A Message To Eric Mangini: You Will Never Be On Bill Belichick's Level

The Cleveland Browns have been a hot topic in the media this week, a sure shocker. First off, they fired their general manager, who was not even on a job for a full year. Just a few days after the firing, Browns owner Randy Lerner met with two of the fans that are left in Cleveland, and had about a three hour meeting with them.

What could they have possibly talked about over that period of time? I'm sure they wouldn't simply discuss the obvious: a 1-7 team that does not have much talent left.

Yet, I'm sure Randy heard an earful on the hiring of head coach Eric Mangini. Come on man, you couldn't have done better than that?

Since that day, the locker-room, the fans of Cleveland, are still scratching their heads.

After all, since Eric Mangini was on the Belicheck tree, he is the next great mind who will be a successful head coach, right?

Not sure if you have seen him on the field, and off it, but he is nowhere near what the 'Hoodie is.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Bill Belichick lover myself. Yet, he does have a great mind as a head coach, and has made what used to be a lowly Patriots team into talking’s of a dynasty, which is what I respect.

The failure began at the draft, when the Browns traded the 5th pick to the New York Jets, who took quarterback Mark Sanchez. After continuing to trade nearly out of the first round, they selected center Alex Mack, who was projected as either a late 1st rounder or an early to mid-second rounder.

Belichick is known for being the draft guru, finding players in the later rounds ( Tom Brady), and making them into guys who fit well in the system.

Yet, Mangini's motives in the draft were obviously questioned, and has not panned out to this point. What was the point of this trade? Sure, maybe you weren't sold on one player at that high of a selection. But, there were some very impactful rookies on the table that the Browns decided to pass up (Harvin, Maclin, Oher).

Up to this point, draft one for Mangini has been a disaster.

You also can't forget about the week before opening weekend in the NFL. In his years as head coach, Bill has been known for not giving out any info to the media, especially on his quarterback Tom Brady. Even though the schemes haven't been successful every time, he has pulled a few tricks from his sleep, and has caught the opposition off guard.

Being the "Mangenious" that he is, Eric tried to pull the same scheme as well against the Minnesota Vikings: by simply keeping his starting quarterback as a secret.

With less than a week before NFL Sunday, Mangini finally decided to reveal that Brady Quinn would be the starter in week one. Surprise, Surprise? Most of the league was expecting to see Quinn as the starter. His plan was still questioned after the loss to Minnesota that Sunday.

First off, why did he take so long to tell the quarterbacks who was going to be the starter? And did he actually think the Vikings would be greatly affected as to which man was named the starter? I think you could have done better than that, Eric. You should have learned a thing or two from Bill as how to do it the right way.

The saga did not stop there. Just two weeks as the starter, Quinn was benched in the second half against the Ravens, and up to this point has not gotten another chance as starter.

Talking about developing your quarterback. With Josh McDaniel’s and Belichick on the same sideline as you while you were with the Patriots, class should have been in session with the years Eric were there.

Last month, however, was the turning point in Mangini's campaign as head coach. Pushed by Eric himself, the Browns dealt receiver Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets for Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik, along with a third and fifth round draft choice.

When the trade went down in the early days of October, more eyebrows were raised with Cleveland. Why trade your best offensive target, for two bench players and two picks that could be potential disappointments?

Mangini tried to follow the New England theme of turning young, inexperienced players into solid role players who help make a championship happen. Sorry Eric, this trade is just another domino effect of your soon short tenure in Cleveland.

The locker-room in Cleveland is dysfunctional right now, with many players filing grievance charges against their head coach. When half of the team despises their boss, failure is bound to happen, and change will be made quickly. Unlike Bill, Mangini couldn't become the disciplinarian that can be the players together.

I have to give Mangini's credit where it's due, however. After all, he must have used the 'Hoodie" magic to convince Randy Lerner how much of a better candidate then all of the available coaches.

His plan to become Belichick's golden boy has not turned out as planned, and nobody should feel sorry for him. He tried to be somebody he is not, and as a result, will be out of a job at the end of the season.

Matt Miselis is an NFL writer for BleacherReport and FanHuddle.com. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/MattMiselis .