Over the next several days, I’m going to do my best to recap all the madness that is Cleveland Browns football.
First though, let me just say that good ol’ Wisconsin cheese never tasted so good (and no, it does not taste bitter). What goes around comes around.
OK, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s talk about the events that unfolded at the end of the 2010 season.
Hmm, where do we begin? How about with the embarrassing 41-9 loss to the Squealers and the inevitable firing of Eric Mangini?So long, Mangini, we barely knew you … probably because you wouldn’t let us know you. I’ll admit my feelings for Mangini were on a roller coaster ride.
At first, I wasn’t pleased with his hiring. Then, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and I supported his hard-nosed stance. Then, when it was clear he didn’t really have a plan and screwed up the QB situation, I began to really dislike him.
He won over my support again this past season, though, because he started to come out of his shell and coach like Eric Mangini rather than Bill Belichick. Despite the losing, I liked the direction in which he was taking the Browns.
But, alas, he is now history. If the Browns had won a few of those close games last year instead of losing them, perhaps Mangini would still be in Cleveland.
By giving him the 2010 season to coach the team, Holmgren knew he could leave Mangini’s fate to Mangini. If the team performed well and won more than five games, Holmgren looks like a genius for believing in Mangini. But, since that didn’t happen, Holmgren looks like a genius for giving the guy a chance and deciding it was time to go in a new direction.
Like I said, so long Eric Mangini. I really wished it had worked out.
Tomorrow, we’ll address the “exhaustive” coaching search, which ended with the hiring of Pat Shurmur …
Go Browns!
I thought Shurmur was the Offensive Coordinator?
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