Tag: Eric Mangini (Page 6 of 13)

      Needing a spark, Browns go back to Anderson

      September 30, 2009 /

      Browns head coach Eric Mangini told reporters on Wednesday that Derek Anderson would replace Brady Quinn at quarterback and start this Sunday against the Bengals.

      From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

      Mangini said “giving Derek the opportunity is something I think will help us offensively.” He said Anderson’s performance on third down Sunday in Baltimore — including 3-of-4 on a field goal drive — helped him clinch the job. He said he needs to improve on throwing interceptions, after throwing three in Baltimore.

      Mangini had little choice. Quinn wasn’t moving the offense, looked uncomfortable in his decision-making and wasn’t giving his receivers a chance to run after the catch. While Anderson shouldn’t be expected to fix what ails the Browns, he does have a stronger arm, will test defenses vertically and did move the ball more efficiently than Quinn last week against the Ravens. (Granted, Anderson also threw three interceptions against Baltimore.)

      Cleveland’s defense has played well enough to keep the Browns competitive, but the offense has been stagnant and while Quinn isn’t the only one to blame, the quarterback is always the first one to be replaced when a team is losing. If Quinn had showed any signs that he was progressing as a passer, then maybe Mangini would have given the young QB more time. But he wasn’t, and thus it’s time to give Anderson a shot to lead the offense again.

      Mangini needs this move to pay off or else he’s going to start losing the locker room (if he hasn’t already). He got off to a rough start with players like Shaun Rodgers when he was hired, and hasn’t endeared himself to others with his crass attitude and Bill Belichick-like demeanor. It may be too early to suggest that he’s on the hot seat, but if he doesn’t get a win soon he’s going to have a mess on his hands.

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      Posnanski: Is Mangini the worst coaching hire ever?

      September 30, 2009 /

      Joe Posnanski of SI.com says it’s not fan hyperbole to suggest that the Cleveland Browns made the worst coaching hire of the last 25 years in Eric Mangini.

      But here’s the thing: Based on the Twitter responses I’ve seen … I’m actually starting to believe that I’m right. I’m actually starting to believe that Mangini really was the worst head coach hire in 25 years. The responses have mostly been to list other coaches who were worse hires than Mangini. But you know what? I don’t think any of those hires WERE worse than Mangini. Remember:

      1. Mangini had just been fired in New York, where he had done a terrible job. He had a losing record. His team had collapsed down the stretch, he had alienated his players, he was a pain in the neck to deal with. Point is: He’d already PROVEN how much damage he could do as a coach.

      2. He came right out of the school of Bill Belichick … and that didn’t work THE FIRST TIME in Cleveland. It seems to me that Cleveland is a working-class town and Browns fans want a working-class coach — not some pompous know-it-all who doesn’t feel like he should have to explain to the commoners what he’s doing.

      3. What had he ever done to convince anyone he could be a head coach in the first place? Why, because he was a defensive coordinator for the Patriots under Belichick for one season? The Browns had JUST HIRED Romeo Crennel, who was ALSO defensive coordinator under Belichick. Attention Cleveland Browns owners, here’s a good hint: BILL BELICHICK IS HIS OWN DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR.

      4. Basically the first thing Mangini did — first thing — was have them tear down a mural of great Cleveland Browns players on the wall in the Browns offices. Now, there are differing opinions about what really happened, whose fault it really was, does it all matter, etc. You know what? The Cleveland Browns have never been to a Super Bowl. Never. Not one. But Browns fans still have a whole lot of pride. Browns fans grow up on a glorious history. If you allow something stupid like that to happen on your watch … just a horrendous hire.

      Posnanski continues by diving into some other bad coaching hires, although he dismisses each one by saying they were still better than the Browns’ hiring of Mangini.

      It’s hard to argue with Posnanski based on how Mangini’s tenure in Cleveland has started. But the only problem I have with his argument is that any coach that has worked under Belichick is going to be sought after to some degree, even if that coach failed in his previous job. And let’s not forget that Mangini won his first year in New York, which made him enticing to employers.

      That said, if the Browns continue to lose the way they have in the first couple weeks, it will be hard to justify why they took a chance on Mangini in the offseason. People in Cleveland are going to grow tired of his act, just as the fans in New York did.

      NFL

      Browns’ rookie throws punch, ice in locker room fight

      September 25, 2009 /

      Things are getting a little testy between players of the 0-2 Browns.

      According to a report by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, rookie defensive back Coye Francies threw a bucket of ice at several teammates after he was a victim of a prank, then threw a punch at veteran safety Abram Elam.

      Francies burst into the locker dripping wet and carrying a Gatorade bucket full of ice and water. Apparently, his teammates had dumped a bucket on him and he was looking for revenge.

      The incident happened during the media’s open locker room period. Francies threw half the bucket toward cornerback Brandon McDonald, some at safety Mike Adams and then headed toward Elam. When he got to Elam, he threw a punch, but Elam grabbed his arm. Before it got out of hand, Shaun Rogers, Eric Barton and D’Qwell Jackson led him outside to settle him down.

      “We were just playing around, having some fun and games, know what I’m saying?,” said Francies at his locker after cooling off. “That’s pretty much it. It was all fun and games.”

      So that’s your story and you’re sticking to it?

      “Absolutely,” he said, with a smile on his face.

      These kinds of situations have a weird way of bonding teammates. Despite their record, Cleveland hasn’t played poorly on defense and maybe this incident will lighten up the locker room or at least help clear the air. Either way, it looks like a dead issue and something that probably won’t spiral out of control.

      I would love to hear how much head coach Eric Mangini is going to fine Francies for after wasting all of that ice though. Mangini was the same man that fined a Browns player $1,701 (which is the maximum fine allowed by the league’s collective bargaining agreement) for not paying for a $3 bottle of water from a hotel mini-bar upon checkout.

      NFL

      Will Brady Quinn eventually be benched in Cleveland?

      September 21, 2009 /

      One of the knocks on Brady Quinn entering the 2007 NFL Draft was that he lacked the arm strength to zip the ball into tight coverage on passes longer than 10 yards. To a lesser degree, his accuracy and footwork were also questioned.

      One thing Quinn rarely received criticism for was his ability to run a pro offense after studying under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame for two years. But so far, that’s one of the main factors playing into whether or not he’s long for the Browns’ starting quarterback job.

      Said head coach Eric Mangini via the Canton Repository following the Browns’ embarrassing 27-6 loss to the Broncos on Sunday: “There were definitely some opportunities for him to get the ball to receivers that were open. There were some plays where I thought he had nice throws, but it’s consistency, it’s consistency, it’s consistency…first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter.”

      While Mangini’s comments were hardly an indication that a change is coming, that doesn’t sound like a head coach that completely backs his starting quarterback. And whether it was semantics or not, Mangini was the one that waited the entire preseason before naming Quinn the starter, which raises the question of how long he’ll stick with the young QB if Quinn continues down the path he’s on.

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      2009 NFL Preview: #27 Cleveland Browns

      September 2, 2009 /

      Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.

      Offseason Additions: Eric Barton (LB); Kenyon Coleman (DE); Abram Elam (S); Floyd Womack (OT); C.J. Mosley (DE); Robert Royal (TE); John St. Clair (OT); Mike Fuerry (WR); Corey Ivy (CB).

      Offseason Losses: Kellen Winslow Jr. (TE); Sean Jones (S); Kevin Shaffer (OT); Andra Davis (LB); Willie McGinest (LB); Joe Jurevicius (WR); Travis Daniels (CB); Daven Holly (CB); Jason Wright (RB); Antwan Peek (LB).

      Player to Watch: James Davis, RB.
      People outside of Cleveland just said to themselves, “James who?” The rookie sixth round pick out of Clemson wasn’t supposed to challenge Jamal Lewis for the Browns’ starting running back job, but that’s exactly what he has done to this point. Cleveland’s coaching staff has reportedly been impressed by Davis’s speed, elusiveness and aggressive running style. But perhaps most importantly, the Browns are thrilled with the way he’s learned how to pick up the blitz, which is a craft most rookie running backs struggle with. To date, Davis has compiled a 7.8-yard per carry average in preseason, while Lewis has only mustered a paltry 2.6 YPC. If he doesn’t flat out take the starting job away from Lewis, Davis will certainly split carries this season and could emerge as the Browns’ every down back in the very near future.

      Team Strength: Just as it was in 2007 when the Browns came up just shy of a playoff berth, the offensive line will be a strength for Cleveland this season. Even though some say that his play fell off last season compared to his dazzling rookie campaign, Joe Thomas anchors a unit that also features one of the league’s best guards in Eric Steinbach. The Browns also selected the top center prospect in this year’s draft in Alex Mack, who has already beaten out Hank Fraley to become a starter. Neither Floyd Womack nor John St. Clair is a superstar at their positions, but both have starting experience and are versatile.

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