So, I still don’t really know what to think of the Browns’ hiring of Eric Mangini. On one hand, he definitely seems to be going about things in the right way. He’s patched up silly tiffs with players, he’s drafted fairly well, and he’s brought in players who know his system. On the other hand, the whole hiring process seemed a bit odd, and Mr Lerner has not been too open to the media about the whole process. At the time, I thought maybe Josh McDaniels would have been the better hire – but as things have progressed, I’m thinking that the Browns probably got the right coach.
Craig has said things along the same line, but based on this report from NFL.com I’m finally on board. It’s not all new news, but it’s enlightening nonetheless. According to the article, the media and many of McDaniels’ players don’t see him as trustworthy. Now, it’s fairly obvious that many of the players on the team were distressed by the whole Jay Cutler situation. Having your new coach come in and get in a conflict with your starting QB is never good (although I suppose it’s nice to actually HAVE a starting quarterback). But as things have moved along, it doesn’t seem that much has been done to repair things in Denver. Couple that with the state of the Brandon Marshall situation and you’ve got dicey team relations.
Contrast that with the way that Mangini has handled things behind the scenes and seemingly united the team. At this point, the main problem a lot of people have with Mangini is the fact that he’s not very approachable by the media (oh, and he painted over a mural – sound the alarms!). He gets painted in a bad light. Why? Because the media give us the news, and a lot of them are bitter about not having full access. Personally, I’d much rather have a coach that has his team behind him and the media at bay than a coach who doesn’t have either behind him.
What do you kids think?
