Why I Like Eric Mangini

I feel like I'm in the minority in saying I am a Browns fan and I like Mangini.

He didn't throw Quinn under the bus when Quinn was abysmal.

He didn't specifically call out Brandon Mcdonald when he made a couple terrible plays on defense.

Mangini also took Edwards to task for that ridiculous personal foul. I don't think Romeo would have done that.

He's imposing fines that actually make a difference. How many times do you hear about a fine and just laugh at it, because its a lunch bill for an NFL player. It's not like he's pocketing the money people. The Browns have been a country club for years, they need to dot the I's. This year is the foundation year. The players have to know there is no tolerance for not being on board with the program.

Mangini absolutely nailed Michael Crabtree as a diva.

He's not forcing guys he drafted into the lineup, but making them earn a spot.

22 year olds riding on a bus may moan and complain, but those are the kind of things that bond young men. Any normal group of 22 year olds would have that experience, but big time college football and the NFL rob them of that by sticking a silver spoon a tea service in front of them. Young American Life is not about chartered planes and suites at the Westin. Moreover, a team needs a bond, and no one has to love their coach until they are 37 and retired and realize what he meant in their lives. I challenge anyone to try and manage hypercompetitive, wealthy, popular and entitled men in their 20's who also happen to be some of the physically strongest men in the world. Good luck with that.

Mangini himself is hypercompetitive. Does hiding your starting QB make sense? No, but it sends the message that every single possible advantage you could have needs to be pressed in the NFL. The Browns were one bounced football off a facemask from strangling out the Bengals yesterday. One little play made an enormous difference. It also sends a message to the team that the coach is doing everything he can to win, even accepting ridicule from the entire nation.

Mangini obviously cares about winning and his players success. He was genuinely happy when he though Massaquoi caught his first touchdown. He gave Anderson a nice congratulatory pat after his td as well, and he was smiling. Easy to read on that note. When his players perform, he's happy. When they don't, he's dour. I'm totally fine with that.

Most importantly, Mangini has done it in the NFL. He's made some enemies of some pretty powerful agents and alot of the New York media doesn't like him. I give zero sh**s about the opinions of either of those two groups of people. I like my local media guys and I'm sorry they are put off by his standoffishness, but guys (and Ms Cabot) you get paid to write and opine about football. Suck it up.

Mangini HAD to go with Quinn to start the season or the fans would have burned down the stadium. It's not his fault Clevelanders bought into the bill of goods. Anderson has major flaws, but he's obviously got alot more upside than Quinn. But Mangini pulled the plug on the high priced, local golden boy in the face of one of the more plugged in Madison Avenue players in the league. For an owner who actually cares alot about that sort of things. That takes stones.

The guys is almost everything I want in a coach. Sure, I'd like to see him take an actual risk or two, but teams have to earn the right to take risks. You can't just go with the F it, lets hook and lateral in week 4 when you haven't scored but one touchdown. You can do it when your team has come up with some manly defensive stops and ground out a few 3rd and 2's. But he's direct, organized, competitive, challenging and he clearly spends all his time thinking about his job. Are you going to get sweet Bill Parcels quotes out of him? Probably not, but who wants to hear a wind coming from a bag without any titles.

Comparing him to Rob Ryan's histrionics: Rob is fun to watch, but I don't need to see that from my head coach. I want my top guy to be thinking four plays down the line as much as possible.

The last thing I want is for my beloved Brownstain to be 0-4, but that was the best game I've seen since 2007.