peterbell Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 So much for losing the team angle Browns refuse to raise white flag By TOM WITHERS • Associated Press • December 8, 2009 Comments (0) Recommend (1) Print this page E-mail this article Share Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine Buzz up!Twitter BEREA -- Beaten up and beaten down, the Cleveland Browns haven't quit. Their embattled coach isn't surprised. Despite a 1-11 record, mounting injuries and minimal progress in coach Eric Mangini's first season, the Browns showed some grit in Sunday's 30-23 loss to San Diego. Down by 20 to one of the NFL's better teams, Cleveland scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, recovered an onside kick and put a genuine scare into the AFC West-leading Chargers. Mangini, whose future could hinge on his team's performance over the final five weeks, was proud of his squad's resolve. "At 27-7, it would have been very easy to kind of let the rest of the game play out," Mangini said Monday. "I never felt that for a second from the guys." Mangini said Chargers coach Norv Turner approached him on the field and complimented the Browns' gutsy effort. Although San Diego appeared to ease up with a 30-14 lead, Mangini believes the final score had more to do with Cleveland's determination. "The first thing he (Turner) said was how impressed he was with the way the guys fought and he wanted me to tell the group that," Mangini said. "He said that we have a tough group of guys, which I agree with, and that was his feedback so I don't think that when you're a team in San Diego's position and you got a lot of things depending on every single game, you don't let down." Mangini managed to extract some positives from Cleveland's seventh straight loss and 10th consecutive defeat at home, witnessed by one of the smallest crowds at Browns Stadium in the past 10 years. He praised rookie receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie, who combined for 12 catches. He liked quarterback Brady Quinn's decision making and third straight game without an interception. He noted running back Jerome Harrison's improved blocking and felt tight end Evan Moore, signed from the practice squad on Saturday, gave Cleveland's offense a spark. Mostly, though, Mangini applauded the Browns' fight and willingness to band together in what could wind up as Cleveland's worst season. "It's a good group of guys that care about what they're doing," he said. "They work hard. I haven't sat back and questioned their work ethic at any point. I don't think it's the way that any of us had wanted it to go. I think they appreciated the progress that they have made in different areas. They care about each other. They care about the team, and I can't imagine them playing any other way." Mangini has preached unity since taking over in Cleveland. He believes cohesion breeds championships. The Browns may be a long way from a title, but there is togetherness."We all look at each other as brothers," fullback Lawrence Vickers said. "It's a big family oriented team and nothing is going to break that up regardless how much people try. That's what players in our position have to do, put our backs against the wall and let's hold each other's hand and let's get through it. That's how families overcome things. You gotta stick together through whatever." With each loss, Mangini's tenure in Cleveland becomes more uncertain. It's not known whether owner Randy Lerner has soured on the former New York Jets coach, who has lost 15 of his past 17 games. Lerner wants to hire a "football authority" to run the Browns, but to this point, has kept his search under wraps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Dick Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Mangini is a douche Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbell Posted December 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Oh..what an insightful reponse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DACHUMS Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Mangini has this team headed in the right direction,, Patience !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshutchins Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Mostly, though, Mangini applauded the Browns' fight and willingness to band together in what could wind up as Cleveland's worst season. "It's a good group of guys that care about what they're doing," he said. "They work hard. I haven't sat back and questioned their work ethic at any point. I don't think it's the way that any of us had wanted it to go. I think they appreciated the progress that they have made in different areas. They care about each other. They care about the team, and I can't imagine them playing any other way." Mangini has preached unity since taking over in Cleveland. He believes cohesion breeds championships. The Browns may be a long way from a title, but there is togetherness."We all look at each other as brothers," fullback Lawrence Vickers said. "It's a big family oriented team and nothing is going to break that up regardless how much people try. That's what players in our position have to do, put our backs against the wall and let's hold each other's hand and let's get through it. That's how families overcome things. You gotta stick together through whatever." I think that this positive energy from the team is obvious and speaks well of the coach. I would be sorry to see Mangini go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Boy Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Mangini has this team headed in the right direction,, Patience !!! damn right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
585Dawg Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Though the article might be telling the truth, we still lost the game... and our record is 1-11. Bottom line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alporcini Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Though the article might be telling the truth, we still lost the game... and our record is 1-11. Bottom line. Granted, I liked the way we played in the Chargers game... Roth and Trusnik (sp) were nice pickups.. but the game plan v. the Bengals was a disaster coming off the Lions... and for all Mangini's kudo for Robiskie and Harrison (who blew up his man with a block on the 43 yarder), where the heck have these guys been all season... Mangini's trying to put spin wherever he can... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Couch Pulls Out Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Though the article might be telling the truth, we still lost the game... and our record is 1-11. Bottom line. What would winning the game have done? Nothing drastically different. We would have just been 2-10 instead of 1-11. I'm not saying that I like us losing, but I'm also not getting pissy because we're having a god-awful year. We have god-awful players, a god-awful OC, and no GM whatsoever. Going into this season, I knew we would be knocking at the door of a 2-14 season. At least we're actually following a plan and trying to develop an identity. It's better than the shit that's been put on the field for the past 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbell Posted December 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Granted, I liked the way we played in the Chargers game... Roth and Trusnik (sp) were nice pickups.. but the game plan v. the Bengals was a disaster coming off the Lions... and for all Mangini's kudo for Robiskie and Harrison (who blew up his man with a block on the 43 yarder), where the heck have these guys been all season... Mangini's trying to put spin wherever he can... Robo had to "earn" his time by commiting to special teams..Mangini understands Robo was a 2nd rounder and instead of just letting him play to save face or his ass, he had the balls and intregrity to sit Robo until he proved he belonged on the field..f**kin A to that !! Harrison's pass blocking was brutal and he was getting both QB's killed in early games, apparently Mangini sat his ass until he made a commitment to be a total player..did you see Harrison pass blocking vs SD..freakin awesome! Its exactly what a coach is supposed to do. These are the intangibles Mangini has brought to the Browns..This is good stuff and how you build a winning franchise for the long haul..discipline,accountibilty,toughness,play hard to the final whistle. Mangini found two guys on the street (Roth and Moore) who are pretty damn good.Mangini type guys Look the roster is in need of play makers we knew that before Mangini arrived, the two we had(K2 and BE) were selfcentered schmucks and had to go..we all know that. This thing in Cleveland is being constructed the right way..no question about it I'll give you a perfect example to the fact you need play makers. The head guy now at Indy (i forgot his name), he's undefeated right Why the hell isn't every paper and and online blog writing what a unbelievable coach he is Hell.. a rookie head coach undefeated Two reasons.Its doesn't sell papers like trash does and everyone thinks Manning,Wayne, Addai, Freeney and the beast of a DT are the reason he's winning..not the coach.Hell I thought the old white guy was the`coach not the old black guy..lol .Not until I saw the`Indy game the other night. They barely showed the guy on the sideline during the game..hell they show Mangini every 3 seconds Point is you need playmakers and it takes time to develop and accrue such talent Troy polomu is considered one of the best SS in football..He played nickle and special teams his 1st year...just sayin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gips Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Mangini is the worst coach hire of all time...and if lerner retains him he gets what he deserves...an empty stadium and a losing team to dig deeper into his pockets... If mangini had let daboll go and had handled BQ right amongst a couple dozen other idiotic moves ,perhaps many people would feel differently but he didnt ,instead he chose to waste my time for 13 weeks watching my team sink to new lows and watching ex-jets and rejects like poteat play under a system that doesnt match the players he himself brought in instead of seeing rookies bond and a team moving forward ,his idea of rebuilding over the longhaul is the same as rebuilding since 1964 ,its more intended at keeping him and daboll employed for years as opposed to whipping the team into shape..this guy is a real snake..a wolf in sheeps clothing... Keeping this guy just to stop the coaching carousal wont work out well for anyone..we need the right people from top to bottom ,in that order... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choco Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 hahaha....keep going Gips....this is getting amusing. i love it when folks are oblivious to their own ignorance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosar_For_President Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Well the team not giving up means that maybe the players are buying in to Mangini? I've waffled 20 times on this, Mangini needs time. And hell, now that we are showing signs of putting a NFL team on the field, maybe this thing COULD turn around. That is all I was asking all along. Wow having a TE that can catch makes a huge difference. Maybe that is what Mangini is doing, weeding out players that whine and can't make plays. Scout players in college that can make plays? Does any one know why we dropped Rucker, from what I saw dude could catch the ball? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark O Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 I think the fact that the team is still playing hard is a positive for the coach and he should be back next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownRebel Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 I'm split on Mangini. On one hand we're terrible, and we have shown some of the worst performances of all time I can remember seeing in the NFL in my 30 years on this earth. On the other hand, we are improving (whether or not this is a fluke or actual improvement remains to be seen). Also, as bad as we've looked, 1 year isn't a fair judgment for any coach, especially given our talent level. Finally, I'm not sure who we'd hire if we can this guy. I'm all for it if we can get a guy like Holmgren, but if he and the other big names turn us down (don't see Shanahan or Cowher coming here) I think we should see what happens next year. I can be easily swayed on this matter though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownIndian Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 I'm split on Mangini. On one hand we're terrible, and we have shown some of the worst performances of all time I can remember seeing in the NFL in my 30 years on this earth. On the other hand, we are improving (whether or not this is a fluke or actual improvement remains to be seen). Also, as bad as we've looked, 1 year isn't a fair judgment for any coach, especially given our talent level. Finally, I'm not sure who we'd hire if we can this guy. I'm all for it if we can get a guy like Holmgren, but if he and the other big names turn us down (don't see Shanahan or Cowher coming here) I think we should see what happens next year. I can be easily swayed on this matter though. Cowher ? Nooooo ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl34 Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Mangini is the worst coach hire of all time...and if lerner retains him he gets what he deserves...an empty stadium and a losing team to dig deeper into his pockets... If mangini had let daboll go and had handled BQ right amongst a couple dozen other idiotic moves ,perhaps many people would feel differently but he didnt ,instead he chose to waste my time for 13 weeks watching my team sink to new lows and watching ex-jets and rejects like poteat play under a system that doesnt match the players he himself brought in instead of seeing rookies bond and a team moving forward ,his idea of rebuilding over the longhaul is the same as rebuilding since 1964 ,its more intended at keeping him and daboll employed for years as opposed to whipping the team into shape..this guy is a real snake..a wolf in sheeps clothing... Keeping this guy just to stop the coaching carousal wont work out well for anyone..we need the right people from top to bottom ,in that order... ...let's see. Fire your OC at the beginning of the season? A lot of good that did for Tampa and Buffalo. You consistently inundate us with these moronic points of view and if he'd fired the dude, he'd be "disloyal" or "waffling"; I don't see the QB controversy as a disaster from a coaching standpoint. It was a disaster from a talent standpoint. As much as DA sucked, BQ didn't do anything to show he belonged on the field either. This site needs an "ignore" button so I can ignore moronic idiots like you. Isn't your mama about to put you to bed little boy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.