The Browns' coach talked Monday about complimentary football, when a variety of players make huge plays. The next four games will be a test of that theory.
View full sizeEric Mangini couldn't hide his pride and pleasure in his Browns after their first win of the season on Sunday. Terry Pluto says the next four opponents -- all clearly more talented than the Browns -- will be a test of Mangini's faith.BEREA, Ohio -- Scribbles from Eric Mangini's Monday press conference...
1. The Browns beat Cincinnati, 23-20, in the fashion that Eric Mangini and his coaches have been preaching. They overcame their lack of Pro Bowl talent with a gritty, powerful running attack led by Peyton Hillis -- cast off by the Denver Broncos. They did it with a big sack by Matt Roth, who was waived by Miami last season. Evan Moore -- cut by Green Bay -- caught a 24-yard touchdown pass. Senena Wallace -- a former Seattle backup -- was solid at starting quarterback.
2. The Browns also have to win with special teams. Phil Dawson kicked three field goals. The longest Cincinnati kickoff return was only 16 yards. Scott Fujita was a pricey free agent, but the linebacker blocked a field goal -- and helped set up one for the Browns -- late in the first half. As former Browns coach Sam Rutigliano told me, "That was six-point swing, maybe the play of the game."
3. Two of Mangini's imports from the Jets -- David Bowens and Kenyon Coleman -- combined for two fumble recovers, a sack and a deflected pass. A third, Chansi Stuckey, caught five passes. Rejected by San Francisco and labeled injury prone, Tony Pashos started at right tackle and delivered monster blocks. Reggie Hodges (cut by several teams) averaged 46.8 yards per punt.
4. Mangini praised his team for no "Woe is Me" attitude after the 0-3 start. He said they seemed determined not to let another fourth-quarter lead slip away. "They said, it's not happening again. ... No!"
"I like this group of guys a lot," he added, "they are much like I envision a team should be."
5. In the next four games, the Browns face four tremendous quarterbacks: Matt Ryan (Atlanta), Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh), Drew Brees (New Orleans) and Tom Brady (New England). Mangini mentioned all four by name, after being asked about allowing 346 passing yards to the Bengals' Carson Palmer. Those four teams are a combined 11-4. Then again, the Browns' first four games were against teams now a combined 10-4.
6. I asked Mangini how can the Browns beat these four opponents with a clear edge in talent? After insisting the Browns also have some talented players, he talked about his core beliefs: A team that "out-works" the opposition, a team that "plays smart and tough." He talked about complimentary football, what fans saw Sunday as a variety of players made huge plays. The next four games will be a test of that theory.
7. Some fans wonder if the Browns would be better off staying with Wallace at quarterback, even if Jake Delhomme's sprained ankle is finally healed. At least they have an intriguing choice. Most fans know Brady Quinn (part of the Hillis deal) is Denver's No. 3 quarterback. After winning the starting job in training camp, Derek Anderson was pulled during Arizona's 41-10 loss to San Diego -- and may not start next week. In four games, Anderson has thrown five interceptions compared to three TDs and a 59.5 passer rating. Wallace is at 82.2 this season.
8. When Mangini speaks with such affection about his players' attitude, one of the reasons was this very sincere comment from Hillis after his 102 yards against the Bengals: "I've never been happier and I've never had more fun playing football than we are right now. I can't even explain how much I love this city and I love this team. There are such hard-working people here. They love their football so much. You want to play as hard as you can for them."
9. While some fans want to blame Eric Wright for the big day enjoyed by Terrell Owens (10 catches, 222 yards), that's not fair. Yes, Wright was beat on a 27-yard catch by Owens. He also on the wrong end of a 42-yarder by Chad Ochocinco. So this is not to nominate Wright for Player of the Week. But The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff carefully went through the game video and discovered that Owens caught four passes against Sheldon Brown, including the 78-yarder for a TD when Brown fell down. He caught four more against rookie Joe Haden. There was one off Wright -- and on one play, everyone seemed to blitz and no one covered Owens.
10. The Browns ranked a solid 17th against the run, one of their highest rankings in years. They are 24th against the pass. Digging a little deeper, they have allowed seven TD passes, eighth highest in the league. The 13 passes of at least 20 yards they've given up is 10th highest. It's really in the last two weeks where they have been hurt the most by passing attacks -- and as Mangini said, it's not about to get any easier.