Mangini offering Browns road to nowhere
If you’re not a fan of Eric Mangini, get in line. Get in line behind the Browns fans, the Browns players, the local media, the national media, and likely, the Browns front office. This certainly can’t be what Randy Lerner had in mind when went against popular sentiment and made Mangini the fourth head coach in 11 years to lead this once-proud franchise. But as the early season losses continue to increase in severity and the Browns look as lost as they have at any point in the history of the franchise, the Mangini Era might be as short-lived as the competitiveness of the team he’s putting on the field.
Its easy for Browns fans not to like Eric Mangini. He’s arrogant. His teams play boring football. He hasn’t won anything and it doesn’t appear that the Browns will be winning anytime soon. The Browns can’t score. The Browns can’t tackle. Progress has not been made and they’ve run out of patience with another Belichick coaching tree branch after just three games.
And the players can’t enjoy playing for a guy that can’t find joy in a game. They also can’t like a guy that makes them take a 10-hour bus ride to his camp while he takes a flight. His nitpicking isn’t translating to success on the field and after the 34-3 pasting at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, you’d have to wonder if they’re interested in playing for the guy another week. Free agents certainly will be adding Cleveland to their no-way-in-hell-will-I-play-there list. Even Cincinnati has to be a more attractive option at this point.
The local media didn’t seem to be too fond of the games Mangini played with the media regarding the starting quarterback and the CIA-like secrecy he conducted his first training camp in Berea. And the national media certainly dislikes Mangini. Check out this doozy from Gregg Doyel as he eviscerates Mangini calling him a jerk and a pathetic bully that gets off on little man power trips like hiding the identity of the starting quarterback. ESPN seemed all to happy to let us know that five players have filed grievances against him. And most analysts simply laugh at the Browns as the ineptitude grows.
But I guess none of this matters to Mangini unless the guy employing him decides he’s had enough. And my guess is that Randy Lerner, while frustrated, isn’t one to make rash decisions such as hiring a very undesirable head coach when more qualified and skilled coaching candidates were still on the market. So far we’re not at the end of the line.