Eric Mangini Does the Impossible: Cleveland Browns Fans, Media Thinking Twice

I sit here at my computer, the Browns’ season over, and I really can’t believe my eyes.

The Browns finished 5-11.

This was a team dead in the water from Week One, a team that at its lowest point was 1-11.

I was not alone among the voices calling for Eric Mangini’s head—at that point, and before.

I wrote a scathing indictment of the man and his methods on Dec. 4. I didn’t mince words, held nothing back. I listed his many transgressions and openly looked forward to his departure, viewed then as inevitable.

Maybe it still is. We’ll find out soon. That’s up to Mike Holmgren.

Regardless of whether Mangini is around to coach the Browns next year or not, the fact is, he vindicated himself.

The Browns won their last four games, including a spirited win over Pittsburgh that seemed to breathe new life into the team and certainly turned their fortunes around.

Four straight wins; nobody saw that coming. Nobody.

Maybe it was due to Mangini's “process” coming to fruition. Maybe it was due to scheduling, as three of the four wins were against teams with losing records.

Then again, the Pittsburgh win was legitimate, even if the Steelers were in the midst of a puzzling losing streak at the time. Likewise, the Jacksonville Jaguars had a glimmer of hope going into Sunday’s game of making the playoffs, so they had something to play for. But they were no match for the Browns.

Before the season, I predicted Cleveland would win four games. As the team limped along in the first half of the season, I was harsh in my criticism of Mangini, and his team's lackluster play.

It wasn't as if we'd been expecting miracles. Five or six wins would have represented significant progress, I reasoned, even as I lamented the bumbling, stumbling routine to which we were all being subjected. I never dreamed we would witness what we did in the last month.

The Browns didn’t win four games, as I predicted. They won five.

I still can’t believe that, even as I write it.

The fact is, Mangini and his staff found a way to motivate their players. They made adjustments and discovered their best offensive weapons. They began to pile up the points and shut down opposing offenses. They won, and won again, and won some more, and then won after that.

When that happens, there’s only one thing to do: Tip your cap, and give credit where credit is due.

This isn't a matter of waffling. I meant what I said in early December. I was fed up, and I'll bet you were, too. But Mangini and the Browns did the unexpected and turned things around.

As I write this, I have no idea what Holmgren will decide to do with Mangini and his staff. I’m not even sure I have an opinion. Holmgren was hired based on his expertise and is expected to make those judgments, so I’ll respect whatever he chooses to do.

Regardless of what that decision is, I feel it’s only right to go on record in praise of Mangini, and of the way his team turned a dismal season into one that provided some memorable moments down the stretch—and, more important, gave us genuine hope for the future.