaluated first-hand what he really bought into. It's a business people. Plain and simple. The only reason everyone wants to win honestly is the revenue it brings in. Except the fans of course. I think EM would have turned the corner eventually but his love for Daboll and his inability to be able to pull through in the "clutch" is what I believe led to his downfall. He never gave MH the reason NOT to fire him...plain and simple. We are not moving into a new era at all...that started last year with the hiring of the FO. This is just like getting that FA pickup everyone has been coveting. After all of the love for MH and talk of "trust" it is amazing how many people are hating on him now...Also realize this...MH improved EM's stock greatly this year, he will have many many job offers. To me it looks like win-win for all involved, it's just us fans are too stupid to get out of our own way sometimes....

[Xanthros]

Oh and Romeo is Coordinator material only...nuff said...

[1 more season]

Wow! Talk about looking back through rose colored glasses. Listen to you guys.

 

5-22 with the Browns and below .500 lifetime! Yes, I know talent wah wah wah.

 

Returned the Browns to relevance. Really? That disaster on Sunday was the only national game the Browns had this year and after the halftime crew got done laughing at the team the network cut away to a more competitive game. 6 min. later!!!! Gotta be a record. That is what the rest of the country thinks of the Browns too a joke.

 

Sure there were some improvements just like there were with Romeo or Butch or any coach but Mangini doesn't seem to have what it takes to be an HC.

 

Now you'all turn your venom to Holgrem.... a successful HC? You hate Holgrem who's taken teams to SB's you hate Romeo who won more in 1 season then any Browns coach in the last 10 years but love a guy who brought 2 5-11 season's while the rest of the leagues down teams found a way to win with what they have because of some perceived "right direction".

 

Mangini was another bad decision from the start. Holmgren will be the one to set this team in the right direction.

 

I don't like a new coach every 2 years and I hope that when they have the right guy he stays for 20 years.

[Slurp and Burp]

10 bucks and my left nut say Mangini will not be hired as a head coach in the NFL again. Most everyone outside of Cleveland knew this guy was a bad coach and was living off of Bellichick's success. They ran him out of NY and there wasn't one other NFL team interested in him except Cleveland.

 

No one wanted him to coach their team then and no one will want him now. He like Crennel, Josh Daniels, Charlie Weis, tried to convince other teams of their Super Bowl experience but all of them have failed miserably without Bellichick.

[bringbackbrownie2]

Wow! Talk about looking back through rose colored glasses. Listen to you guys.

 

5-22 with the Browns and below .500 lifetime! Yes, I know talent wah wah wah.

 

Returned the Browns to relevance. Really? That disaster on Sunday was the only national game the Browns had this year and after the halftime crew got done laughing at the team the network cut away to a more competitive game. 6 min. later!!!! Gotta be a record. That is what the rest of the country thinks of the Browns too a joke.

 

Sure there were some improvements just like there were with Romeo or Butch or any coach but Mangini doesn't seem to have what it takes to be an HC.

 

Now you'all turn your venom to Holgrem.... a successful HC? You hate Holgrem who's taken teams to SB's you hate Romeo who won more in 1 season then any Browns coach in the last 10 years but love a guy who brought 2 5-11 season's while the rest of the leagues down teams found a way to win with what they have because of some perceived "right direction".

 

Mangini was another bad decision from the start. Holmgren will be the one to set this team in the right direction.

 

I don't like a new coach every 2 years and I hope that when they have the right guy he stays for 20 years.

 

first of all Mangini was 10-22 not 5-22 with the browns. both suck. the only pt. I will argue is that "the rest of the leagues down teams found a way to win with what they have."

 

I assume you are talking about the rams, chiefs, and bucs. All three teams beat 1 team with a winning record. rams were 7-9 in the worst division in the league (and worst division I have ever seen). that is not better than 5-11 in the AFC North. the chiefs were 2-4 in their mediocre division and got 4 freebie wins from the NFC West (rams division). the bucs got 4 freebie wins from the AFC West too. the bucs also beat carolina twice, cincinnati, cleveland, and washington. hardly a tough schedule. the only impressive win on their schedule was their victory over the saints. but then again, we beat them too...