Captain Cheesedick Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Mangini, McDaniels have much to learn by John Czarnecki This column started with the premise that Eric Mangini, the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, was the Grinch Who Stole Christmas when recently he asked his 19 rookies to serve as volunteer coaches at his high school football camp and then put them on a bus for the 10-hour ride from Ohio to Hartford, his hometown. It never dawned on those players and their agents, who were anonymously complaining, that the thousands it would have cost Mangini to pay for airplane tickets would have been money better spent on the kids. Isn't that what volunteer work is all about? A little sacrifice? With millions of Americans unemployed, some of these young men felt obligated to get onto the bus, fearful that Mangini might be less compassionate when cut time came around if they didn't volunteer. I guess that makes a little sense. But we all know that Mangini is like most coaches: they will employ the best player regardless of character. Mangini, already fired once for losing, knows he has to win to remain employed. Still, this Mangini decision was viewed in some NFL circles as a coach over-reaching in the authority department. Some may file it under questionable common sense. Knowing Mangini, he probably never considered there would be any negative consequences when he asked his rookies to spend a couple days volunteering. Which brings me to today's NFL primer — "How to Mold the Next Great NFL Head Coach." The landscape in this business is forever changing. Believe it or not, there are 11 new head coaches this season when compared to the start of the 2008 season. Granted, Tom Cable in Oakland and Mike Singletary in San Francisco were elevated to full-time capacity after replacing Lane Kiffin and Mike Nolan during last season, respectively. And everyone knew that then-assistants Jim Mora would be the boss in Seattle and Jim Caldwell in Indianapolis. Still, that leaves six new faces and one retread (Mangini) with the seven other teams. And, honestly, there are big question marks about all 11 coaches, although Mora did win briefly in Atlanta with Michael Vick. There is no question that the league and its owners are going younger and cheaper in the coaching department. That makes sense if they hit on the next Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh's 37-year-old wunderkind and Super Bowl winner. But even Tomlin endured a serious learning curve in Year One (10-6, first-round playoff loss) and made clear adjustments in Year Two (12-4, Super Bowl champion). Here's some kind advice for all the young coaches trying to be the NFL's next "genius" ... It sure helps with a strong, worldly-in-football owner. Tomlin went to the perfect place; Pittsburgh. Not every team had the ownership and front-office patience and knowledge that Tomlin encountered when he joined the Steelers. Owner Dan Rooney came to work every day and he was always there to assist his young head coach if he sought advice. Pittsburgh's support system may be one of the strongest in the league. Those within the Steelers say that Tomlin didn't do much talking his rookie season. He basically absorbed the scene and listened to his elders, like defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. He was a more demonstrative coach, totally in charge, in his second season and he won a championship. Like Mike Smith in Atlanta, Tomlin knew what he didn't know. You may be in trouble if the owners know nothing about football. Consider: There are many in Michigan who don't believe the Fords know much about building cars, let alone running a football team. Does Jim Schwartz really have front-office strength behind him in GM Martin Mayhew? Does Jed York and his father believe in Singletary as much as they do the Santa Clara politicians willing to help with a new stadium? What happened to Broncos owner Pat Bowlen? How does he lose a quarterback and not hire a defensive coach to replace Mike Shanahan? Can Jets owner Woody Johnson have the patience to stick with Rob Ryan even if Mark Sanchez struggles for a year or two? Here's some thoughtful advice. Don't try to be the next Belichick. Mangini, a former assistant with New England, has gone down this road with mixed results — one playoff appearance with the Jets in three seasons. Ironically, he's now in Cleveland where Belichick didn't receive high marks from the media or fans. Remember, in his first head-coaching gig (1991-95 with Browns, 36-44 overall record) he benched starting QB Bernie Kosar, suffered losing seasons in four of his five years, and went up in flames when then-owner Art Modell bolted to Baltimore. It took Belichick a few years, plus a supportive owner in Bob Kraft, to become the game's greatest coach, comparable to Bill Walsh. Ex-Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels went down that Belichick path with quarterback Jay Cutler this offseason, and look where that got the Broncos. Yes, a head coach has to be the boss, but within reason. No young head coach should go to war with his franchise quarterback. They are going to lose every time. Listen to your general manager. It bugged the heck out of Mike Holmgren that Ron Wolf got as much credit as he did when they turned around the Green Bay Packers in the 1990s. But Holmgren never would have won without Wolf, who had the guts to trade for Brett Favre and also the dollars and sense to pay Reggie White whatever he wanted. Look around these new NFL outposts, and with the exception of Indianapolis where Bill Polian and Jimmy Irsay have seen everything, the rest are searching for an identity. I have confidence in the general managers in Kansas City, Seattle and St. Louis, but some of the others aren't loaded with stable winners and common-sense ownership. You can bet that Mangini didn't call owner Randy Lerner about his bus trip; he simply did it. A decade or so ago, Raiders owner Al Davis was the perfect sounding board for any young head coach. Look how Jon Gruden grew with the Raiders. Davis' relationship with Kiffin failed and now he's rolling the dice with Cable, a coach who was unknown to him a year or so ago. We all heard Davis at the press conference seeking information on Cable before announcing him as interim coach. Tampa Bay has moneyed ownership that stays hidden, and they have turned the Bucs over to two young guys in GM Mark Dominik and coach Raheem Morris. But it's important for Morris to cool his youthful intensity, which was partly responsible for several recent skirmishes on the practice field during minicamp. Who needs players fighting in May? Not everyone thinks like Bill Parcells. Just look at what Parcells has done with the Dolphins, especially with Coach Tony Sparano. I'm pretty confident that nobody other than Parcells would have hired Sparano to be a head coach. It was the right call and now Parcells' son-in-law, Scott Pioli, is attempting to pull the same magic with Todd Haley, another Parcells find, in Kansas City. Haley once got in Terrell Owens' face in Dallas, but does that make him Sparano? Still, it is an interesting marriage in Kansas City, one supported fully by owner Clark Hunt, whose strengths are similar to his late father Lamar. The overarching lesson for all young head coaches out there: You don't know everything, yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddybull1 Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 And your point is???? When you win you're a genius, when you lose your either a dumb ass coffee fetcher or have a terrible GM.... One man does not create a winner, it's a combination of many levels of management.... It doesn't hurt to have a well established group of veterans playing in the same system year after year either.... peace T.Dawg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Cheesedick Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 I'm not anti-Mangini, just reading everthing posted here about the great things he does, and wondered how this board would respond to an article that doesn't claim the genius of Mangini. The regulars didn't disappoint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Cheesedick Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 you get one reply and you feel vindicated?? ROFL I actually didn't comment because I didn't read this article as all that negative and actually quite true. Mangini likely still has a good bit to learn about being a championship caliber coach. Hopefully he'll learn it all. No No No!! The LACK of response is what i found interesting. And it's not negative. It's just NOT saying that everything is great and he has completely turned around this team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AdaM Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Again the lack of response is because it's a pretty nothing article. but you go girl This is just some guys opinion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 I didn't respond because the article didn't really have much of a point, if someone can summarize it correctly, please do. There is no one perfect, foolproof way to win in this league. It takes coaching, good playcalling, GM's that pay the guys who don't play for the love of the game and well...luck really (the ball bounces different ways 'cause it's oblong). The most important aspect of winning is the one that goes unsaid most of the time: player execution. If the players don't execute, bad things happen and you usually don't win. Outside of that, the article posted jumps around a lot and doesn't really say much. It seemed like it was just filler for a long offseason with not much going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NW Ohio Brownie Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Well, there's one thing in that article I agree with. Tomlin is smart to let LeBeau be demonstrative. Let's not kid ourselves. Tomlin may very well be a good head coach, but the Steelers are nowhere without LeBeau. I remember when they hired Tomlin, there was noise about Tomlin eventually phasing in his 4-3. Fortunately for Steelers fans, Tomlin wasn't that dumb. He knows where his meal ticket is and it's with the controlled chaos that is LeBeau's zone blitzing. Every successful head coach is ALWAYS surrounded with at least one excellent coordinator. Sometimes they are one and the same, like Holmgren/Walsh calling their own plays in GB/SF. Or sometimes the coordinators cement the legendary status of their bosses, like Belichick did for Parcells and Ryan did for Ditka. Why do you think Harbaugh was instantly successful last year? Sure he brought needed discipline to Baltimore, but Cam Cameron and Rob Ryan are about as good as it gets in the coordinator business. Let's hope Daboll blossoms into this type of coordinator. We don't need worry about Rex. He's legit already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solon16 Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 What about millionaires helping out really needy kids? so what if they had a budget and wanted to give the kids the most....so they rented a bus instead of flying. No story as far as I'm concerned. Stupid in fact.... just some jets fan reporting more B.S about Mangini....they will be the joke in the end when Mangini wins a lot more games than ryan. Spoiled athletes wanting to fly verses a bus ride is the only reason this is in the news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl34 Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 I'm not anti-Mangini, just reading everthing posted here about the great things he does, and wondered how this board would respond to an article that doesn't claim the genius of Mangini. The regulars didn't disappoint! I think most of the national media really doesn't "claim the genius of Mangini" so I'm not sure where you're going with that. I was at the camp and I know for a fact that over three quarters of the kids DIDN'T pay the admission and no one got turned away. I also know that with over 750 kids there were less than 10 parents in the stands. I know that EM is very generous with his time and his wallet when it comes to those kids so EXCUSE ME if the players didn't get first class accomodations to and from Hartford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddybull1 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 As I previously stated soldier boy---and your point is??????? peace T.Dawg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YtownBrownsBacker Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Well, there's one thing in that article I agree with. Tomlin is smart to let LeBeau be demonstrative. Let's not kid ourselves. Tomlin may very well be a good head coach, but the Steelers are nowhere without LeBeau. I remember when they hired Tomlin, there was noise about Tomlin eventually phasing in his 4-3. Fortunately for Steelers fans, Tomlin wasn't that dumb. He knows where his meal ticket is and it's with the controlled chaos that is LeBeau's zone blitzing. Every successful head coach is ALWAYS surrounded with at least one excellent coordinator. Sometimes they are one and the same, like Holmgren/Walsh calling their own plays in GB/SF. Or sometimes the coordinators cement the legendary status of their bosses, like Belichick did for Parcells and Ryan did for Ditka. Why do you think Harbaugh was instantly successful last year? Sure he brought needed discipline to Baltimore, but Cam Cameron and Rob Ryan are about as good as it gets in the coordinator business. Let's hope Daboll blossoms into this type of coordinator. We don't need worry about Rex. He's legit already. I think Tomlin would have come in and struggled without LeBeau. LeBeau doesn't get enough credit for what he has done over the years with that defense. There are in Super Bowls because of the defense, not the offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffer X Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I have a woodrow over Mangini and dammit I'm man enough to admit it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.