Thoughts on Mangini

I just read a nice little article by Joe Posnanski, in which he wonders if Eric Mangini is the worst coaching hire ever. Personally, I found this to be a very satisfying read after watching him burn all bridges to New England. Posnanski lists some pretty good reasons to back-up his claim, and I think he might be on to something (personal bias aside).

At the risk of sounding like a total homer (guilty as charged), I do think that he missed two pretty big ones, though --- and they both speak to Mangini's character:

1. He supposedly had a gentleman's agreement in place with Bill Belichick, stating that he would not leave the Patriots for a head coaching job after one year in the position of Defensive Coordinator. We all know how that worked out. He spent one year running the Patriots defense, then bolted when the Jets opened-up their wallet. Personally I can't blame him for taking the Jets money, but I can certainly see why this stung Belichick. Mangini was elevated to a lofty position in the New England organization, with the understanding that he would provide some stability to the role beyond one season. He benefited from Belichick's tutelage, and he also inherited a pretty solid defense. It seems to me like this is a classic case of being born on 3rd base, and thinking he hit a triple.


2. Spygate. Yeah, I went there. I know that I sound bitter, and that's because I am. I truly believe that Mangini did not know the amount of damage that he was going to unleash on the man that gave him his start, but that lack of foresight is another check-mark against him. I find it truly astonishing that someone in his position could not grasp the damage that he was doing. Now, to be fair, the Patriots did break the rule that was in place. My point is just that it seems that Mangini might have broken one of the unwritten codes by snitching on a fellow coach.

I was truly shocked when I heard that the Cleveland Browns hired Mangini so quickly after he was fired by the Jets. My first thought when he was fired, was that no team would hire him based on his connection to the Spygate scandal. Add to that the lousy job that he did coaching the Jets, and it seemed obvious that he'd be unemployed for awhile. Then along came the Browns. On a personal note, I was a bit disappointed because I think that Browns fans deserve better. I've spent a lot of time in Cleveland, and that city and its fan-base is certainly deserving of a championship. Unfortunately, the moment that they hired Mangini they put those dreams on hold.