Throwing a (Dawg) Bone to Eric Mangini

I’d been thinking about writing this post for the past week or so.

And after reading this on PFT this morning, I decided the time was right to at least try throwing a bone to embattled Browns coach Eric Mangini.

I figure if I don’t point out the positives now, before the rare glow of the team’s first victory fades into what I assume will be the overall blackness of our experience in Heinz Field this weekend, I might never get around to it. 

Here is a quick excerpt of the PFT post referenced above:

And there’s less of an edge to Mangini, making the overall player experience more enjoyable in a city where agents have privately said they would never send their clients.

It’s unclear why or how it has happened, but maybe Mangini has seen the light.

Now, there aren’t really a whole lot of specifics given here, and trying to ascertain the validity of anything coming out of Berea is quite a chore these days.

But…despite my original misgivings about Mangini’s hire in the first place, and my disappointment at how the first month of this season has gone, there are at least some positive signs for Browns fans to grasp onto.

First, say what you will, but Eric Mangini at least has a clear vision in his own mind for how he wants to build an organization and the types of characters he believes it requires to build a solid locker room. (And as a bonus, it was influenced by Bill Belichick, one of the all-time greats.)

Mangini’s initial and most important steps have revolved around changing the culture of the locker room, which has included the jettisoning of the oft-injured Kellen Winslow and the oft-inept Braylon Edwards. 

Both of these guys are clearly talented, but both are proven front-runners. When things are going well and they’re getting their numbers, all is right with the world. If the team is struggling a bit, or they are not glorifying themselves on Sundays, they aren’t exactly the kind of team-first players you batten the hatches down around during tough times.

We know this season is a lost cause in terms of the playoffs; having Kellen and Braylon around was not going to be a positive. I think it showed great foresight by Mangini and Kokinis to trade Kellen and his wobbly knees and then get rid of Braylon while they could still get some value for him, rather than see one or both walk away in the offseason with nothing coming in return.

What’s funny is that the biggest argument against getting rid of K2 and Braylon was that it would hurt us in the immediate term. Yet, in our first game without both, we won for the first time in forever.

Coincidence? Perhaps. But a mighty encouraging one if you ask me.

I also like the fact that Eric Mangini switched from Brady Quinn to Derek Anderson, even though it was a tacit admission that he made the wrong decision on his QB in the preseason.

The truth is that neither Brady nor Derek is good enough to be a starting QB in the NFL right now. And to use a South Park metaphor, Mangini was essentially choosing between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.

However, right now, the Browns need Anderson’s ability to stretch the field. If Quinn is going to be inaccurate and indecisive on the short and intermediate throws, he provides no value because we know he isn’t stretching the field with any level of competence.

Going to D.A. was the right move to at least give this offense a fighting chance. Mangini didn’t realize it initially, but had the intestinal fortitude to swallow his pride and overturn himself for the good of the team.

I also like what Mangini and Kokinis are doing with the draft. They has already lined up double-digit picks for 2010 and appear poised to follow the Patriots’ draft model. It’s not perfect, but certainly a strategy valuing quantity has its merits in the long-term.

So, despite the putrid 1-4 start to the season, there are a few positives for Browns fans to cling to and a few reasons to not give up yet on the troubled Mangini era in Cleveland. Obviously the only thing that will matter in the long-run is Ws and Ls, but at least we’ve already notched one in the W column.

Think about it: aren’t you a little more encouraged right now than if you were a Bucs fan, a Raiders fan, a Chiefs fan, a Titans fan, a Bills fan, a Rams fan, and maybe even a Redskins fan?

I am. And while it’s not much, it’s something.

It’s going to be a long year. As always, the onus is on us as Browns fans to grasp onto whatever positives we can find.

What do you think? Are you taking any positives from the first five games of the 2009 season?

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* – Eric Mangini photo credit: AP via The Pigskin Press

Tags: braylon edwards, Cleveland Browns, eric mangini, kellen winslow, NFL

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