by Pat McManamonFiled under: Browns, AFC North, NFL Coaching, NFL Analysis
CLEVELAND -- Mike Holmgren did not leave his booth at Cleveland Browns Stadium until coach Eric Mangini's press conference had concluded.Holmgren evidently watched to see his coach try to explain a humiliating season-ending loss to Pittsburgh, a 41-9 defeat that was not near that close. There wasn't much he could say, and Mangini knew it. He was a glum coach, one who showed the signs of a team that had just been embarrassed on its home field.
"When I look at what these guys have done throughout the course of the season, I'm proud of that and I'm proud of them," Mangini said. "I'm disappointed for them and for all of us and the fans that this is the way the season ended."
Mangini referred to the fact that the Browns played teams close this season and did not lose by large margins. It's a curious measurement, and probably only applies to cities and teams like Cleveland, where winning has been AWOL so long that playing close suddenly becomes a hook on which to hang a hat.
The bottom line for Mangini is that his team finished 5-11 two years in a row, and last season needed a four-game winning streak at the end of the year to get to five wins, with three of those games against teams with nothing to play for. This season, the Browns fell with a thud after exciting their fans with wins over New Orleans and New England, and ended the season with a four-game losing streak, two to playoff teams (Baltimore and Pittsburgh), two to NFL doormats (Buffalo and Cincinnati).
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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/01/02/eric-mangini-may-be-done-in-cleveland/
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