Browns coach Eric Mangini didn't try to sugarcoat Eric Wright's bad game in Baltimore, but expressed confidence in him and won't yank him from the starting lineup.
UPDATED: 8:20 p.m.
Browns cornerback Eric Wright is trailing badly as the Ravens' Anquan Boldin grabs his third touchdown pass of Sunday's game against the Browns in Baltimore.BEREA, Ohio -- Eric Mangini acknowledged Eric Wright's bad game in Baltimore, but expressed confidence in him and said Wright won't be yanked from the lineup Sunday against the Bengals.
"Eric didn't have a good day and when you don't have a good day against a really, really good player [Anquan Boldin], it ends up being a bad day," said Mangini. "I can tell you this, that Eric Wright has played a lot of good football for us all throughout last year, matching up the against the best receivers, doing an outstanding job. He was disappointed and my expectation is he'll play a lot better next week."
So he won't replace him in the lineup with rookie cornerback Joe Haden or Mike Adams?
"No, no," Mangini said.
But won't Cincinnati's Carson Palmer be licking his chops and six-time Pro Bowl receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco be ready to pounce?
"They're welcome to," said Mangini. "[Wright's] going to be out there. He's going to be playing."
Mangini said he wasn't aware of any outside distractions that may have caused Wright to play so poorly, giving up three touchdown passes to Boldin. A source said something was wrong with Wright physically or mentally, but specifics have not been revealed.
"[There's] nothing that he and I have talked about," said Mangini. "Sometimes you're off and that's what he said, that's how he felt. There's nothing to add to that."
Instead, Mangini gave credit to a three-time Pro Bowl receiver.
"You're playing against one of the best receivers in the NFL with an outstanding quarterback, so there's not a lot of wiggle room," said Mangini. "You make a mistake and it's going to get exploited."
Wright reiterated Monday that "I just wasn't playing like myself.
"It's easy to move forward, because it's not like I really even made it at all hard on him to do what he did. Moving forward, I feel confident and comfortable in getting the job done."
Wright avoided the question of an off-the-field issue.
"Um, you know, it's... what's most important is coming to work and doing your job and playing the game the way it's supposed to be played," he said. "Now that we've watched the film, everything's more positive and I'm looking forward to the opportunity."
Monday, Mangini didn't try to pin Wright's struggles on the lack of a pass rush or safety help. He said the Browns were a split-second away from getting to Joe Flacco on an all-out blitz on Boldin's third TD -- it was T.J. Ward who was coming clean -- if Wright could have covered a moment longer.
"It was there," said Mangini. "We just had to hold up for another half a beat. It was there and the technique wasn't where it should be. We didn't have the right depth. It doesn't take long to get there, but you've got to be able to hold up long enough to let it happen. Flacco threw off his back foot, laid it up and the guy ran under it."
After Boldin's second TD catch, a 12-yarder on the right side of the end zone between Wright and Ward, Wright gestured toward Ward as if to say he should've helped out in coverage.
"That was man-to-man and [Wright] could've gotten some help there," said Mangini. "But as the corner in that situation, you've got to play like you have no help."
Mangini, who spent five seasons in New England as a defensive backs coach, knows what Wright has to do.
"Cornerbacks have to have short memories," he said. "They're going to be tested again and you need a short memory and a high confidence level and you need to know that you're good.
"You can't play with any apprehension because you're alone often and when you make a mistake it goes for six. I have a lot of confidence in Eric. I've coached a lot of guys and I've seen a lot of different talent levels. He's a very talented player and he's made a lot of strides."
Wright acknowledged the key is to come back strong against the Bengals.
"The measure of a man and his character is how he responds to adversity and I'm looking forward to the opportunities," he said. "I just feel like we have a great shot at winning the game, so that's what's most important."
Mangini said Wright didn't apologize to him and didn't need to.
"I made mistakes in the game, coaches made mistakes in the game, and other players made mistakes in the game," he said. "It's not whether you say 'sorry,' it's whether you don't do it again."
Cornerback Sheldon Brown agreed no apology to the team was necessary.
"He works hard, he does all the little things, we know he's prepared," said Brown. "He's probably the only guy on the football team that downloads all the film and goes home and watches it. He's dedicated."
He also applauded Wright for facing the music after the game and again Monday.
"He's a true professional," said Brown. "A lot of guys would go and hide between the lockers and try to point fingers. It's a team sport. We could've won the game in many other ways. It's not his fault and never will be his fault."