Why Eric Mangini NEEDS to Be the Right Coach for the Cleveland Browns

Since the Browns returned to the National Football League in 1999, they have had five different head coaches.

Getting a new coach in the NFL doesn't just mean listening to a new voice yelling at you, but also means new philosophies, new playbooks, and a totally different attitude about how to go about your business.

Despite the lack of stability at the head coaching position, Browns fans called for current head coach Eric Mangini's job after a 1-11 start in his first season last year.

Mangini clearly feared for his job and any type of future as a coach in the NFL, but he riled his troops up, and they won the last four games of the season.

Browns players didn't throw in the towel early and quit on a season that was clearly a lost cause. Instead they played hard for Mangini and the city of Cleveland and won four in a row. 

After ending the season on a win streak, Mangini's job seemed a little bit safer. That was until Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Holmgren was hired as the team's new president. Holmgren comes from an entirely different coaching tree then Mangini. He believes in the 4-3 defense and running a West Coast offense. That is the opposite of Mangini's 3-4 and power running style.

Holmgren had a choice to make. In the end he realized that the players played hard under Mangini, and he knew how detrimental it can be for a team to go through coaching changes. Mangini's job was safe, at least for this season.

Holmgren can't be wrong.

If the Browns suffer through another four- or five-win season, Mangini will most likely be without a job. Firing a coach could put this young team back farther from contention than they already are. These players are groomed to play under the Mangini system, and to lose their coach before they can fully develop would be devastating.

Sunday's home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs will be a big game for Mangini's future with the team. The Browns failed to put away a lesser opponent in the first game of the season last week in Tampa, so the Mangini-led Browns will have to play a lot better against the Chiefs this week.