Boston media pokes fun at Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini.
Coach Eric Mangini Each week New England coach Bill Belichick searches for ways to motivate his team by playing up the opponent, That's easy when the opponent is the Baltimore Ravens or the New York Jets.
This week against the Browns, the subject is Cleveland’s stunning win over the Saints, writes Boston Herald reporter Ian R. Rapoport.
“They played like they normally do,” Belichick said. “A good, solid, tough football game. They had some big plays in the kicking game and that gave them some great field position which ended up in some bonus points that really tilted the game pretty heavily in their favor. They did a real good job on offense, defense (and) special teams.”
The Browns' offense has struggled all season. The team generated just 210 yards in the victory over the New Orleans Saints, but were still able to pullout a 30-17 victory, thanks to two interceptions for touchdowns and a 68-yard run on a fake punt.
“That really broke it open,” Belichick said.
By yesterday, players were well-versed in what the Browns can do - 2-5 record or not.
“They beat the defending Super Bowl champs this past year and that’s the New Orleans Saints,” tight end Alge Crumpler said. “They played well, they created turnovers, they scored and they won that game. Our focus is what we see on film, and these guys are a physical bunch, they score a lot of different ways, and it’s our job to stand up to the pressure and win the ballgame.”
Former Patriots assistant
Boston Herald reporter Jim Lazar takes a shot at Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini. He calls Mangini the former Patriots defensive coordinator, turned traitorous, hated and handshake-less New York Jets head coach and now obscure Browns boss.
Lazar writes that at least Mangini hasn’t brought up Camera-gate.
Perhaps Mangini paid attention last week when Vikings coach Brad Childress spoke of the Patriots stealing signals, or so he later mis-remembered.
And you saw what happened to Childress and the Vikings last Sunday, and we just don’t mean the 28-18 Pats victory.
Ah, Eric, seems so long ago you had a future, all so young and filled with Master Belichick’s prophetic teachings. Now, you’re sitting by Lake Erie trying to revive a Browns franchise that still hasn’t recovered from Art Modell moving the original model to Baltimore.
Tom Brady
Jim Ingraham of The News-Herald reminds us that quarterbacks Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger and Spergon Wynn were all drafted ahead of Tom Brady in the 2000 Draft.
Those gulps you hear are coming from the Jets (Pennington), 49ers (Carmazzi), Ravens (Redman), Steelers (Martin), Saints (Bulger) and your 2000 Cleveland Browns — all of whom, when they had a chance to select him, passed on Brady, who will take time out from his Hall of Fame career to quarterback the New England Patriots against the Browns on Sunday.
Granted, 2000 was not a quarterback-rich draft, writes Ingraham. Only three quarterbacks were selected in the first four rounds.
The Patriots took Brady 17 picks after the Browns took Spergon Wynn.
If you're looking for a single sentence that best sums up the Browns' fortunes since their return to the NFL, the previous sentence will do just fine.