We Ask Jets Fans About Mangini

The Internet is a magical place.  While Clevelanders of yester-year had to suffer in a vacuum of sports misery talking about their problems, we have the benefit of communication like the world has never seen before.  That sounds like the opening lines of pretty much any paper I wrote in college.  Wide sweeping statement that is meant to sound somewhat intriguing while not telling you anything that isn’t completely obvious.  I digress.  I was tired of living in a tunnel with regards to the supposed front-runner for the Cleveland Browns head coaching job, so WFNY reached out to some Jets bloggers to find out what their thoughts are / were about Mangini over the last three years.

So, we have reached out to The Legend of Cecilio Guante (link fixed) and TheJetsBlog.com to provide the learnin’ that we require.  Read below and consider yourself informed.

1.  Please tell all the Clevelanders here about yourself and your site with the name that nobody ever wants to type.

The Legend of Cecilio Guante – First off, thanks for the chance to talk to a fan base for whom I have much respect. I’m a 31-year old lifelong fan of the Jets and Mets and all that comes along with such affiliations, but I’ve got nothing on the WFNY disciples.

In terms of the blog, after 20 years of yelling at commentators and writers and calling them morons and the like, I decided why not write my own crap? The Legend of Cecilio Guante name is something of an inside joke and meant to pay homage to a bygone era of sports when things were seemingly simpler. For someone in marketing, it’s clearly the longest, worst, least-marketable URL in sports blogging history. On the blog, I opine on all sports, frequently ranting about the foibles of my squads, and the slow evolution of tackle football towards something more resembling the flag variety.

TheJetsBlog.com – I started TheJetsBlog.com four years ago and have been blogging about the Jets pretty much everyday since.  It’s been a fun ride and I’ve really enjoyed it!  Since I started, I’ve been asked to write for places like AOL and The New York Times.

2.  As a Jets fan who has watched the team very closely for the last few years did you think that Eric Mangini deserved to be fired?

The Legend of Cecilio Guante – This could easily become one of those long, meandering answers that never directly addresses the question, but I’ll spare you. Yes. In the simple sense that this Jets franchise, like every other, talks about going deep in the playoffs and making championship runs. Mangini was not the guy who was going to lead Gang Green to the promised land, at least anytime soon. And after all the free agent money, Favre, the expectations (fair or not), the early success and late-season swoon, there needed to be a fall guy. I think the entire coaching staff was an abomination, but with head honcho responsibilities comes accountability. In the end, he likely had to go.

TheJetsBlog.com – No, at least not this year.  Many fans were in favor of it, but I wasn’t.  If I was the owner I would have given him one more year.  Mangini pulled together a decent staff for a young guy, but his coordinators weren’t well regarded coming in, and are less well regarded now (with the exception of ST guru Mike Westhoff).

Eric was not a fan of the Brett Favre experiment and he was sideswiped by an owner who never really bought into Mangini’s low energy press conferences.  If it was up to Mangini, he would play a ball-control offense and tough defense.  He’s not a fan of QBs who have no regard for his instructions and throw interceptions time and again.

3.  Do you think it is impossible for a team to achieve under his watch in the NFL?

The Legend of Cecilio Guante – Define achievement. Could he jump in and lead the Browns back to 9-7 or 10-6? Absolutely. Is he the face of a franchise for a decade-type guy? Although nobody really is nowadays, I’m of the mind he’s definitely not. Here’s the problem. You get the sense this whole heading coaching thing is a bit over his head at this point. In fairness, the guy’s 37 and the Jets job was really his first major-major coaching gig outside of a year as D-coordinator under Belichick in ’05. The flip side of that coin? It’s hard to be a diehard and accept that your head coach is in any significant way “learning on the job.” Patience is also not a virtue New Yorkers seem to care about.

TheJetsBlog.com – Not at all.  In my mind, he’s a competent coach but I think that he needs better coordinators than he had in New York.   Even with underacheiving personnel he had success (see 2006) and during his entire run with the Jets, he never lost his players, many played hard for him even during their injury riddled 2007 season.

4.  Tell me a few of the worst things about Eric Mangini that we Clevelanders should be thinking about as he sits as the reported frontrunner for the Cleveland coaching job.

TheJetsBlog.com – His press conferences reveal nothing so don’t expect to glean a lot from his sitdowns with the press.  He also limits the time that writers can watch practices during the season, which chafed at the press some.  His scheme isn’t very savvy in terms of blitzing, so look for a bend-don’t-break style defense … it’s not always fun.

Ironically, for his plodding approach, Eric Mangini can get risky when he should be conservative and conservative when he should be risky.   Mangini had players who really liked and respected him on his team, but I think he kept them at arm’s distance intentionally, but it could have worked out for him better if he was a little truer to his own personality than just aping his mentor, Bill Belichick.

Mangini is still learning what it means to be a head coach.  I think he has potential, and his on the job training with the Jets could really benefit his next stop.

5.  Tell me a few of the best things that Browns fans could expect from Mangini.

The Legend of Cecilio Guante – Fantastically uninformative press conferences and interviews. A skill taught by Master Belichick, in this case the pupil has perhaps even surpassed the teacher. Mangini’s ability to provide absolutely no facts or insight about anything of substance – the upcoming game, previous game, play-calling, injuries, the opponent — in any and all public/press interactions is really quite masterful.

Outside of that, I do think he’s a smart football guy. I’m not sure if that makes him a smart football coach. In fact, so far indications are that it does not. However, drawing on my completely non-existent experience in the front offices of NFL organizations, I think he is a solid talent evaluator and prepares his teams well for what they will see from their opponents. Inspiring them to elevate their play? Not so much…

TheJetsBlog.com – He’s prepared for games, he obsesses about his opponents and tries to come up with gameplans specific to any opponent’s weaknesses.  Sometimes this gets a little too “cute” and I wish that he would just line up and take it to his opponents.  He’s tirelessly dedicated to his job and to his players.  He DEMANDS high character players, he demands they play every down for him, he demands that they practice well, and he’s not afraid to play young guys who he’s seen excel in practice.

6.  And now for an unsubstantiated crazy guess… If the Browns were to hire Eric Mangini to coach the team, how do you think he would do?  Could he teach Braylon Edwards to hold onto the ball and cure staph infections?

The Legend of Cecilio Guante – This is going to come out wrong, but I think Eric Mangini would do how most have done in Cleveland lately. I think you can sign him up for 3-4 years of seasons that fluctuate in the 6-10 to 10-6 range. In other words, more of the same. I think there are some problems with the Browns that mirror issues in New York with the Jets. There’s talent there, but no true real veteran leadership. But, even more importantly, the team itself lacks an identity.

The 2008 Jets were a perfect example of a team that couldn’t (and wouldn’t) define itself. A head coach needs to put a stamp on his squad and take them in a direction. They need to impose their will, personality, style or whatever and chart out a vision for their team and get people behind it, just like any other leader in any other business. I may be wrong, but I don’t see Mangini being able to do that in Cleveland or anywhere else – at least not anytime soon. But, hey, maybe he knows a thing or two about Staph infections?

TheJetsBlog.com – I don’t know much about the Browns organization, but if Crennel built the base of a 3-4, and if the GM gets him the pieces he needs to finish it off, I think he can be a successful head coach in Cleveland.  As a note, the Jets clearly weren’t high on Brady Quinn, as they passed him over for Darrelle Revis after moving up to #14 in the 2007 Draft.  Quinn seems like the good soldier type, so watch the interactions between him and Mangini.

And CUT!!!!  That’s the sitch, people.  Direct from the mouths of two serious Jets bloggers.  Much thanks to Cecilio’s Scribe from The Legend of Cecilio Guante and Brian from TheJetsBlog.com for wasting their time talking about their oustered coach.

How are you feeling about Mangini being the leader in the clubhouse now, WFNY’ers?