Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini elaborated some more Monday on the thought of backup quarterback Seneca Wallace seeing some special packages this year. I love Mangini's direct answer here, which might stem from Mike Holmgren rubbing off on him a little bit:
"Seneca’s going to have plays in there where he’ll be involved, and maybe he’ll be involved with Josh (Cribbs), and we can have some fun with that."
Questions were also posed to Mangini as to whether or not Wallace would have a legitimate shot at becoming the starting quarterback if Jake Delhomme struggles in the preseason. Mangini didn't directly answer that question, but overall it still seems like it will be Delhomme's ship to captain to start the season:
"They’re different types of quarterbacks," Mangini said. "Jake definitely has a larger body of work, although I’ve played against Seneca, and he was tough."
If Romeo Crennel had stated that Wallace would have some plays for him, then I probably would have discounted it immediately as a nonsensical smokescreen. Although Mangini was not perfect in utilizing players last season, he along with Brian Daboll started getting things right by the end of the season by utilizing the best assets on offense as much as possible.
Wallace probably shouldn't have too many reps -- after all, if he enters a game, we want to catch the defense by surprise. We also want to establish continuity in the running game, some level of stability with Delhomme, and a way to keep getting Cribbs into the game. That limits Wallace's chances, but even if it is one play every two to three games, it could be that play that contributes to the Browns winning another ballgame.
Mangini is also getting better when it comes to being short and sweet. On Monday, he listed the core characteristics of players who play for the Cleveland Browns:
"Smart guys, tough guys, hard workers, fiercely competitive, selfless. Football is truly important to them. They’d play if they weren’t getting a bunch of money. They live football."
That's better than the time last season where he rattled about 50 more traits.
0 recs | 69 comments
My opinion of Mangini is slowing turning around. Thanks Holmgren.
Andrew Tolliver - May 12, 2010
+1
emily522 - May 12, 2010
I think my favorite part of this is Mangini in a suit. Has he ever been in front of media with anything nicer than a polo? He’s def. looking quite dapper in that picture.
shep615 - May 12, 2010
Holmgren imposed a new dress code on the staff.
TheDriveStillHurts - May 12, 2010
really? do we know this or is it just your thoughts? if true, it seems surprising that holmgren would concern himself with something like that.
Dawg Nuts - May 12, 2010
he isn’t serious. Mangini is just wearing a suit at this event.
jaws. - May 12, 2010
And how about that haircut, and those improved hand gestures, the way he’s speaking.
I think Mangini is really coming around, fellas.
Simmsinns - May 12, 2010
I hope he makes jokes like his twin Kevin James.
SpecialBrownie - May 12, 2010
The way he treats and talks to the media does not affect my opinion of him.
Roger Dorn - May 12, 2010
Oh come on, did you not see the pin he is wearing on the suit? The old Mangini would not have conformed to such high-class behavior.
Chris Pokorny - May 12, 2010
Haha, I appreciate the effort I guess. I was a fan and still am either way.
Roger Dorn - May 12, 2010
Same here.
golanbatrac - May 12, 2010
I was only making a joke, based on the two previous comments.
Simmsinns - May 12, 2010
Yep. Bill Belicheck rocks a hoodie but I doubt Patriots’ fans care. Mangini can streak naked as long as he wins.
gahnki - May 12, 2010
Thanks for the cringing visual.
Brownie's Year - May 12, 2010
No, he rocks a Toodie. Or an H – shirt.
SpecialBrownie - May 12, 2010
Atleast I haven’t seen Mangini rockin one, unlike McDaniels.
StuckInPa - May 12, 2010
“I cut off the sleeves cause it looks awesome, now get back out there!”
TheRealSlimShady - May 13, 2010
No it’s, “Now get your head in the game”
SpecialBrownie - May 13, 2010
First result for google images search of “Toodie” :
Simmsinns - May 13, 2010
what is that? Besides a “Toodie” obviously.
Kimble_79 - May 13, 2010
it looks like its from yo gabba gabba or something
notthatnoise - May 13, 2010
my buddy just sent me this telling me that his kids are into this show. This is disturbingly weird to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCXZkfvIfhk
I can’t get the d@mn song out of my head now.
Kimble_79 - May 13, 2010
That was the most disturbing thing I’ve seen in some time.
StuckInPa - May 13, 2010
The black dude is weird, no lie.
SpecialBrownie - May 13, 2010
That whole thing is wierd. All the characters look like they are cracked out. I would not let my kids watch this.
Kimble_79 - May 13, 2010
I knew what this was before even clicking on it
I laugh every time.
UZ - May 13, 2010
I couldn’t be happier to hear news like this. Now is the time to figure out what kind of a team this is going to be going forward. Get out in front of the curve.
jaws. - May 12, 2010
It’ll be a smart, tough, hard-working, fiercely competitive, selfless team.
Whatever that means.
Andrew Tolliver - May 12, 2010
they won’t complain about the bus ride out to Connecticut for the football camp?
sleepy042 - May 12, 2010
“They keep their mouths shut if they know what’s good for em”
danvail - May 12, 2010
This is why he is man-genius: most coaches try to get a dumb, weak, lazy, uncompetitive, selfish team. Mangini — iconoclast that he is — is willing to buck the trend.
TheDriveStillHurts - May 12, 2010
say what you will but Mangini turned Romeo’s disjointed bunch into a disciplined football team that could play smart.
Mangini shipped out the malcontents (those guys Mike Singletary would have sent to the locker room) and stressed basic fundamentals like blocking and tackling and disciplined football, you know those things that the Browns were absolutely terrible at under Romeo.
I’m pretty sure we could do a whole lot worse than Mangini.
jaws. - May 12, 2010
This is true. It may seem obvious to all of us that these traits matter, but past coaches have not emphasized them as much as Mangini has. There’s no way last season’s team finishes as strong under Romeo.
gahnki - May 12, 2010
word
Villeslgr - May 12, 2010
Completely agreed.
rufio - May 13, 2010
Which is why I supported Mangini from the get go. More than anything, even a franchise quarterback, the thing this team has needed since 1999 has been a disciplinarian coach. Someone to teach fundamentals and to hold players responsible for lack of effort.
golanbatrac - May 13, 2010
More than anything, this franchise has needed a strong front office.
gahnki - May 13, 2010
Yeah, that too.
golanbatrac - May 13, 2010
this
Kimble_79 - May 13, 2010
Exactly.
Buckeye Brad - May 13, 2010
this is it, in 1999 and 2000 we had a Disciplinarian coach in Chris Palmer. Policy fired him because A: the team sucked ass and B: the veterans Policy brought over from the 49ers didn’t like that Palmer ran training camp like he was running a boot camp.
Any great team has to have a cohesive structure from the ownership down to the head coach. The head coach has to have a good system and everyone (above and below him) has to buy into that system and believe it can work.
I think the reason Mangini didn’t get along with some people is because he realized they were incompetent. He realized Tannonbaum’s style would never work well with his own and he realized that George Kokinis apparently wasn’t quite the football man Mangini thought he was. Mangini probably knows that he has good people around him now and now he isn’t trying to grab power from anyone because he has a reasonable expectation that they might do their jobs well.
jaws. - May 14, 2010
I have never heard of any of this before. I don’t think that there was any veteran players good enough to get a coach fired. I think it had more to do with Palmer being in a horrendous situation.
So he got himself fired? Give me a break.
Bernie19Kosar - May 14, 2010
I’d say he probably resisted the move to get Brett Favre and when it blew up it created friction between him and Tannonbaum.
jaws. - May 15, 2010
That disjointed team of Romeo won 11 games.
Bernie19Kosar - May 12, 2010
And then the largely same team fell apart the next year. Romeo’s teams had a tendency to give in to tough situations.
gahnki - May 12, 2010
JUST SAY NO!
Thanks, Nancy.
SpecialBrownie - May 12, 2010
10 games. Not 11.
TheDriveStillHurts - May 13, 2010
Over how many seasons?
Heyo!
rufio - May 13, 2010
Baaaaaziiinnnnggggg!
Bernie19Kosar - May 13, 2010
As a head coach, eric mangini has twice as many winning seasons as romeo.
jaws. - May 13, 2010
stole my joke.
notthatnoise - May 13, 2010
And a more speedy team.
Brownie's Year - May 12, 2010
I like how the talking heads are calling it a possible “quarterback controversy” instead of a coach trying to get creative with his play calling.
BiggieBrown - May 12, 2010
Agreed. QB controversy = endless opportunity to talk, or in this case print.
danvail - May 12, 2010
I think that there should be no need for a qb controversy. If we can just establish the running game throughout the first couple games then the critics will be silenced. Also if we find success with the wildcat and utilize Wallace as much as possible that will silence the qb controversy critics as it should be noted that qb controversies normally follow struggling teams and that would do away with some negative press in cleveland.
BrownEye - May 12, 2010
I think he’s dancing with his imaginary girlfriend. He’s going in for the kiss!
SpecialBrownie - May 12, 2010
I think any further evolution of our flash package based on personnel depends on Cribbs and/or Wallace’s ability to throw the ball. If we put both of them in the game and run…that really isn’t any more surprising than running with Massaquoi and Harrison.
rufio - May 13, 2010
I think the effectiveness should ultimately stem from Wallace’s ability to throw it (according to Holmgren). You could probably run the zone read or the motion counter trey or qb power or whatever you like with Cribbs or any back taking the snap. The possibility with wallace is that his ability to throw could force the other team to cover all the receivers and leave at least one deep safety; which is requisite to maintaining the offense’s numbers advantage in the box. Gotta be able to constrain the defense and keep ’em honest, a la Dan Mullen.
jaws. - May 13, 2010
I want Seneca sat on the bench unless it’s absolutely indispensable.
BuenosAires_Dawg - May 13, 2010
Just to see your thoughts, or should I call it strategic suggestions, reiterated, not necessarily reflected this time, here´s a quote:
“…Although Mangini was not perfect in utilizing players last season, he along with Brian Daboll started getting things right by the end of the season by utilizing the best assets on offense as much as possible. Wallace probably shouldn’t have too many reps — after all, if he enters a game, we want to catch the defense by surprise. We also want to establish continuity in the running game, some level of stability with Delhomme, and a way to keep getting Cribbs into the game. That limits Wallace’s chances, but even if it is one play every two to three games, it could be that play that contributes to the Browns winning another ballgame.”
Ok, that done, here´s my suggestion. You field the 11 best players at each position on both sides of the ball, and play to win. If someone sucks or you have a special play, you replace certain players. If you project some kind of catastrophe in a casually causealy linked world, we cede the win and contact the NFL comish secretly."
There were no portrayed astringents regarding the signings of Delhomme and Wallace. McCoy on the other hand was available to us based on promise.
mooncamping - May 13, 2010
Please don’t make us think THAT hard, Moon.
Nuclear Power - May 13, 2010
One of my favorite examples of alliteration ever.
gahnki - May 13, 2010
This escape me, but I like the sound of it.
RelapsingDawgCatcher - May 14, 2010
My favorite part? The dangling quotation mark at the end of this ambrosia, because he knows he’s giving a quote of the day:
danvail - May 13, 2010
Bleh, reply fail.
danvail - May 13, 2010
I have an idea for involving Seneca Wallace.
Picture this:
We line him up at Flanker or Wide Out. When the play commences, he does a stutter step then gets back behind the line of scrimmage and positions himself as a potential second quarterback.
mooncamping - May 14, 2010
I expect to see that. Backwards passes, WR reverse passes, run him out of the Fly (as WR or Freaky) and let him throw or run….. the possibilities are endless.
Brownie's Year - May 14, 2010
Sounds interesting. Hope he´s up to it.
mooncamping - May 15, 2010
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