Who Is Eric Mangini Trying to Fool?

After a long camp, a lot of reps, and no clear frontrunner, Browns head coach Eric Mangini has decided the starting quarterback will be . . .

Now that the starting quarterback issue is settled, let’s move on to the rest of the team.

Oh wait, Mangini didn’t name a starting quarterback. In fact, not only did he not publically disclose who the starter will be on Sunday, he hasn’t even told the team, or the two combatants, Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Mangini has prided himself on his ability to mimic his mentor Bill Belichick. In not naming a starting QB, Mangini is giggling with glee as he believes he’s made the Vikings' job tougher by requiring them to prepare for two different quarterbacks instead of just one.

Mangini fails to realize the Vikings probably couldn't care less who the starting quarterback is because this team just isn’t that good yet. The offensive line is basically a patchwork of rookies and free agents with no real continuity to it. It doesn’t matter who is behind center.

The real problem here is the team needs a clubhouse leader and field general. Mangini has denied his own team their on-field captain in an effort to outsmart the competition.

I fear that the only person Mangini will outsmart this Sunday will be himself. The only real question for the Vikings at this point is: Will Shaun Rogers be in the game?

The fan base currently has two factions, those who worship at the altar of Bill Belichick, and therefore believe Mangini can bring that kind of success to the Browns and trust him implicitly.

Then there are those who have become completely cynical about the Browns ownership and won’t give Mangini an inch until he actually wins some games.

I’d put myself into the latter camp. Mangini, despite making the playoffs in his first year of coaching the Jets, really hasn’t won anything.

The Belichick coaching tree has not produced any championships in the NFL. That’s a fact, not debatable.

Browns Owner Randy Lerner so far has shown he has no idea how to run an NFL franchise and to date has shown little interest in learning. While that comment is debatable, good luck with that.

Those reasons are why I just can’t give Mangini the benefit of the doubt on the quarterback situation. The Browns organization, and by default, the people they have hired, have historically not shown themselves to be any smarter than I am.

Until proven otherwise, I have to question everything.

Quinn was 21-of-31 for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Anderson was 15-of-25 for 207 yards with no touchdowns and two picks.

Statistically speaking, Quinn has the edge coming out of camp. Anderson has more pro experience, but he’s shown he’s inconsistent and prone to the interception when under pressure.

Anderson fans always are quick to point out that he made the Pro Bowl in 2007, but he was an alternate, and his performance in that game was dismal, so let’s not dwell on it.

The bottom line here is, we no longer have a choice but to trust in Mangini, and we’ll see on Sunday whether he’s right or wrong. But if I know the Browns' fan base, if this team loses, they’ll be screaming for Mangini’s head by Sunday night.

In other musings, the final roster cuts were made and Jamal Lewis still is a Cleveland Brown. I’m not surprised by this. Despite his preseason runs looking turtle-like, he’ll still come in handy if used correctly.

The smart thing to do would be to use Lewis sparingly in the first half, and then unleash him against a tired defense in the fourth quarter. Or, you could utilize him like Jerome Bettis in Pittsburgh at the end of his career. I’d say it worked pretty well for them.

I would not consider any of the other roster cuts surprising. This was a bad team last year, and most of these players had to realize they were going to be on the outside looking in.

The only thing that I’m upset about now also relates to Belichick. The Browns cut Shaun Smith a few weeks ago and he subsequently was snapped up and then cut again by Detroit.

Yet this past weekend, Belichick trades 30-year-old linebacker and five-time pro bowler Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for their 2011 first-round draft pick.

Granted Smith is no Seymour, but if Mangini wants to be as smart as Belichick, he needs to be the guy smart enough to fleece the Raiders. No other team in this league would’ve made that deal, yet Belichick was smart enough to realize the Raiders are that desperate and that stupid.

Let me be the first to publically say this, should Tom Brady show signs of faltering, don’t think for a moment that Belichick won’t cut him loose and draft another quarterback. Belichick has zero loyalty to any player. Just ask the hundreds he’s cut over the years.

With that in mind, don’t expect Mangini to stick with whatever quarterback wins this competition, despite a few comments to the contrary. If both quarterbacks are healthy, yet Brett Ratliff is starting for the Browns come Thanksgiving, don’t bother acting surprised, you’ve been warned.