By: Clint Evans

The day Eric Mangini was hired as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, you better believe he knew he needed to earn trust. Anyone who knew anything about the third year head coach or NFL football in general thought it was a questionable hire. The day of his introductory press conference I had a feeling he’d say something that would wreak of imitation and insincerity.

“But mom, it’s the Browns,” Mangini stated to the press. This was his best reference to everyone that he knew and he understood the deep tradition of what football means in northeast Ohio. I didn’t buy it then and I’m not buying it now. Mangini has shown since then that he hasn’t learned a thing.

And before we dive into that topic, let’s make it clear that the guy really hasn’t done much as an NFL head coach. Mangini is no more then a freckle on the behind in the league today let alone NFL history. I have been pretty good with predicting where this team is headed, almost as if there is a crystal ball in my head. The only way this hire was a good one was if it was a coach who ends up taking this team to heights it has never been before; a conference championship game or (sigh) a Super Bowl. Yes, the old Browns have been there; but it’s been a decade now since we’ve returned to the league and we have a heartbreak playoff loss to show for it at the end of the day.

I can say with a high degree of certainty this is what is going to happen with Mangini’s stint here in Cleveland (and I’m glad this is my first post because we’ll be digging this one up to see how close I was whether I’m right or wrong):

Year 1 (2009)- Browns win between 5 and 8 games. Mangini gains excitement because it’s an improvement from 4-12. A coach always gets a free pass in his first year if he’s done anything at all in the league, even as little as Mangini has.

Year 2 (2010)- Browns enter the year as a sweetheart pick to make the playoffs and sneak in! 9 wins for the Browns and a road playoff loss!

Year 3 (2011)- Browns enter year with some quiet talk of Super Bowl. Browns make the playoffs with 10 or 11 wins but once again lose at home and are one and out.

Year 4 (2012)- Browns are once again “respectable”. Browns fans still insult Bengals fans with such petty things as ‘we have been the playoffs back to back years’. We’re a better organization then Cincinnati. Mangini’s job is “safe” because he’s went to the playoffs back to back years. The team loses some it shouldn’t and wins a few it shouldn’t and it shakes out as a year we narrowly miss the playoffs, but hey we’re competitive. There is no talk about replacing Mangini because of those two playoff appearances.

Year 5 (2013)- Browns implode. The shark has jumped on any chance of us finally having a view from the top. The players have grown tired of Mangini’s voice and we win 4 or 5 games. After taking us to the playoffs multiple times, 2013’s team very much disappoints and leaves you asking us what did we really ever have? We’re right back to square one. At this point, there is really no reason to keep Mangini around except if you’re afraid to admit you were just wrong about the guy.

The Browns missed out on hiring their version of Bill Cowher, which is what they should have went after when they could land the Chin himself. Steve Spagnuolo was that man. He would have come in here as a first year head coach, endeared himself to the media, rightfully named Brady Quinn the starting Quarterback and built around the few decent pieces we have to begin with. He also has never had a soft defense that implodes down the stretch (Mangini). Spags’ philosophy as a coach coming from the Giants (a well ran organiziation) would have fit perfectly with the tradition of that in Cleveland–a style that we really have gotten away from since we re-entered the league.

Instead we’re stuck with a guy who comes into town and sells us a dog  & pony show on his first day, and treats everyone in his path like a piece of meat including his employees. Now that is fine if you are Bill Parcells. You expect that from Bill Parcells. After it happens to you from the Tuna, you say “that’s just the way he is”. When a guy walks in here and starts dictating like Napoleon you say he’s being a prick of sorts. See the difference?

Where there is smoke there is fire. Word out of Browns camp in Berea is that Mangini has been walking around in a broodish manner all offseason. He already set off one of the Browns’ Pro Bowl players Shaun Rogers and painted over a mural of Browns Legends at the team facility. Mangini also made sure to ship Kellen Winslow Jr. out of town on the first bus he could for draft picks. Then Joe Jurevicius was released outright without a chance to make the team. Where there smoke there is fire. Mangini has let off a lot of smoke that he doesn’t really like Brady Quinn–and that is not okay.

The new coach seems to be set on continuing the Browns pattern of choosing the hard road like they always have. Instead of naming Quinn the starter to lead this organization into a new era like he has earned; Mangini is adamant on embedding this new group into a Quarterback controversy with Derek Anderson and Quinn taking center stage. Anderson is a punk who balked at the fans after poor play and sulked his way off the field enough times in the past two years to make you realize that we’ve already seen all he is ever going to amount to: a big arm with a ten cent head on his best day. Brady Quinn has never done anything but be the good soldier, one of the few guys with high stocks entering this league who wants to be a Brown. Quinn understands what the history and colors and tradition means to this organization and he embraces the fan base. There are parallels with Quinn and Bernie Kosar and there are signs that would make one think that Quinn; who is Peyton Manning-like in his study and work ethic; could take this franchise to places it has never been before. It would be storybook but it wouldn’t be all that unrealistic. Quinn has played well when he has had the opportunity. That opportunity amounts to parts of 4 games (including one drive his rookie season). And this is what I hate about NFL football. When I rightfielder comes up from the minor leagues and has a ton of talent, pedigree, and a good head on his shoulders; he’s going to get around 4 or 5 years to deliver on that promise. In the NFL, for no reason at all you might never get that chance. One bad game and your stock is forever tarnished it seems. One new coach who comes in on a high horse and set to show the fan base who is boss and you get shipped out of town because the owner has no backbone.

To me (and I think I speak for a lot of Cleveland fans in saying this) Brady Quinn represents the last warrior in Cleveland Browns football. Nothing is sacred anymore with this franchise. They took away our team once and gave us this imitation brand of bad football and primadonnas who play for the contract and not the colors. Just one guy really remains for now who truly understands what we do as fans. Mangini better do the right thing with Quinn or he risks me playing the “last straw” card. I honestly will become a general NFL fan and not have a team if he doesn’t give Quinn his rightful and fair shot.

In conclusion, if Mangini is going to act like this he had better win and win big. However I know my Browns all too well. This is going to end after many more close calls with us being the bridesmaid again, never the bride and overall people will be saying the same things about Eric Mangini in 10 years that they say about Butch Davis now. We’ll talk about how it all would have maybe been different if this guy or that guy panned out or if we just could have converted on one first down in that Wildcard round we would have….. and so on.

I don’t like Eric Mangini and I never will. He has done this to himself. Let’s hope we’re not saying the same thing about his W/L record in Cleveland in the future.