"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana.
Now I don't know or particularly care who George Santayana is, but I would be willing to bet if he were alive today (I'm assuming he's dead) and was either a) from Cleveland and/or b) a really amazing person, he'd be a Browns fan.
Albert Einstein defines insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Al, like George would likely be a Browns fan because that's what you do when you're the best in the world. You may be thinking, what do these Browns fans have to teach us about the 2010 season. I'm glad you asked. The simple answer is in 2010, the Browns failed to win 8 games or more for the 10th time since the return in 1999. Too much of the same old shit and too much of it is making me insane.
Now to take a ganders at the season for ourselves, now that we're down that way. I'm not going to break down game by game, but rather look at each aspect of the football team. Today's topic is the Coaching Staff.
Now I don't know or particularly care who George Santayana is, but I would be willing to bet if he were alive today (I'm assuming he's dead) and was either a) from Cleveland and/or b) a really amazing person, he'd be a Browns fan.
Albert Einstein defines insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Al, like George would likely be a Browns fan because that's what you do when you're the best in the world. You may be thinking, what do these Browns fans have to teach us about the 2010 season. I'm glad you asked. The simple answer is in 2010, the Browns failed to win 8 games or more for the 10th time since the return in 1999. Too much of the same old shit and too much of it is making me insane.
Now to take a ganders at the season for ourselves, now that we're down that way. I'm not going to break down game by game, but rather look at each aspect of the football team. Today's topic is the Coaching Staff.
The 2010 Browns coaching staff led by Eric Mangini entered the season in a bit of a predicament. Mangini was clearly not Holmgren's guy, but was retained for the year based on his impressive end to 2009, his players never quiting and his ability to instill discipline and accountability, if not talent into this team.
Eric Mangini
As most of you know, I am a huge Mangini advocate. I think it was a mistake to fire him this year, but I can certainly understand Holmgren's position and desire to bring in his guys. Most importantly, Mangini did not win enough games that we could have and should have won.
My biggest problem with Mangini is that he tends to rely on veteran players who are more mentally prepared than younger players, although they are physically over the hill. Keeping Eric Barton on the team is a prime example. He was simply too slow and ineffective while on the field. Of course, had D'Qwell Jackson been healthy, there is no way Barton makes the squad.
Mangini also had issues with clock management and in game adjustments. As the games wore on, our offense became predicable and weak, while our defense faded, particularly in the last quarter of the season as they were forced to keep us in ballgames while we punted and played for field position.
Mangini made plenty of mistakes, but ultimately his time here was finished because he wasn't the right fit. I think he was the best choice for Lerner to make at the time he was hired and I'll miss his demeanor and his better than advertised press conferences.
Brian Daboll - OC
Like the rest of the Browns fans, Mangini was probably more loyal than was was warranted. Brian Daboll needed to go last year, but Mangini was going to stick with his guy, despite knowing that Holmgren was less than enthused about the 2009 passing attack and overall offensive scheme. I believe that if Mangini had fired Daboll and brought on an offensive guy versed in the West Coast Offense we would have seen Mangini retained this year.
Daboll had his moments, don't get me wrong. He put together outstanding game plans for our games against New Orleans, New England, and New York. However, we were not forced to make adjustments in those games. When the ball rolled the other way, we were not able to make necessary changes to win the games. (off the top of my head, Tampa, Kansas City, Atlanta, Baltimore away, Buffalo, Cincy.)
I am shocked that Daboll was hired as OC in Miami, especially in light of the fact that Sporano was almost fired there for his conservative offense. All in all, I am happy to see Daboll go, as his end in Cleveland could not have come quick enough.
Rob Ryan - DC
I thought Rob Ryan had some fantastic moments this year. He also had some bad ones. I think he is an above average defensive coordinator and could do wonders with a talented squad. He was hampered by the age of the defense and the injuries to Jackson and Fujita. What I liked the most about Ryan was his swagger and his, "even if I can't prove it, I'll tell you I'm better than you" confidence. It rubbed off on his players, who loved playing for him. You can see the same type of coach in the his brother Rex.
All in all, I liked Rob and would have been glad to keep him, but I won't mourn this loss for long. We simply did not play well enough on defense for alot of the season. I thought with some more talent, our D was starting to build something. I am nervous about a switch to the 4-3, but if anytime is the time to do it, it is now due to our age at DL and the fact that we have some very good DTs in place.
Brad Seely - ST
Year in and year out, Seely has been an outstanding special teams coach. We all know the value of special teams, especially for a team lacking offensive and defensive fire power. It is unfortunate that he could not be retained for the new staff. While the return units struggled this year with Cribb's limited ability to make plays, Seely's work with Hodges, our coverage units and Phil Dawson was incredible, again.
NEXT UP, OFFENSE!
Eric Mangini
As most of you know, I am a huge Mangini advocate. I think it was a mistake to fire him this year, but I can certainly understand Holmgren's position and desire to bring in his guys. Most importantly, Mangini did not win enough games that we could have and should have won.
My biggest problem with Mangini is that he tends to rely on veteran players who are more mentally prepared than younger players, although they are physically over the hill. Keeping Eric Barton on the team is a prime example. He was simply too slow and ineffective while on the field. Of course, had D'Qwell Jackson been healthy, there is no way Barton makes the squad.Mangini also had issues with clock management and in game adjustments. As the games wore on, our offense became predicable and weak, while our defense faded, particularly in the last quarter of the season as they were forced to keep us in ballgames while we punted and played for field position.
Mangini made plenty of mistakes, but ultimately his time here was finished because he wasn't the right fit. I think he was the best choice for Lerner to make at the time he was hired and I'll miss his demeanor and his better than advertised press conferences.
Brian Daboll - OC
Like the rest of the Browns fans, Mangini was probably more loyal than was was warranted. Brian Daboll needed to go last year, but Mangini was going to stick with his guy, despite knowing that Holmgren was less than enthused about the 2009 passing attack and overall offensive scheme. I believe that if Mangini had fired Daboll and brought on an offensive guy versed in the West Coast Offense we would have seen Mangini retained this year.
Daboll had his moments, don't get me wrong. He put together outstanding game plans for our games against New Orleans, New England, and New York. However, we were not forced to make adjustments in those games. When the ball rolled the other way, we were not able to make necessary changes to win the games. (off the top of my head, Tampa, Kansas City, Atlanta, Baltimore away, Buffalo, Cincy.)
I am shocked that Daboll was hired as OC in Miami, especially in light of the fact that Sporano was almost fired there for his conservative offense. All in all, I am happy to see Daboll go, as his end in Cleveland could not have come quick enough.
Rob Ryan - DC
I thought Rob Ryan had some fantastic moments this year. He also had some bad ones. I think he is an above average defensive coordinator and could do wonders with a talented squad. He was hampered by the age of the defense and the injuries to Jackson and Fujita. What I liked the most about Ryan was his swagger and his, "even if I can't prove it, I'll tell you I'm better than you" confidence. It rubbed off on his players, who loved playing for him. You can see the same type of coach in the his brother Rex.
All in all, I liked Rob and would have been glad to keep him, but I won't mourn this loss for long. We simply did not play well enough on defense for alot of the season. I thought with some more talent, our D was starting to build something. I am nervous about a switch to the 4-3, but if anytime is the time to do it, it is now due to our age at DL and the fact that we have some very good DTs in place.
Brad Seely - ST
Year in and year out, Seely has been an outstanding special teams coach. We all know the value of special teams, especially for a team lacking offensive and defensive fire power. It is unfortunate that he could not be retained for the new staff. While the return units struggled this year with Cribb's limited ability to make plays, Seely's work with Hodges, our coverage units and Phil Dawson was incredible, again.
NEXT UP, OFFENSE!
(not this time) SUPERBOWL!!!!
