Mortensen: Mangini favorite for Browns' head coach, then would hire Kokinis as GM

[pats1]

ESPN - Eric Mangini emerging as Cleveland Browns' top candidate for coach

Sources: Mangini had 'compelling' interview
By Chris Mortensen
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: January 3, 2009, 2:36 PM ET

Eric Mangini, fired on Monday by the New York Jets, is emerging as the favorite to become the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns, team and league sources said Saturday.

The Browns have continued their search process, interviewing other candidates, but sources say Mangini had a "compelling" interview and owner Randy Lerner is fascinated with him.

If Mangini gets the job to replace the fired Romeo Crennel, the favorite to become the team's general manager is George Kokinis, who is the director of pro personnel for the Baltimore Ravens, the sources said.

Kokinis and Mangini each were members of the Browns organization when Bill Belichick was coach. Mangini formally joined the staff as an assistant coach in 1995. Kokinis was a scout from 1991 to 1995 before moving with the team to Baltimore.

Scott Pioli, the Patriots' executive vice president of player personnel, has been considered the favorite for the GM job, but sources say his demands were "extreme," and Lerner is hesitant to accept the terms unless there is some level of compromise.

...

Our own BPF mentioned Kokinis in his post from Thursday, but as a potential replacement if Pioli leaves.

 

[ALP]

extreme demands, LOL

Pioli knows his new coach wont be Belicheck, and he prob wants 100% control over what goes on, both w/ coaches, and w/ players

and teh inept browns call it extreme, and choose mangini over pioli



im sorry for browns fans

 

[DarrylS]

Dear Browns Fans,

Prepare for mediocrity or less...

 

[Tunescribe]

Rats are resilient creatures.

 

[Deus Irae]

Mangina got a fair number of wins out of that Jets team, and he would probably have made the playoffs this season had Favre not gotten hurt. He's also probably been at least somewhat humbled by his firing. It wouldn't surprise me if he did a pretty good job in Cleveland. Unfortunately for him, he'll be competing with the Steelers and Ravens, and his defense is soft, his quarterback is raw and his offensive skill players have ego, health and hands problems. It could take years to get truly competitive, and I don't know what kind of patience Lerner will have with him.

 

[BradyBranch39]

The Browns haven't done many smart things since I was born. I'm glad it's continuing.

Extreme demands - lol is right.

 

[spacecrime]

Mangina got a fair number of wins out of that Jets team, and he would probably have made the playoffs this season had Favre not gotten hurt. He's also probably been at least somewhat humbled by his firing. It wouldn't surprise me if he did a pretty good job in Cleveland. Unfortunately for him, he'll be competing with the Steelers and Ravens, and his defense is soft, his quarterback is raw and his offensive skill players have ego, health and hands problems. It could take years to get truly competitive, and I don't know what kind of patience Lerner will have with him.

Most times a good coach can turn a team around and be competitive within 2 years. First year clean house, weed out the bad ones - addition by subraction. It just takes a strong coach and the support of the owner because the media and fan will be yelling because you are getting rid of talented players and picking up street FAs.

 

[DaBruinz]

Mangina got a fair number of wins out of that Jets team, and he would probably have made the playoffs this season had Favre not gotten hurt. He's also probably been at least somewhat humbled by his firing. It wouldn't surprise me if he did a pretty good job in Cleveland. Unfortunately for him, he'll be competing with the Steelers and Ravens, and his defense is soft, his quarterback is raw and his offensive skill players have ego, health and hands problems. It could take years to get truly competitive, and I don't know what kind of patience Lerner will have with him.

Considering how poorly Favre was playing in the last game before he "got hurt" *wink wink*, its unlikely that the Jets were going to win that game.

 

[Gwedd]

Originally Posted by Deus Irae View Post
Mangina got a fair number of wins out of that Jets team, and he would probably have made the playoffs this season had Favre not been his quarterback. He's also probably been at least somewhat humbled by his firing. It wouldn't surprise me if he did a pretty good job in Cleveland. Unfortunately for him, he'll be competing with the Steelers and Ravens, and his defense is soft, his quarterback is raw and his offensive skill players have ego, health and hands problems. It could take years to get truly competitive, and I don't know what kind of patience Lerner will have with him.

There, I fixed that for you....

 

[ctpatsfan77]

There, I fixed that for you....

That's my job.

 

[Gwedd]

That's my job.

Sorry, Boss... didn't check to see if you were in today... My bad...

 

[Deus Irae]

Most times a good coach can turn a team around and be competitive within 2 years. First year clean house, weed out the bad ones - addition by subraction. It just takes a strong coach and the support of the owner because the media and fan will be yelling because you are getting rid of talented players and picking up street FAs.

That's only possible when you can get players, cut deadwood, get a favorable schedule, convince your owner to pay the dead money that will happen and get a quarterback that can get the job done for you. Taking a look at that Browns team and remembering that it will be competing for a limited number of 3-4 players that are NFL savvy, I'd expect it to take some time to get that team ready to be anything more than a flash-in-the-pan like the team was 2 seasons ago.

 

[Fanfrom1960]

Dear Browns Fans,

Prepare for mediocrity or less...

Unless Mangini can get his act together completely something like Belichick did after he left Cleveland, I agree with you. Actually, I don't know what went wrong for BB in Cleveland. Maybe it was all circumstances out of his control. Mangini, at least from the outward appearances we get from brief shots of him on TV, is a deadpan nebbish that has no right being a head coach.

 

[DarrylS]

Unless Mangini can get his act together completely something like Belichick did after he left Cleveland, I agree with you. Actually, I don't know what went wrong for BB in Cleveland. Maybe it was all circumstances out of his control. Mangini, at least from the outward appearances we get from brief shots of him on TV, is a deadpan nebbish that has no right being a head coach.

THE BB sitz had to do with benching local favorite, Bernie Kosar and being implicated in the modell move to Baltimore.. moving this franchise was unforgivable to most fans..

 

[Rob0729]

Although I think Mangini's fate was sealed when the Jets acquired Favre in August, he doesn't deserve excuses. His in game management and clock management is very Herm Edwards like.

The second the Jets got Favre, Mangini had to win at least 10 games and at least be viable for the playoffs. When Brady went down, it was the division or bust for him. Favre's decision making and Kris Jenkins' petering off were big reasons why the Jets went 1-4 down the stretch, but so was Mangini's decision-making. He deserved to be fired. Mangini shouldn't have catered to Favre's diva demands, should have gone what got them to 8-3 with a strong running game and limiting Favre on what he can do. He should have not stopped blitzing the QB on defense which made both Pace (5 of his 7 sacks were before the decline of the last five games) and Thomas (all but one of his sacks occured in the first half of the season) ineffective.

Add to the fact that Mangini was not popular with his players and that he would never adjust his system to the talent he had and forced players with the wrong skill sets to fit into his system.

I think if the Browns go with Mangini, they are just setting their franchise back another few years. Mangini is not a good head coach and definitely isn't ready for another head coaching position.

The only thing I can think is that the Browns are banking on Pioli's hatred of Mangini from Spygate to get Pioli to come back to the table and compromise on some of his demands. Maybe they think Pioli would rather lose some control and/or money to make sure Mangini doesn't get another head coaching job.

 

[SVN]

Although I think Mangini's fate was sealed when the Jets acquired Favre in August, he doesn't deserve excuses. His in game management and clock management is very Herm Edwards like.

The second the Jets got Favre, Mangini had to win at least 10 games and at least be viable for the playoffs. When Brady went down, it was the division or bust for him. Favre's decision making and Kris Jenkins' petering off were big reasons why the Jets went 1-4 down the stretch, but so was Mangini's decision-making. He deserved to be fired. Mangini shouldn't have catered to Favre's diva demands, should have gone what got them to 8-3 with a strong running game and limiting Favre on what he can do. He should have not stopped blitzing the QB on defense which made both Pace (5 of his 7 sacks were before the decline of the last five games) and Thomas (all but one of his sacks occured in the first half of the season) ineffective.

Add to the fact that Mangini was not popular with his players and that he would never adjust his system to the talent he had and forced players with the wrong skill sets to fit into his system.

I think if the Browns go with Mangini, they are just setting their franchise back another few years. Mangini is not a good head coach and definitely isn't ready for another head coaching position.

The only thing I can think is that the Browns are banking on Pioli's hatred of Mangini from Spygate to get Pioli to come back to the table and compromise on some of his demands. Maybe they think Pioli would rather lose some control and/or money to make sure Mangini doesn't get another head coaching job.

From what i read mangini did the same things BB does here like calling out players and their dumb plays in front of the team etc. Unfortunately he doesnt have BB's rep and egomaniacs and vets dont like this.
BB himself said once that in cleveland he tried to do things like parcells and it ditn work.Maybe mangini will mend his ways and become a better coach.Plus he has a young QB he can coach as supposed to favre etc.Its errierly similar how when BB was hired in NE everyone thought it was a mistake. Sometimes things work out ina different place.

 

[Jackson 2]

Spygate aside, this guy showed little, if any, ability to discern the subtle areas of head coaching and at the end outright choked with his on-field decisions. Mangina, Brady Quinn and the Browns' owner - now that's a troika made in heaven for the future. Good luck. If Scott Pioli hitches his wagon to those three stars, I'll willingly admit that I have no idea what really compels public figures to make the decisions they do.

 

[Rob0729]

From what i read mangini did the same things BB does here like calling out players and their dumb plays in front of the team etc. Unfortunately he doesnt have BB's rep and egomaniacs and vets dont like this.
BB himself said once that in cleveland he tried to do things like parcells and it ditn work.Maybe mangini will mend his ways and become a better coach.Plus he has a young QB he can coach as supposed to favre etc.

Mangini is different than Belichick though. Belichick holds players accountable, but he is even kiel and doesn't embarrass players. Mangini is a yeller like Crennel. Mangini played some underhanded games with disgruntled players like Pete Kendall (putting him in the rookie dorm, playing him at center in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, etc.). Belichick would never do that type of crap.

I do agree that winning cures a lot. By the end of the 2006 season, players loved Mangini eventhough they hated him in training camp. But that was short lived because of the problems of the following season. You win and win consistently, players will follow you no matter how much of a jerk you are.... at least until you start to lose again.

 

[SVN]

Mcginest endorsed mangini just now on NFLN as a good coach etc etc and will do a good job

 

[SVN]

Mangini is different than Belichick though. Belichick holds players accountable, but he is even kiel and doesn't embarrass players. Mangini is a yeller like Crennel. Mangini played some underhanded games with disgruntled players like Pete Kendall (putting him in the rookie dorm, playing him at center in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, etc.). Belichick would never do that type of crap.

I do agree that winning cures a lot. By the end of the 2006 season, players loved Mangini eventhough they hated him in training camp. But that was short lived because of the problems of the following season. You win and win consistently, players will follow you no matter how much of a jerk you are.... at least until you start to lose again.

Well , what i have heard is that mangini hardly shows emotion not a yeller.Maybe he is , i dont know.
Maybe BB did all those mistakes which mangini did now like the pete kendall stuff.Biggest diff in my opinion even in BB's first yr is that BB did what he thought was best and benched kosar. Everyone forgets that kosar didnt do much after that and BB was right.
If BB was the jets coach this yr or mangini was like BB he wouldve benched favre without worrying about the owner and all.
Mangini had too many older players from previous regimes who he couldnt control which was his issue mainly because of his youth and inexp. When BB came to NE he wasnt having a great rep but the guy knew football for 30 yrs. Lack of this + using same BB techniques in new york didnt work IMO. Thats why the younger players in nyc like him and some of the older ones dont care.
I read a piece last week when heath evans said that before the buff game in a team meeting /film session BB was showing the effect of wind and how the game will be effected etc , things he thought no one will think in depth about. These are the intanbigles which crennel,weiss and mangini have not shown which BB possesses.