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

Browns fans will soon see whether or not the off season moves that Eric Mangini and George Kokinis have made are positive for the team. While their is a lot of optimism and hope among most Browns, you will have to forgive me if I don't share those feelings.

I am skeptical and I think that this could be a lesson to NFL owners around the league. That is that you can't give total control to an unproven coach and a rookie GM. While total control is desired, it is something that should be earned first.

I thought owners would have learned that after the Matt Millen fiasco in Detroit. But I guess not.

While many think his offseason moves are good, I see nothing that causes any excitement. If anything I see reason to be nervous. Here are some of Mankok's highlights since being hired.

Mishandling the Quarterback Situation

To be fair, Randy Lerner should take some accountability for how this mishandled. Because Mankok is still unproven, this should have been off limits from the start.

Lerner should have told them that Brady Quinn is the quarterback and that is non-negotiable. He also should have told them to trade Derek Anderson and get what you can.

Maybe Lerner expected them to do that. That is what most people including Anderson expected to happen. After his season ending injury, he was even saying goodbye to the media and trainers in the locker room. That is a sign that the decision should have taken about ten seconds.

Instead Mankok lets it leak that they don't really like either. That will really make other teams want to trade for somebody. 

I have heard one defense of them was that if they weren't here, the Browns could have Matt Cassel or Kyle Orton.

For one I like Cassel and two they could have ended up with Orton. Draft day trade rumors involved Quinn. One team involved was Denver so it is a safe assumption that Orton would have been part of it.

It would have been acceptable to deal Quinn in a package for Jay Cutler. However, that failed because Cutler wanted no part of Mangini and claims that he would not have reported. To be fair, Cutler has shown that he is a bit of a prima donna.

Now here we are with no clear leader and that shouldn't be the case.

Trading Kellen Winslow

This move is one that really made me scratch my head. I realize that Winslow was a bit of a problem child last year. However, he had a point if he was getting sick because of work conditions. Now that Joe Jurevicius is suing, there probably is a lot of truth to what he said.

Not only did they trade Winslow, but they replaced him with Robert Royal. If you believe that that is an upgrade at tight end, you believe in Santa Claus.

Had they named Quinn the starter from day one like they should have, this trade probably doesn't happen. We all saw the chemistry that Quinn and Winslow had after only a couple of games. Imagine what that could have became.

If Quinn was named early, he would have been able to give his input and I guarantee he would have wanted Winslow.

Wide Receiver Moves

Mankok had no control over what happened with Donte' Stallworth so I will give them a pass on that one. Besides he was a bust anyway.

They tried to trade Braylon Edwards and it didn't work. I think they will be lucky that they failed on this one.

Then they cut Jurevicius and sign David Patten and Mike Furrey. I wouldn't consider that an upgrade.

They did draft Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi. That could end up being a really good move, but there is no guarantee. The wide receiver position is hard to project because the reality is that it is easy to get open in college. It is not so easy in the NFL.

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."