I Don't Trust Eric Mangini (But Maybe That's a Good Thing)

While the Eric Mangini era has only just begun in Cleveland, it is already obvious that the team will be ran quite differently then it was with former coach "Grandpa" Romeo Crennell.

Eric Mangini brings in an authoritarian style that most fans wished to see in the past during numerous late season meltdowns. However, I wonder if  us fans who wanted a "Machiavellian" coach should have been careful what we wished for...

Eric Mangini certainly runs a tight ship, which is a significant change of pace from "Grandpa" Romeo's laid back mentality.

While I would enjoy seeing a more disciplined team, Mangini's style also has a tendency to annoy players and fans over the long run. Player's don't enjoy the mind games, they don't enjoy playing under a coach who does things to rattle them and get in their head.

For example, this quarterback controversy seems to have everyone on edge. It has clearly divided the fans, and possibly even some of the players. While Mangini still declares that the competition is still going, now I hear from ESPN's Chris Mortenson that the starter might have been secretly picked a long time ago.

If this is true, why would Eric Mangini put us through this circus? Why would he allow all of us to believe that it was an open competition? Why would he give Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson the idea that they were competing for a starting job? Why would he want everyone to hang on his every word during every interview, hoping to find out exactly what he is thinking?

Unfortunately, I can't answer this question. Possibly Eric Mangini's enjoys showing the players and fans that he is in charge of this team, and he wants to make that clear by running this competition where his "supreme" ruling determines the starting QB for the team.

Whatever reason Mangini has for continuing this competition, it is clear that he enjoys demonstrating his control over this team, and also likes to play things very close to his vest.

While some may appreciate this style of coaching, we must certainly not forget Butch Davis and what he did to this football team. Butch Davis was an arrogant, delusional control freak, who loved to exert his control over the team and played everything very close to his vest.

Eventually, Butch became so obsessive over this team that he had a nervous breakdown.

But, there are definitely some situations in which authoritarian coaches have had success in the NFL.

The most obvious being Bill Bellicheck, of whom Mangini has been frequently referred to as a "disciple" of. Maybe this style of leadership has potential for success in Cleveland, within a franchise that was in desperate need of some control and discipline last season.

But one thing is very clear, the Browns had to mix something up after the disappointment of last season. "Grandpa" Romeo was a certainly nice guy, but he wasn't a good football coach (or at least in our situation he wasn't). Maybe Eric Mangini was exactly what we needed...

But let's be honest, this quarterback competition is getting ridiculous...