Mangini’s fate with Browns still in doubt

BEREA

The countdown for the start of 2010 has ended, which might or might not mean the start of something good for Browns coach Eric Mangini.

Mangini knows for a fact that his power base will be drastically diminished now that Mike Holmgren has been named president. Mangini doesn't know whether or not he'll be asked back by Holmgren.

While Mangini says he has tunnel vision when preparing the team for a game, there must be times when he envisions how the meeting he'll have with Holmgren early next week will unfold.

"I know this may seem hard to believe, but I'm anxious for this week," Mangini said in reference to preparation for the season finale Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. "I'm anxious for the guys to have a good week of practice. I'm anxious for us to go win the game.

"These guys have worked hard and they've made a lot of progress. They've been great in terms of not focusing on external things and really focusing on what's important. It's not fair for me to be focused on something that's external. I need to focus on what's important, which is Jacksonville and making sure that I do the best job coaching these guys this week to get them ready to play."

When Mangini traveled to the Long Island, home of owner Randy Lerner, shortly after the end of last season to interview for the job, he was so sick that he had to excuse himself more than once to take care of matters. In that situation the interview didn't matter. It was apparent that Lerner was determined to hire Mangini from the moment he learned that Mangini had been fired by the New York Jets.

Mangini's meeting with Holmgren is completely different. While he was a wanted commodity by Lerner a year ago, Mangini might not be in such a favorable position when he sits down with Holmgren.

The best ammunition Mangini can bring to the table is what's happened in recent weeks. The three-game winning streak is evidence that the players haven't turned on him and, in Mangini's thinking, the process is paying dividends.

Holmgren was asked how much emphasis he'll place on recent games in his evaluation. Mangini probably didn't want to hear that Holmgren will look at the entire body of work.

The Browns appeared lost in the first half of the season. They scored just 78 combined points in the eight games and, for the most part, didn't resemble a pro football team.

It didn't improve with a 16-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens to begin the second half of the season, but things have since changed. The offense has discovered a running game and the defense has played better, which has led to consecutive wins over Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Oakland.

There's no doubt that many players that have been given a chance for playing time because of injuries to starters are playing for their futures. At the same time, the loss of some of the frontline players might have been a good thing.

It's now obvious that running back Jamal Lewis was a drag on the offense in more than one way. His speed is gone and his dislike of Mangini's style of coaching was a negative influence in the locker room. Enter Jerome Harrison, who's rushed for 478 yards in the four games since Lewis was placed on injured reserve.

Supposedly one of the biggest losses on the defensive side occurred when nose tackle Shaun Rogers went down with an ankle injury Nov. 28 against Cincinnati. While Rogers possesses an intriguing mix of size and quickness, he's never been known as a disciplined player.

Rogers' absence has allowed second-year nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin to get significant time on the field. Rubin doesn't have Rogers' power, but he plays well at the point of attack and has been partially responsible for improvement against the run.

Linebacker David Bowens, who's stepped up his play after moving from the outside to the inside because of injuries to D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton, speaks for many of the players that hope to have jobs next season.

"Guys are busting their tails and are here until 5 o'clock. That's how we support Eric," Bowens said. "Everyone loves Eric. I think we've gotten used to his method of coaching and have accepted it. The results are positive. We're down from a bunch of players that we had at the beginning of the year, but we've made well with what we have."

Bowens is different from many of the young players that have long-term futures in the NFL. He's 32 and is set to complete his 11th season. It's about personal pride for him.

"My career is to take care of the name on the back of my jersey," Bowens said. "That's to prepare well and perform well and let the decision-makers make their decision. I can control how I play. I can control getting everybody on the same page and bringing it hard.

"Decisions will be made, and maybe they've already been made and no one knows other than the person making them. For me to sit here and worry about whether I'm going to be here or not will take away from my preparation."

Mangini might want to write down those words when he meets with Holmgren. Then again, he's more concerned about finishing the season with four straight wins.

"I haven't really thought about the structure of the meeting or anything like that," he said. "It's just more of a conversation between two people. That's what I'm looking forward to. I talked to him the other day, and we'll sit down either Monday or Tuesday."

Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall at that meeting?

mmclain@tribtoday.com