Browns Give Mangini the Axe
Once again, a head coaching change is happening for the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns fired Eric Mangini on Monday after their 41-9 blowout loss to their archrival Pittsburgh Steelers. Mangini had a pair of 5-11 seasons and as a result, the team is looking for their fifth head coach in 13 years.
"This decision was not easy for me, and it was one into which I put a great deal of thought," Holmgren said in a statement. "Although we have made improvements this season, my responsibility is to ensure that we establish a program that will allow this team to compete at a championship level. That will continue to be our goal in everything we do. I want to thank Eric for all of his contributions to the Cleveland Browns, and wish him and his family the best of luck in the future."
Mangini was on the hot seat in 2009 after a 1-11 start, and had players complaining of long practices and constant shuffling of quarterbacks between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. He was given a chance by team president Mike Holmgren to turn the season around, but despite big victories over the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots, injuries off the filed and inconsistencies on the field just spelled doom to an era that really never had a chance to begin with.
What is next for Cleveland? While Holmgren is not limiting his coach search to pro candidates, a lot of people have considered former Detroit Lions coach and current Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg as the lead candidate to take over the job. Holmgren has not ruled out taking over the head coaching job himself, but would prefer to have someone take over the job while he has his role as president.
The Browns have a record of 64-128 since rejoining the NFL in 1999. Holmgren is focused on getting the right coach and is confident that he can make it appealing.
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