Change may have been the most popular buzzword of 2008, thanks to the campaign of now-President Barack Obama. And now the Cleveland Browns have taken that catch-word to heart during the 2009 off-season.

So much has changed for the Browns’ organization during the last few months. Former head coach Romeo Crennel is gone. Phil Savage, the General Manager who brought Crennel to Cleveland, was shown the door.

Kellen Winslow, the most talented pass catcher on the roster, was traded to the Buccaneers. Donte Stallworth, the most injury-prone pass catcher on the roster, was involved in a fatal accident that may cost him this season, if not his career.

Several other players, including Brady Quinn, Josh Cribbs, and Shaun Rogers, have indicated desires to play elsewhere if their demands are not met.

What Cleveland is trying to deviate from is the old adage “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” The franchise and its fans can ill-afford for the Browns to continue moving in the same, stagnant direction as past teams.

Enter Eric Mangini and his cast of fellow New York Jets’ defectors.

A still promising young coach, Mangini led the Jets to two winning seasons during his three-year tenure in New York. He comes from the Bill Parcells/Bill Belichick lineage of coaches and adopts many of his mentors’ techniques both on and off the field.

Mangini is not just a stern, no-nonsense type of coach; he represents a change in culture for the Cleveland Browns.

If Browns’ fans want to watch air-it-out, run-up-the-score football, they should hit the road for destinations like New Orleans, Indianapolis, San Diego, or New England.

Mangini’s offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, is a fellow New York carry-over who has worked with Mangini since 2000. Both men share a similar, simple offensive philosophy: Ball control football.

That is good news for the running backs on the roster. Jamal Lewis will remain the focal point so long as his 30-year-old body can handle it.

Jerome Harrison and Noah Herron are nice complements to Lewis, both of whom can contribute in the passing game. Rookie James Davis runs with a similar style as Lewis and will benefit as his apprentice.

The running game can only do so much, however, and the passing game is going to see plenty of change this year.

Quinn figures to be the opening day starter and Braylon Edwards remains the top target in the receiving corps.

But after those two there is a ton of change, and the coaching staff will have to draw back the reigns a little if rookies Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi (who figure to be a big part of the offense going forward) struggle to adjust to the NFL game.

And then there is the defense. The problem with ball control offense is that if your defense cannot keep anyone from scoring, chances are you throw ball control offense out the window.

Keeping teams from scoring at will was a problem for last year's Browns' team but Mangini brought in a few of his own players to stem the tide.

Inside linebacker Eric Barton and safety Abram Elam both made the trip with Mangini from New York to Cleveland and figure to make immediate impacts on defense.

Mangini also addressed the defense by drafting four players on that side of the ball and has especially paid attention to the defensive back position by bringing in a total of six new faces.

There may not be any studs on defense outside of D'Qwell Jackson, Shaun Rogers and Eric Wright, but this unit will be more competitive with the help of a few players familiar with Mangini's defensive philosophy.

The new-look Browns figure to employ a conservative offensive approach next season as long as the defense allows it. Until Mangini can add a few more of his own playmakers to the offense, Quinn will be asked to not lose games.

It does appear as if Mangini intends to bring some defense to Cleveland, which would fit perfectly in a defensive-oriented division. Baby steps for now, but it does appear that Cleveland is heading in the right direction under the new regime.