Read the debate intro, Sports Geek’s argument, and Loyal Homer’s argument regarding whether or not Eric Mangini made the correct decision in keeping his starting quarterback a secret.
I have some advice for Eric Mangini: When you make a decision that almost NOBODY agrees with, it is probably safe to assume that they (not you) are correct.
The victory for this debate goes to Sports Geek.
Sports Geek hits the nail right on the head. Mangini over-thought the situation, and ended up hindering his own team rather than the opposition. When looking at the mistakes that caused the most problems for the Cleveland Browns on offense, every one of them could at least partly be attributed to a lack of comfort or familiarity between quarterback Brady Quinn and his teammates.
When Quinn threw his only interception of the game, it was clearly the result of miscommunication between him and wide receiver Braylon Edwards. Quinn threw the ball believing Edwards would cut left, but Edwards instead cut right believing that Quinn was throwing elsewhere. The result was a ball thrown to a place where no receiver could catch it, and it was easily intercepted by the Vikings. The Browns were also called for four false-start penalties, several of which came at very costly times. Perhaps if the offense had more time to familiarize themselves with Quinn’s cadence, they would have been more prepared during a game situation, and would have jumped less in those critical moments.
Do not get me wrong, Mangini’s decision to keep his starter a secret is not the sole reason why the Browns lost on Sunday, but he did not do the team any favors. His decision to keep his choice a secret actually backfired, because it created AT LEAST as much confusion for his own team than it did the Minnesota Vikings.
Loyal Homer’s argument, in theory, is absolutely correct. Mangini as head coach of a professional football team should be doing everything in his power to give his team every possible advantage that he can gain for them (especially with the 2009 Browns, who will likely need all the help they can get). The problem that I have with Mangini’s decision in this case is that his choice negatively impacted his own team just as much as it did the Vikings. Eric Mangini, in addition to his responsibility of trying to gain every tactical advantage that he can, also has a responsibility to protect the weaknesses of his own organization. The latter was sacrificed last Sunday, and the Browns paid the price.
I have no problems with a coach trying new, innovative, or even unorthodox tactics to gain an edge. But, it is irresponsible to take those measures when it impedes your own team’s ability to develop. Mangini’s FIRST responsibility is to create a cohesive and productive unit that will successfully compete on Sunday afternoons. This was simply a matter of putting the horse before the cart.
Those tactics of gamesmanship and subversive communication are rarely successful when used to mask a team’s deficiencies. Secrecy works for Bill Belichek and the New England Patriots because they function successfully as a team. Fundamentally they are a sound organization, and have consistently proven that they can succeed in almost any situation. For a team like that, the strategies of misinformation and misdirection are successful because they are being used to support strong performances, rather than mask poor ones. Eric Mangini should first focus on developing a fundamentally sound team. Until then, he should forget about the mind-games.
