Just weeks ago, my fellow Cleveland Browns supporters were calling for nothing short of the beheading of coach Eric Mangini.
The team was 1-11, off to its most pathetic start in history and regularly being beaten by teams that normally win. By that, I mean teams that normally win more than the Browns.
All of a sudden, the Browns have defeated four straight crap teams in garbage time. The team finished 5-11.
The cries for his head to be cut off have morphed into cries for a crowning. I may not speak for the majority, but beating Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Oakland and Jacksonville doesn't exactly get my blood pumping.
Maybe most of the players came to embrace Mangini, but I lean toward the idea that they just don't want to see another new guy come in and run the show. These days, everyone is new in Berea.
New team president Mike Holmgren will meet with Mangini this week to decide his future.
In all likelihood, his future includes a moving van and some phone calls.
The NFL Network, followed by The Plain Dealer, picked up on a rumor that links current Carolina Panthers coach John Fox to a potential opening in Cleveland. Interesting that Holmgren, his potential general manager (Tom Heckert, Jr.) and Fox all share the same agent? Not really.
The Panthers made news recently by opting not to extend Fox's current contract, which expires after the 2010 season. He also has the option to return for the last year of that deal, which he says will be the case.
Who is to say he wouldn't peace-out-girl-scout if the Browns presented him with a multi-year offer?
Should Holmgren show Mangini the door and bring in a guy like Fox, who preaches defense and nothing but running the football, the Browns could be in business. Jerome Harrison obviously needs more carries, and Fox will find them.
The only holdover from Mangini's tenure should be defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
But this ridiculous carousel of management in Cleveland has to come to an abrupt halt, or the Browns could suffer another major hit in the free-agent recruiting department, among other things.
Carmen Policy, Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, Terry Robiskie, Romeo Crennel, Phil Savage, George Kokinis, Eric Mangini ... I'm not even sure if that completes the list.
But those are the men who have had some degree of control over the Browns' football operations since their rebirth. In short, it's embarrassing.
Continuity might not be the flavor of the week in professional sports, but I'll be damned if someone tells me that winning organizations don't covet it.
Look no further than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been under the direction of two head coaches in the last 17 years. That, friends, is continuity.
John Fox is not the most attractive option to replace Mangini, but he is not a complete departure from the personality that currently occupies the coach's chair. A guy who shows confidence and faith in his players through multiple avenues (like Fox) would be a fine addition to Holmgren's growing garden.
Sure, the players played hard at the end of the season, but most are able to find motivation when you've got one shining victory through 12 games.
2 Sports
Rob Mixer
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