Cleveland Browns Introduce Eric Mangini As New Head Coach

On Monday, the Jets fired their head coach, Eric Mangini, after recording a 23-26 record in three years.

In the same week he was fired, the former Jets head coach received a four-year deal from the Cleveland Browns, a job he has dreamed of ever since he was a kid.

When the New York Jets handed the Tennessee Titans their first loss of the season in Week 12, they all of a sudden looked like a Super Bowl threat. With an 8-3 record, and a league-high seven Pro Bowl selections, the Jets seemed destined to go to the playoffs.

After that game against the Titans, the Jets fell into a slump, losing four of their final five games and falling short of the playoffs.

What happened?

There were many factors that came into play when we try to think of who to blame for the collapse. A big factor may be Brett Favre.

In the final five games of the season, the future Hall of Fame quarterback threw only two touchdowns while throwing nine interceptions. Most people want to blame Favre for the Jets collapse.

Unfortunately, it was head coach Eric Mangini who took the fall.

Mangini earned the nickname "Mangenius" during his first season as head coach after he led the Jets to a playoff birth. The organization thought he was a brilliant coach and had a bright future as head coach. If he was such a "genius", should the Jets have given up on him so quickly?

Probably not.

Even though his career as the Jets head coach ended sooner than expected, Mangini's firing may have been the best thing that ever happened to him.

However, Mangini may have more work ahead of him then expected. One of the major issues the Browns face coming into the 2009 season is their quarterback.

After leading the Browns to a 10-6 record in 2007, the Browns rewarded quarterback Derek Anderson with a three-year, $24 million contract. They also have quarterback Brady Quinn under a five-year deal worth around $20 million.

When Romeo Crennel was head coach, he made it clear that Quinn would be the starting quarterback coming into training camp. Now that Mangini is in charge, it will be interesting to see what happens at the quarterback position.

On paper, the Browns appeared to be one of the most talented teams in football last season.

Anderson or Quinn. Jamal Lewis at running back. Braylon Edwards at wide receiver. Kellen Winslow at tight end.

How could the Browns offense be stopped with this type of talent?

It's hard to say what happened to the Browns last season. After falling just short of the playoffs last season, they finished with a disappointing 4-12 record this season. Was a tough schedule to blame? Was it consistent injuries?

Whatever the reason was, one thing is for sure—the Browns and the city of Cleveland are hungry for a team that can be a contender.

Eric Mangini has the chance to turn around a Browns franchise he has wanted to be part of ever since he can remember.

Mangini has a great opportunity in front of him as the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns and it should be interesting to see what "Mangenius" can do for his second career coaching job.