Eric Mangini Is a Big Fan of Bus Travel

Winning, as they say, solves everything. But while we wait for Eric Mangini to work his magic in Cleveland, it's perfectly reasonable to wonder what the hell he's doing. Last weekend, Mangini -- who replaced Romeo Crennel in January nine days after getting the Romeo Crennel treatment from the Jets -- thought it would be great fun to send the Browns rookies on a 10-hour bus ride to Hartford, Connecticut to work his football camp.

Also worth mentioning: Mangini flew from Cleveland to Hartford. It's one thing for Mangini to turn this into a "Hey, it's just like in Bull Durham" team-building exercise. It's something else entirely for a bus full of rookies to spend half a day making their way to Hartford while the head coach sips an apple martini in first class on his 90-minute flight.* (Mangini did slum it on the return trip to Cleveland and ride with the players, and who knows, maybe they watched Bull Durham.)

The New York Times' Fifth Down blog runs down the list of Mangini missteps. Pretty impressive given that he's been an NFL head coach for three years, and sports a 23-25 career record.

And the Star-Ledger's Dave Hutchinson has an important point about Mangini logic-defying decision-making skills:

Being hired so soon after being canned by the Jets may turn out to be the worst thing to happen to Mangini because he didn't get the chance to reflect on his experience as a first-time head coach. Instead, he's instituting many of the same bullish policies he had with the Jets, many of which rubbed players the wrong way.

No one questions your methods when you win. Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, for different reasons, are the most obvious examples. Mangini, who is from the same coaching tree as Barcellsichick, doesn't seem get that.

Which leads Hutchinson to this: "My prediction is that Mangini won't last more than two years in Cleveland. He continues to try to be a mini-Bill Belichick without the resume to back it up." To be fair, Mangini's resume looks a lot like Belichick's did when he was in Cleveland. Maybe he's going for the complete experience.

Oh, and let me be the first to fire up the "We Want Cowher" chants on behalf of Browns fans. It's only a matter of time.

* Mangini's drink of choice is speculation.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

6-03-2009 @ 12:46PM

ivo610 said...

Why is this idiot a head coach?

6-03-2009 @ 1:11PM

Chris said...

This is just the begininng of yet another chapter in the Browns folly. 2 years and 10 wins at best.

Mangina I say!

IronCity4ever!

6-03-2009 @ 1:21PM

If its Brown flush it down!

Eric Mangina will never be what Belichick or Parcells have been to the game. He's a wanna be whos convinced himself of some sort of genius. Joke- he's a perfect fit for the way Cleveland runs its team, below average and moronic.

And you can forget EVER getting Bill Cowher to coach this sorry ass team. He'd never tolerate the way the front office does its business nor do they have enough money to offer him what he wants, short of allowing him a large percenage of ownership in the team. And would he even want that??? I doubt it.

The people here in Pittsburgh have long since been dissapointed with the Cleveland teams that show up to play, its not even fun anymore just a locked 2 game win on the schedule.

6-04-2009 @ 12:31PM

cahillio said...

I actually like what the dude is doing...I am sick of the Browns having a bunch of dudes that walk around like hall of famers and don't do dick. (Winslow, Edwards etc). He can't be any worse than Fat Romeo(I swear every time I saw that dude on the sidelines he had the "Im Thinking Arby's" Cowboy hat on his head) He got screwed in New Jersey cause the owner wanted another year of Farve. The Jets were worse off than the Browns 3 yrs ago and look at the team now. Lots of people picking them for the playoffs...not like that all of a sudden happened in one offseason of whichever Ryan kid coaches them. He also took the Jets from complete crap to the playoffs. He can get 2 more wins from the Browns just by paying more attention to detail. (Something Crennel never did)

6-06-2009 @ 9:40PM

Mr.G said...

UUhhh-whew...Just got off the toilet after taking me a giant stinking chris.Almost diarhea like.Reading some of these stories just gives me the chris's.Most are exagerated by some chrishead I think.I don't really give a chris about this stupid story anyway. Is Lilly Tomlin still coaching Urineburgh,chrisburgh whatever?

6-09-2009 @ 12:08PM

IronCity4ever said...

Mr.G your attempt at whit is only matched by your teams inability to play football- which is pretty lousy. lol

Scrape the rust of your imagination the next time you decide to post one of your retarded comments.

You said it- your full of shit! lol

Think of me this fall when Pittsburgh pisses all over your Brownholes. And yet another year passes and you find yourself a looser.

You'd be lucky if Cowher evern considered stopping by Cleveland just to take dump- i.e. If its Brown flush it down--

The entire Northern portion of Ohio was drooling and acting like a bunch schoolgirls last year when you all thought he was going to sign and coach.

Idiot.

6-06-2009 @ 11:06PM

BTW - Nobody with any sense wants Bill Cowturd for a coach anymore.Like what,1 title in 12 years.BFD.The guy's a doosh.A big piece of chris if you know what I mean.

6-11-2009 @ 12:19PM

ironcityfool, Keep your man crush for the Cowturd man in Shitsburgh.You're out of your freakin' mind.You must watch too much ESPN.Nobody I ever talked to wanted that lame ass fool near Cleveland.It's true the Browns suck,but that's hardly a secret...idiot.But bringing in a guy that took 12 years to win 1 title is hardly going to help their cause now.Squeeler fans are very lucky to have such great ownership,but you are proof that their fans are still the dumbest blowhards on the planet.

6-18-2009 @ 8:54AM

Mancrush? wow looks like your letting your secret out there buddy. Pittsburgh hardly has a mancrush with Bill Cowher. And although your partly right on the 1 title in 12 years as coach did you forget that the Steelers dominated the division in that time and how about the AFC titles? He's one of the best coaches the league has seen in the last 15 years.

I've lived in Akron for the last two years and all I heard before the Clowns hired Mangina was the Cowher bought a house in Strongsville and blah blah blah....bringing him to Cleveland would the luckiest and best thing that could happen for your lousy team. Out of my mind huh?

You sound exactly like all the other retarded dogpounders Ive ran into over the years. Your impotent rage says everything about how frustrating it must be to be a Cleveland sports fan.... chokers.

BTW: We also have a Stanley Cup!

Have a great day jackass!