Monday, September 28, 2009

Shame on You, Mangini

Dear Mr. Mangini,

I thought you were better than that. I really did.

I'll be honest, I wasn't at all thrilled when you were hired as the new coach of our beloved Browns so soon into the coaching search. After all, we just ran a former Belichik underling out of town and here you are, another Belichik underling. Let's not forget, this town already had the real thing at one time (a time when Belichik wasn't commonly referred to as a football genius).

But, I gave you a chance. I threw all my support behind you, because you were now the man. You were in charge of this beloved franchise and that demanded my support as a Browns fan.

I liked what I saw in the way you chose to run things. You were no-nonsense. You were secretive and you did not care what the media or anyone said about your ridiculous QB competition throughout the preseason. Clearly, this was your team and you were prepared to run it the way you wanted to run it, regardless of what anyone else said.

I liked that about you. I defended you. I said, "Give this guy a chance. Let him coach."

Then, yesterday happened. Yesterday, as the team continued to struggle against a superior team, you succumbed to the same pressure other failed coaches in this town have succumbed to: You gave in to the idiotic pressure of the Cleveland media.

Fans, and the media, in this town are notoriously impatient. Football is in our blood and we all think we know what's best for our team. When our team is losing, we second-guess every decision the head coach makes.

For the past two weeks, as the offense has struggled, the Cleveland media has looked for someone to blame. Brady Quinn was an easy target. After all, he's the quarterback; the face of the team. You and I both know he hasn't been the problem. The team as a whole is the problem.

The Cleveland media has been critical of Quinn, calling for you to replace him with Derek Anderson. Never mind that the Cleveland media was calling for Romeo Crennel to bench Anderson in favor of Quinn just last season (that's another thing about the Cleveland media; not only are they impatient, they also have a short memory).

All last week, you rejected the thought of replacing Quinn with Anderson to the cries of the Cleveland media. Quinn is your quarterback, you'd say. I thought you meant it.

Then, yesterday, after a lackluster first half, you panicked. Quinn was 6-of-8 for 34 yards and an interception. I'll be the first to say he wasn't playing at the top of his game, but 6-of-8 is hardly bad numbers when you consider the defense he was facing and the lack of tools with which he has to work.

No matter, you gave in (or, should I say, gave up?). You started Anderson in the second half. Did he provide that spark everyone said he would? Nope. Not even close. Sure, he was 11-of-19 for 92 yards, but produced two big 3s: a field goal and THREE interceptions.

I'm sure you realize, that if Quinn was as willing to wing the ball down field with reckless abandon like Anderson, then he too could have had 92 yards passing and THREE interceptions. Of course, I thought you already knew this and that was why you chose Quinn in the first place and were, supposedly, standing by your choice.

I'm not as disappointed in the loss yesterday as I am in your lack of judgement. I expected more from you. You put on a good tough-guy show, but in reality that's all it is: a show. You gave in to the Cleveland media just like every coach before you.

When did you forget that you're the coach, and that you call the shots? When did you decide a bunch of sports reporters knew how to coach better than you? If Mr. Lerner wanted a journalist to coach the Browns, he would have hired one. He hired you, though, and you let him down. You let us all down.

You lost a lot of support when the Browns went 0-2. Now, at 0-3, you've lost a lot more support, but not because the team is 0-3. No, you lost fan support -- this fan's support -- because you displayed a complete lack of judgement.

The Cleveland media's decision to pull Quinn in favor of Anderson really didn't work out too well for you, did it? Now you've got a big decision to make as the Browns get ready to host the Bengals. What are you going to do? Perhaps you should be the one asking the questions at press conferences.

If you're a good coach, then coach. If you don't trust yourself as a coach, then keep listening to the Cleveland media. Keep letting them make your decisions for you. It's a sure way to obtain a ticket out of Cleveland; just ask your predecessors.

Sincerely,

A Disgruntled Browns Fan


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Posted by -Pete at 2:09 PM
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4 comments:

  1. I couldn't agree with this post more. As a Steelers fan, I was hoping that the rivalry would be competitive again with Mangini at the wheel. But alas, Mangini is a load.
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  2. I heard Bernie Kosar make a good point about the entire team yesterday: The whole team is THINKING too much. They're not going on instinct. The coaching staff seems to be making them think to much and not playing the way the game needs to be played, in a read and react fashion.

    That said, I would like Pete to point to one media member who suggested that Mangini start Anderson over Quinn. I think that most of the media people I've read and listened to have expressed disappointment in Quinn's performance (and they are 0-3, remember), but I haven't heard one suggest Mangini replace him with Anderson.

    I think he should have stuck with Quinn in Sunday's game myself (if only because I know what I'm getting in Anderson, and he displayed it again in the second half). But I really need someone to explain to me — with evidence on the professional field — what the love affair with Quinn is. I would like them to stick with him for the rest of the year to see if there is any chance at improvement, but I'm beginning to believe we have two backups on the team instead of one franchise quarterback.

    I'd love to be proven wrong, so convince me.
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  3. Frank,

    You said yourself that the media has "expressed disappointment in Quinn's performance." I'd say they've done a lot more than that. They've questioned, just as you are, Mangini's choice in him as the starter. Are you telling me the media hasn't then been calling for Anderson? Has the media been advocating for Ratliff and I didn't know it?

    Quinn may be the franchise quarterback we need, or he may not be. But, we're never going to know unless he's given a chance. Two and a half games is hardly a chance. Yes, they're 0-3. Tell me, though, do you honestly believe the rest of pieces are in place to win games and that it's simply a matter of getting that franchise quarterback to make the Browns win games?

    Football is a team sport. I don't care who your quarterback is, no one can win by themselves in football. Look at all the great quarterbacks who've ever played the game and tell me one who's consistently won games with the lack of personnel around him that Quinn has to deal with.

    The truth is Quinn has not been given a fair chance since Day 1. His rookie season, he was relegated to third string behind two guys who are not starting quarterbacks. Last season, he was not given an opportunity to win the starting job. This season, he had to endure a ridiculous QB Derby where and had extremely limited opportunity to work with the first team, even after it was decided that he was the one. Now, after just two and a half games, he's been yanked. How has any of this been beneficial to his development as an NFL quarterback?

    Pundits point to other young QBs, such as Mark Sanchez and Joe Flacco, as being able to succeed, and claim that if they can do it, why can't Quinn. Look at the support those two QBs have around them, and tell me Quinn has the same tools to work with. It's no comparison.

    Quinn's second receiver was a MAC quarterback who wouldn't even play wide receiver for Ohio State this year and his Pro-Bowl tight end was taken away during the off-season.

    If the problem, as so many in the media seem to think it is, is that Quinn cannot throw the ball down the field to Braylon Edwards, don't you think we'd see Braylon complaining on the sidelines about how wide open he was? Don't you think Derek Anderson would have put up big numbers instead of throwing three interceptions?

    Given everything Quinn has had to endure in his young NFL career -- poor coaching, no tools to work with and a terrible team -- are you really willing to conclude after only two and half games that Quinn is a backup quarterback at best?

    No one had high expectations for the Browns this season. No one. In fact, expectations were pretty low. I simply don't understand where the panic is coming from after starting the season 0-3. What did you expect?
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  4. Does it really matter who the QB is. The whole team stinks from the top down. I have been a Browns fan my entire life and we as the best fans and most loyal fans don't deserve this. Those so called die hard Steelers fans would have stopped watching along time ago.
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