Eric Mangini: Taking a Skeptical Look at the Mangenius' IQ with the Browns

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Offensive Line

This I have to be fair and give Mankok two thumbs up. The acquisitions of Floyd Womack and John St. Clair are huge. Then they drafted Alex Mack who will replace Hank Fraley at some point.

No Deal for a Running Back?

The line moves are especially huge when you consider that Mankok wants to build a running offense with a controlled passing game.

This would be good for Quinn if he is the starter like he should be. That will force defenses to key on the runners and make it easier for him to pass. That will be great for his development.

That all sounds good but there is only one problem. Jamal Lewis is well past his prime. He can still run but not like he used to. Jerome Harrison has some positive signs but in no way a proven commodity.

The fact that they didn't bring in another runner either through free agency or the draft is a mystery to me. In this kind of offense, you never have too many runners.

Defensive Moves

Mankok's moves for the defense are a real mystery to me. He brought in a lot of his former players from the Jets. The funny thing is that some of these guys didn't even start for him with the Jets.

He has brought in some good players like Eric Barton, Abram Elam, and Roderick Hood. Those are good players but nobody to get excited about. Certainly none of these guys are dominant defensive players.

I have always believed that much like you build an offense around a quarterback, you have to build a defense around somebody as well. That is preferably a middle linebacker. It works with guys like Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis.

Who is the guy that this defense is being built around? Is it D'Qwell Jackson? Is it Eric Barton? Is it Kamerion Wimbley? Are any of these three a guy you can build the defense around? Nobody knows.

It is a mystery to me why the Browns haven't pursued Derrick Brooks. He is older but is still a guy the unit can rally around.

In Closing, I think owners everywhere will learn to be careful about giving total control to coaches and GMs who haven't earned it. Although there is optimism I am still skeptical.

Much of the talk is that fans love that Mankok wants smart football players. I do think that is important to a degree and very important at the quarterback position.

However, that thought reminds me of something that a friend of mine who coaches a variety of sports told me. He said that, "Geniuses don't play sports for a reason."

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