Eric Mangini: A Lot to Prove in '09

It now is officially one month until the start of training camp, and I’m going to get the negativity out of my system.

I want to go into the new season with a clean slate and an open mind. So with that said, I’m going to get my gripes out now. That way they’ll be out there, and when I’m praising the new coaching staff, I can’t be called a shill.

Like the economy, until this coaching staff proves it’s turning things around when it counts, I have no faith things are going to get better. I am a cynic because of circumstances.

I have watched the Browns go through three administrations in 10 years, each time with the promise things would get better. But, like the Indians, failure is tolerated in Cleveland to an alarming extent.

Head coach Eric Mangini, so far, has proved he runs a much better camp than Romeo Crennel ever did, and veterans have to work just as hard as rookies to make his team.

Players are punished for losing concentration and prima donnas are not tolerated. This is a huge change from the 'Romeo Crennel Football Daycare' that was run in Berea the last few years.

This new attitude of crafting a professional football team in Cleveland has caused a lot of excitement on various Web sites, this one included. A lot of people are saying the Browns might have finally gotten this whole professional football team thing right for a change.

The current administration actually seems intent on winning some games, rather than just showing up and going through the motions.

I then asked the question, “It is one thing to run a good practice, but do these players have the talent to execute what they’re being taught on the field?”

I’m not so sure.

There still are a lot of mediocre players on this team. Mangini and general manager George Kokinis can only do so much with one off-season.

The fact that they continue to make minor free agent signings speaks volumes about what their views actually are on team depth.

I’ve almost been waiting for the Browns to announce open tryouts for any fan between the ages of 18-34, or just awarding a linebacker position to one lucky fan via a raffle ticket.

I’ll be the first to tell you a good coach gets the best out of mediocre players. Since this roster still has a lot of mediocre players, this year will be a good litmus test to see how Mangini has grown as a coach.

Mangini is a branch on the Bill Belichick coaching tree. I’m not a fan of the Belichick coaching tree as the results have been less than stellar. In fact, Crennel was another branch on that tree, and I’d rather forget that era.

To clarify, I know Mangini will be better than Crennel ever could’ve hoped to be. He’s proven that already through his time in New York.  But that doesn’t mean he’ll be better in Cleveland than he was in New York, especially this year.

In New York, Mangini went 10-6, 4-12, and 9-7.  Mangini only made the playoffs his first year, a loss to the Patriots.

This kind of track record doesn’t exactly make me shiver with anticipation.

The Browns, on paper, have a much easier schedule this year. They also have much lower expectations. I’ll be happy with a 6-10 record at this point, with one of those victories coming against the Steelers.

The million dollar question at this point is: Can the Browns be this year’s Miami Dolphins?

Certainly, anything is possible before the season starts. I want to see how this team performs on the field during the regular season before I make another assessment of Mangini.

Preseason games are hard to figure out because many teams have horrible preseasons and then go on to have a great regular season.

Then you have the Browns, who looked bad in preseason play and then even worse in the regular season last year.

The bottom line for me at this point in the year is my tolerance for failure has disappeared. The Cavs came up short to the Orlando Magic, and the Indians have run up the white flag before the Fourth of July.

With my spring and summer already ruined, it’s up to the Browns to not ruin the rest of my year.