A Message To Eric Mangini: You Will Never Be On Bill Belichick’s Level

The Cleveland Browns have been a hot topic in the media this week, a sure shocker. First off, they fired their general manager, who was not even on a job for a full year. Just a few days after the firing, Browns owner Randy Lerner met with two of the fans that are left in Cleveland, and had about a three hour meeting with them.

What could they have possibly talked about over that period of time? I’m sure they wouldn’t simply discuss the obvious: a 1-7 team that does not have much talent left.

Yet, I’m sure Randy heard an earful on the hiring of head coach Eric Mangini. Come on man, you couldn’t have done better than that?

Since that day, the locker-room, the fans of Cleveland, are still scratching their heads.

After all, since Eric Mangini was on the Belicheck tree, he is the next great mind who will be a successful head coach, right?

Not sure if you have seen him on the field, and off it, but he is nowhere near what the ‘Hoodie is.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Bill Belichick lover myself. Yet, he does have a great mind as a head coach, and has made what used to be a lowly Patriots team into talking’s of a dynasty, which is what I respect.

The failure began at the draft, when the Browns traded the 5th pick to the New York Jets, who took quarterback Mark Sanchez. After continuing to trade nearly out of the first round, they selected center Alex Mack, who was projected as either a late 1st rounder or an early to mid-second rounder.

Belichick is known for being the draft guru, finding players in the later rounds ( Tom Brady), and making them into guys who fit well in the system.

Yet, Mangini’s motives in the draft were obviously questioned, and has not panned out to this point. What was the point of this trade? Sure, maybe you weren’t sold on one player at that high of a selection. But, there were some very impactful rookies on the table that the Browns decided to pass up (Harvin, Maclin, Oher).

Up to this point, draft one for Mangini has been a disaster.

You also can’t forget about the week before opening weekend in the NFL. In his years as head coach, Bill has been known for not giving out any info to the media, especially on his quarterback Tom Brady. Even though the schemes haven’t been successful every time, he has pulled a few tricks from his sleep, and has caught the opposition off guard.

Being the “Mangenious” that he is, Eric tried to pull the same scheme as well against the Minnesota Vikings: by simply keeping his starting quarterback as a secret.

With less than a week before NFL Sunday, Mangini finally decided to reveal that Brady Quinn would be the starter in week one. Surprise, Surprise? Most of the league was expecting to see Quinn as the starter. His plan was still questioned after the loss to Minnesota that Sunday.

First off, why did he take so long to tell the quarterbacks who was going to be the starter? And did he actually think the Vikings would be greatly affected as to which man was named the starter? I think you could have done better than that, Eric. You should have learned a thing or two from Bill as how to do it the right way.

The saga did not stop there. Just two weeks as the starter, Quinn was benched in the second half against the Ravens, and up to this point has not gotten another chance as starter.

Talking about developing your quarterback. With Josh McDaniel’s and Belichick on the same sideline as you while you were with the Patriots, class should have been in session with the years Eric were there.

Last month, however, was the turning point in Mangini’s campaign as head coach. Pushed by Eric himself, the Browns dealt receiver Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets for Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik, along with a third and fifth round draft choice.

When the trade went down in the early days of October, more eyebrows were raised with Cleveland. Why trade your best offensive target, for two bench players and two picks that could be potential disappointments?

Mangini tried to follow the New England theme of turning young, inexperienced players into solid role players who help make a championship happen. Sorry Eric, this trade is just another domino effect of your soon short tenure in Cleveland.

The locker-room in Cleveland is dysfunctional right now, with many players filing grievance charges against their head coach. When half of the team despises their boss, failure is bound to happen, and change will be made quickly. Unlike Bill, Mangini couldn’t become the disciplinarian that can be the players together.

I have to give Mangini’s credit where it’s due, however. After all, he must have used the ‘Hoodie” magic to convince Randy Lerner how much of a better candidate then all of the available coaches.

His plan to become Belichick’s golden boy has not turned out as planned, and nobody should feel sorry for him. He tried to be somebody he is not, and as a result, will be out of a job at the end of the season.

 

Matt Miselis is an NFL writer for BleacherReport and FanHuddle.com. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/MattMiselis .

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Do Or Die For The Ravens? A Win That Can Make Or Break The 2009 Season

The Baltimore Ravens, currently with a record of 3-3 and 3rd in the AFC North, come off their bye week with a home showdown against the undefeated Denver Broncos. After starting off to a hot 3-0 start, which included numbers of a top five offense, the purple and black have fallen the last three weeks within the final seconds.

 

With seeing victories by the Steelers, Bengals, Texans, Jets, and Chargers, this weeks match up could be labeled as a must win in order to stay within the AFC playoff hunt. With a record of 2-1 at home, the stats have shown that the Ravens has been more successful on the offensive side of the ball, along with some magic on the defensive side as well.

 

To read the rest of this story, read here: http://fanhuddle.com/baltimoreravens/2009/10/27/do-or-die-for-the-ravens-a-win-that-can-make-or-break-the-2009-season/

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Do Or Die For The Ravens? A Win That Can Make Or Break The 2009 Season

The Baltimore Ravens, currently with a record of 3-3 and 3rd in the AFC North, come off their bye week with a home showdown against the undefeated Denver Broncos. After starting off to a hot 3-0 start, which included numbers of a top five offense, the purple and black have fallen the last three weeks within the final seconds.

 

With seeing victories by the Steelers, Bengals, Texans, Jets, and Chargers, this weeks match up could be labeled as a must win in order to stay within the AFC playoff hunt. With a record of 2-1 at home, the stats have shown that the Ravens has been more successful on the offensive side of the ball, along with some magic on the defensive side as well.

 

To read the rest of this story, read here: http://fanhuddle.com/baltimoreravens/2009/10/27/do-or-die-for-the-ravens-a-win-that-can-make-or-break-the-2009-season/

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Do Or Die For The Ravens? A Win That Can Make Or Break The 2009 Season

The Baltimore Ravens, currently with a record of 3-3 and 3rd in the AFC North, come off their bye week with a home showdown against the undefeated Denver Broncos. After starting off to a hot 3-0 start, which included numbers of a top five offense, the purple and black have fallen the last three weeks within the final seconds.

 

With seeing victories by the Steelers, Bengals, Texans, Jets, and Chargers, this weeks match up could be labeled as a must win in order to stay within the AFC playoff hunt. With a record of 2-1 at home, the stats have shown that the Ravens has been more successful on the offensive side of the ball, along with some magic on the defensive side as well.

 

To read the rest of this story, read here: http://fanhuddle.com/baltimoreravens/2009/10/27/do-or-die-for-the-ravens-a-win-that-can-make-or-break-the-2009-season/

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Fining Ray Lewis: Blowing The Whistle On A Bad Call By The NFL

The Baltimore Ravens linebacker, Ray Lewis, is one of the greatest to ever play the game at his position.

At the age of 34, Lewis still ranks among the best linebackers in the game. Just this season he has three double-digit tackling performances, and is ranked eighth in the league with 45 total tackles.

There have been so many memorable performances by No. 52 throughout his career it’s hard for his fans to single out just one. Will “Ray Ray” as he’s known to the Baltimore faithful be remembered for his many Pro-Bowl appearances? His Super Bowl Ring? Perhaps his leadership on one of the greatest defensive teams (2000) in NFL history?

What aspect of his career will those in attendance most remember him for when he inevitably someday takes the podium to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame?

For me, it will be his game-changing big hits.

Ray has continually given those big hits to the NFL Nation, every Sunday for 14 seasons. Even at his age, Lewis is still lighting it up on the field. You might remember the hit he made on Darren Sproles that saved a victory for the Ravens.

An equally big hit he made on an opponent is the hit this past weekend he put on Chad Ochocinco in the 17-10 loss to the Bengals.

Being present at the game on Sunday, I can say without a doubt that the 71,161 fans at the game loved the hit. Even though it did elicit a penalty for an unfortunate, but obvious late-hit, the intensity rose in the final seconds of the AFC North battle.

Five days have passed since that defeat to Cincinnati, and over that five days the NFL decided to fine Ray Lewis $25,000 for the “helmet-to-helmet” hit on Ochocinco. This decision has drawn mixed reactions from fans all around the nation.

Even Chad Ochocinco himself, who is respected by his peers around the league, has come out and said that Lewis doesn’t deserve a monetary fine for the hit.

While he’s drawn criticism at times, there’s one thing I can say about Ochocinco, he not only respects Ray Lewis, he respects the game of football in general. He understands that in the game of football you should expect hard hits from the defense. That’s the nature of football.

Nothing against those running the NFL, but what happened to the game they remember from the 50’s and 60’s? While the sport has changed over the years, there’s no reason to fully do away with the idea that planting big hits on opponents and having violent collisions with opponents is just part of the game.

I can understand calling the penalty on Lewis during the game. It was a call the refs had to make, even if that meant the Ravens losing the game (that’s another story). What I can’t understand is penalizing him further. Lewis, and the Ravens, paid the price of the late hit on the field, and that should have been the end of it.

I’ve stayed rather neutral in the debate surrounding the controversy of whether quarterbacks are too protected even though I have some issues with it. Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press wrote a fine piece about it you can read here. However, that’s quarterbacks. They’re the ones who need to be protected the most, and if you have to make rules to keep them protected, so be it.

Changing the game in such a fundamental way by handing out huge fines for basic hits on other players is another matter altogether.

The fine on Lewis, and others like it, will end up changing the game in a very negative way. It will force those playing to re-evaluate the way they play. Less big hits will occur, taking away the excitement of the action, lessening the thrill of the game rather than improving it.

The fines the NFL gives out make a difference, and are necessary for certain actions by players and coaches. However, in this case I believe it was completely unnecessary. I’m betting Lewis didn’t intend to injure Chad, and Ochocinco bounded to his feet uninjured five seconds after the hit.

All the fine does is give pause to other players and inhibit their play on the field, and to me that’s not a good thing.

Some in the media, and even some fans, say the fine is deserved because of Lewis’ history. They make the claim that the fine is justified because they believe he got away with murder nearly a decade ago.

Simply put, this is ridiculous. Lewis made a mistake in the past and can’t rectify more than he has. All he can do is stay out of trouble with the law going forward, and he’s done just that.

There’s not a single person who can say they’ve heard his name mentioned in any police reports. There’s not a single person who can claim they’ve heard his name mentioned in the news in a negative way regarding the law whatsoever.

So, to me, that line of thinking isn’t justified. It’s an argument that should be dismissed out of hand by any who hear it.

Lewis has appealed the fine, and even if they rule against him and make him pay it, there’s no doubt he can pay it with ease. Yet, he must wonder, along with many others, why he was fined in the first place.

Also, and almost certainly most importantly, this fine will not change the way “Ray Ray” plays the game. Whenever he finishes his illustrious career, you can be assured that till that last day he’ll be playing the game the way he’s always played it, hitting his opponents as hard as he can.

If someone tries to tell me he’ll change the way he plays because of this fine, I’d say they were crazy, and that I’d have to see it to believe it.

I say the NFL made a bad call here, but that’s me.

So, I ask all fans of the NFL this question. Did the fine fit the crime, or was the NFL too overprotective once again?

 

This is the only exception you will see of a Baltimore Ravens article on BR. I now write a weekly column on the Baltimore Ravens @ fanhuddle.com . If you have a twitter account, be sure to follow me: www.twitter.com/MattMiselis . Finally, you have any questions/comments, drop me a line to my email: miselism29@hotmail.com

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Report: Indianapolis Colts to Sign Kicker Matt Stover

For years, Matt Stover was a kicker for the Cleveland Browns, then moved on to join the Ravens after the move to Baltimore.

However, in the month of October, in the year 2009, will we see Matt Stover on the field, this time in a Colts uniform?

According to a recent report, the Indianapolis Colts are expected to sign Stover to a contract this week.

The signing of Matt Stover would be due to the injury of Adam Vinatieri, who could be out for possibly two months.

Stover, a Raven great, was not re-signed by the Baltimore Ravens this off-season.

If signed, Stover would return to his old stadium in Baltimore to face the purple and black, this time as a Colt.

Matt Miselis is a writer for BleacherReport.com

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Breaking News: Eagles Release QB Jeff Garcia

Two weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles lost quarterback Donovan McNabb to a rib injury, one that left a timetable on a return.

The following day the Eagles signed quarterback Jeff Garcia, who was released by the Oakland Raiders a few weeks back. All the Eagles fans remember Garcia, who led them to the playoffs just a few years ago.

However, assuring Garcia that his 2nd tenure with the team may not last long, Garcia wasn’t expecting much time with the team this season.

Yet, many were shocked about Garcia’s departure today.

According to reports, the Eagles have released the veteran quarterback and have brought back linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, who has had multiple stints with the team.

The team must have been impressed with Kevin Kolb’s performance in the win over the Chiefs, and with Mike Vick eligible to play, they feel that Garcia is no longer needed.

 

Matt Miselis is an NFL writer for BleacherReport.com

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Report: Frank Gore With High Ankle Sprain, To Miss Three Weeks

The San Francisco 49ers, with a record of 2-1, looked to be the team to beat in the NFC West after the first three weeks of the season.

Those two wins were thanks in large part to big games by the 49ers’ former All-Pro running back, Frank Gore. After his first carry of Week Three, Gore was injured and San Francisco went on to lose its first game of the season. The Niners may have to get used to his absence for a little while longer.

According to reports, Gore will miss up to three weeks with a right angle sprain.

After the final-second loss to Brett Favre and the Vikings, the team is going to adjust the offensive play calling for the next few weeks with their star running back out.

San Francisco could hold their division lead in Gore’s absence, as the next three games will not be played against any of the top-tier defenses in the league.

The 49ers face a division foe in the St. Louis Rams, followed by the Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Texans.

 

Matt Miselis is a writer for BleacherReport.com

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Breaking News: Chad Pennington Out For Season With Yet Another Injury

 The Miami Dolphins shocked the NFL world last season when they went from last to first, 1-15 to a division crown in one season.

A key contributor to the teams success was Chad Pennington, who last year won Comeback Player Of The Year.

The squad has not found the same luck in 2009, starting off the season at 0-3. However, today became the worst day of the season for the Dolphins, as their quarterback is on the shelf once again.

According to reports, Pennington has been diagnosed with a torn shoulder, and is reportedly out for the remainder of the season.

Pennington is familiar with this type of injury before, having multiple procedures done on the shoulder.

Chad Henne, a second year quarterback out of the University of Michigan, is expected to make his first career start.

Matt Miselis is an NFL writer for BleacherReport.com

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Philadephia Eagles Sign Jeff Garcia; Kevin Kolb Likely to Start?

The past 24 hours have been a long day for the Philadelphia Eagles, losing starting quarterback Donovan McNabb to an injury.

The front office did not waste any time on the situation as the team prepares for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

Just some time ago, the Eagles brought back Jeff Garcia, who was released by the Oakland Raiders a few weeks ago.

If you remember, Garcia did lead the Eagles into the playoffs after McNabb went down with a season ending injury.

Though McNabb’s absence is unknown, Philadelphia wants to play it safe this week and give Donovan the rest.

The signing of Garcia does make some sense, as he should be familiar with the offense from a few seasons ago.

Yet, from what we have seen from Andy Reid, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he gave Kevin Kolb the nod to start Sunday.

Surely after Kolb’s performance it did raise some eyebrows in management to sign Garcia, but with the hopes of confidence Reid has in this young quarterback from the University Of Houston, most likely he will get the start while Garcia gets more familiarity with the offense.

This is Kolb’s chance to succeed as an Eagle, taking on a Saints defense that he, along with the rest of the offense could handle.

However, if he plays poorly against the Saints, questions are going to rise in Philly about a potential release of him.

After all, with McNabb returning in two weeks, it’s going to be a tough decision to make as to whether to hold onto four quarterbacks on the depth chart.

This could be the make or break start for Kolb as an Eagle for that matter.

 

Matt Miselis is an NFL writer for BleacherReport.com

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