By Zac Jackson
FOX Sports Ohio
December 30, 2010
Thinking out loud -- and trying to see both sides -- of the Mangini argument...
1. We don't really clip and save anymore for lots of reasons, mostly because iPhones and blackberries don't have such a feature. We read online, and on the go, and in case we need to revisit something we've read, there are all sorts of online tricks and tools to help us in that quest. If you've been reading anything on the Browns this month, you know the main topic of discussion is the job status of head coach Eric Mangini, an argument that brings out strong feelings -- and, frankly, strong arguments -- from both sides. With that in mind, I'll attempt to make a balanced case in this space this morning and ask you to clip and save (digitally or otherwise) for early next week. I'll try to look at facts (and slanted opinions that resemble them) before the emotions of the Steelers rivalry, another Colt McCoy home game, another season finale and, probably, another clock management disaster by this current coaching staff come into play. We'll look back next week, together, and examine how the Browns again got from there to here, which probably means starting over again.
2. It's my belief that the decision has been made, was essentially made a while ago, and that the Browns will soon have a new head coach. I am not sure I believe that's the correct decision, but I do believe that's how this will play out. For as good as the Browns played in a stretch at midseason, they've been absolutely terrible in December. They've been especially bad on offense, the side of the ball which happens to hold a special place in the heart of the guy who's been given the power to make the decision on Mangini, team president Mike Holmgren. For the good they did in New Orleans and against New England and in spurts against the Ravens, Jets and Falcons, there was the Buffalo game. And the second Cincinnati game. And the inexplicable decision to play Jake Delhomme anytime. For every touchdown on the opening drive that shows the Browns come prepared to play and exploit the opponent's weaknesses, there's a major-league screw up later. The time-management mistakes are especially hard to swallow since Mangini starts working on specific game situations starting with the very first practice each May. He's extremely detail-oriented. He's unique. He wants to have the smartest, most prepared football team on the field each Sunday. He runs physically demanding training camps and holds practices in the rain when it rains and in the snow when it snows later in the year. Those are not things all NFL players love, but they respect Mangini's beliefs and his desire to get the most out of them. Even this month, they've played hard for him. They just haven't played well, making it tough to think they can stay within screaming range of Pittsburgh this Sunday -- and hard to believe there won't be a change made sometime in the next week or so.
3. If you follow the NFL, you know about the "Patriot Way" and the way the Steelers keep plugging in new players (and a new coach a few years back) but keep getting the same results. You know the Eagles and the Ravens, just to name a couple, seem to win in the draft every year and carry that over to the field. You know that stability leads to success; look at this year's playoff teams, and tell me how many of them are there with relatively new coaches and quarterbacks. The answer is two. Of twelve. What Mangini is trying to do is what he learned, firsthand, from his time with the Patriots. He's trying to lay a foundation, establish an identity and provide the kind of stability the ever-changing Browns simply haven't had. The Browns of the last decade have changed everything, from their coordinators to their cafeteria workers, three times over. They've occasionally gotten it right. More often, they've swung and missed and then missed again. Mangini got the keys and revamped the entire kingdom -- he gutted the whole building, taking it from outdated to sparkling, and hired, then fired, his own GM -- upon taking over in early 2009. Seven months later, Holmgren was given a pile of Randy Lerner's cash to hire more new people, establish more new things and try to push forward. The Browns Way is not the Patriot Way. The Steelers, well, they laugh at the Browns -- and not just at the on-field product. With a win Sunday, Mangini would be 12-20 in his first two years on the job. That's the same record Romeo Crennel had in his first two years; he stayed two more years and never beat Pittsburgh. Progress? It's in the eye of the beholder, I guess. If Mangini is ousted next week, he'd still have two years and more than $6.75 million left on his contract. No NFL owner has paid more people to no longer work for him than Lerner. No owner has overseen more change in the last eight years than Lerner. No one should know better than Lerner that the Browns will remain a laughingstock until they build something, stick to it, establish it and let it grow. And Lerner has given Holmgren the power to make the decision, to shape the franchise and try to establish the things that have been missing. Some think Holmgren will hire himself as head coach. But would he do it without a proven quarterback, with a bunch of holes on the roster and more than a furlong to make up in a fast-moving chase to catch thoroughbreds like the Ravens and Steelers? Holmgren, more than anybody, would and should know exactly what Mangini had and would be leaving.
4. The main argument the "Keep Mangini" camp seems to make is that the Browns still suffer from a major talent deficiency. That much is obvious. But the fact is not only does Mangini like a certain type of player to play the game the way he wants, he is solely responsible for the '09 draft (quite a second round of Robiskie-Massaquoi-Veikune, eh?), the trading of Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and the draft picks that became Mark Sanchez and Josh Freeman and using free-agent dollars on players on the downside of their careers such as Eric Barton, John St. Clair, Robert Royal and Pork Chop Womack. The third-down mismatches you see on both sides of the ball? Yep, those are the guys Mangini wanted. On the flip side, upgrades were made this year with Tom Heckert pulling the trigger on the trades and other offseason moves, and some progress followed. An influx of athleticism on the defensive front seven, a total remake of the receiving corps and some more speed added to the mix everywhere would give Mangini a chance to show more progress. Starting over -- with a 4-3 defense, for example -- would require more change, a bunch more new players and a total new beginning. Does Holmgren have the time and patience for that? Do the folks who buy the tickets want that? Clip and save this: With Mangini's foundation and another aggressive offseason, the Browns have some chance to make the playoffs in 2011. With a new coach, new systems and a second-year QB? No chance. Third place, again, would be the ceiling.
5. Sunday's game serves as the ultimate measuring stick. The Steelers are playing to clinch the division title and a first-round bye. The Browns know that, and they know what beating the Steelers last year meant, and that their coach may not be back, and that many of their own NFL futures are on the line. The players know they failed to build on the momentum created at midseason, blew more than one opportunity to make a real run at it (Jacksonville just turned it over again) and made progress as a team, just not enough. They've got one game left to score a huge win, show improvement -- even if it just one game -- in the final tally, and show the Big Boss that the current coach is on to something. Regardless of how Sunday's game turns out, the Browns entered December with one division win. That's one more than they had entering last December, when they beat up the Steelers and launched that strong finish. Save you arguments about a tough schedule and being competitive, this is the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. Everybody is supposed to be competitive. Early this season, last December sure looked like a mirage. This December, reality has been harsh. Progress? Yeah, it's there. But it's not exactly jumping off the page. Let's clip, save and revisit Monday. We know Mangini is going to Holmgren's office to talk. We don't know for sure if that discussion will be their last.
