Mangini and the future of the Cleveland Browns

Another Browns season is in the books and another disappointment leaving the future of the Browns in a cloud of mystery. finishing at 5-11 for the second straight season it appears that the Eric Mangini era will officially come to an end sometime tomorrow which would clear the way for the 6th different head coach since the Browns have returned in 1999. But is this the right move?

Honestly, I had to wait some 5 hours before writing this in order to gather my thoughts and not be tempted to blast off after watching that despicable performance to close the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But I feel that Mangini does deserve at least one more year to improve this team and bring back the glory days of Cleveland Browns football for a multitude of reasons:

1. First and foremost the impeding work stoppage plays a important role on this decision. The lockout and changing CBA agreement between the owners and players would severely restrict the balance of money and the makeup of the league. Teams, more now than ever, will have to show that the organization is stable and are truly trying to win. Players will more than likely be taking pay cuts across the league causing free agents, who usually are looking to fill the bank account, to take into consideration their passion to win a championship. This instability plays in the hands of keeping Mangini because a coaching change at this junction could potentially cause a complete change of dynamics on both defensive (Change to a 4-3 system) and offensive (more west coast than current) mentalities.


2. The availability of competent head coaches can also be an interesting twist. Most people looking at the Browns situation and specifically the GM Mike Holmgren suspect that he would prefer to bring in a head coach from his pedigree or coaching tree utilizing the system that he had used throughout his coaching career. It also seems to be a necessity to bring in an established coach because Cleveland fans have seen many highly thought of coordinators come and go with futile attempts to resurrect this historic franchise. With those two requirements in mind, it seems that the pickings are slim. Coaches highly regarded throughout the league such as John Fox, Bill Cowher, and even Jeff Fisher are not of the "Holmgren" tree. While coordinators such as Marty Mornhigweg seem to be a far cry from the coaching pedigree fans in Cleveland are searching for (5-27 record as a head coach).

With that being said, the idea candidate is easy to sport from all perspectives. That candidate is Jon Gruden. Fans have been crying for him since Crennel was fired and he is good friends with Holmgren as well as having the same agent. So what's the problem? Gruden has a high school aged student with one more year of sports to be played that Gruden has publicly stated he plans on enjoying before even thinking about coaching again. Gruden also has a cushy job with ESPN calling Monday Night Football games with one more year left on his contract. So do the Browns have pieces in place to bring Gruden in a year earlier than he plans? That question remains to be answered, but firing Mangini without that answer could be disastrous.

The future?

3. The most important aspect of this entire equation is how do the players feel? According to numerous players (via interviews and Twitter) most if not all want Mangini to stay as the head coach. Anyone who has ever been apart of a sporting team knows that even though coaches are not making the amount of money that players are, they are a vital aspect to any team and can be a tipping point between a "good" and a Superbowl winning team. This continuity and belief in each other is not created over night and takes time yet can be the most crucial aspect to a teams success. But is this enough? The team sure didn't play for Mangini today even though the pressure on him was of enormous weight given the media speculations that this would be his last game.

Business as usual in Cleveland

I for one do not envy Mike Holmgren. This is a tough decision that will shape the future of the Cleveland Browns and could lead us back to the glory days or keep us at the bottom of the NFL pile for years to come. Mangini has been growing on me and many fans the last couple years and I feel that he deserves another year if not for the respect he has earned in the locker room but because they may be nobody better chomping at the bit this year to be the next coach of the Browns. With the rest of the team in uncertainty this decision can go either way. I am 23 years old and have never seen a a truly winning Browns team and am always looking to "next year". Well recently I started reading the book "When all the World was Browns Town" by Terry Pluto chronicling the 1964 Cleveland Browns Championship winning team and highly suggest it to any Browns fan that are currently muttering the words "maybe next year" to help get through this highly important off-season. Let's all hope that Holmgren makes the right decision not only for the team but for the city of Cleveland that has gone through a lot of heartbreak since the last championship win. So here's to next year and as always . . . Here we go Brownies here we go...