When Eric Mangini traded Braylon Edwards, he told the Browns that they'd play football his way -- even if it meant losing some games in the short term.
View full sizeThe sight of Braylon Edwards returning to Cleveland in a green-and-white jersey on Sunday shouldn't prompt any regrets in Browns fans, writes Terry Pluto.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In pure football terms, it was not an equal trade.
Nonetheless, the Browns did the right thing when they shipped Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets for Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik, a third-round pick (Shawn Lauvao) and a fifth rounder (Larry Asante).
This story is not meant as a rehash of Edwards' Cleveland career. Browns fans know about his dramatic catches and his embarrassing pass drops. They know about his off-field problems, and his insistence that Cleveland fans would never like him because he played at Michigan -- that ignores the recent history of former Wolverines Leroy Hoard and Steve Everitt, who were accepted by Browns fans.
Here are some numbers.
Edwards has caught 25 of 50 passes thrown in his direction this season. That 50 percent mark is under the NFL average of 57 percent for receivers. But he has been credited with only two drops.
Stuckey has caught 23 of 34 passes (70 percent). Nineteen of Edwards' catches have been for first down, compared to 14 for Stuckey.
Edwards is a big-play guy, seven catches for at least 20 yards. Five for touchdowns.
Stuckey has one catch for more than 20 yards. His only touchdown was on a tricky running play last week against New England. He is a possession receiver (only one drop) who has been solid for the Browns.
Trusnik is a backup linebacker, playing only seven percent of the snaps. He is active on special teams. At the end of training camp, Lauvao was close to starting when he suffered a high-ankle sprain. He's now a backup right guard. Asante is on the practice squad.
You can argue that Browns coach Eric Mangini should have received more in the deal.
It came after Edwards was arrested following a fight outside a night club. It also came after he had been fined $1,700 for not paying for a bottle of water at a hotel -- but that was his 12th violation of team rules. It came after he was not buying into the discipline that Mangini correctly believed the team desperately needed.
More than a year later, the 3-5 Browns face Edwards and the Jets. Fans know the Browns are gaining respect following back-to-back victories over New England and New Orleans. Hard to imagine that after the 1-11 start in 2009.
"A lot of things happened the first half of last year," said Mangini. "[The players were] getting to know me and the system and what we're trying to achieve. ... There's a lot of stuff that goes into a new environment, and there's a lot of growing pains. It's not always fun."
Trading Edwards wasn't fun, because Mangini knew it would make the team worse in the short run.
Then Edwards and the Jets (Mangini's former team) went to the AFC title game. They had the same 9-7 record as Mangini in 2008. But Mangini missed the playoffs and was fired.
Edwards was just so-so in New York, 35 catches (4 TDs) in 12 games in 2009.
But Mangini knew Edwards wanted out of Cleveland. He knew the physically gifted receiver would probably continue to have discipline problems on and off the field. Edwards was arrested on a DWI charge on Sept. 21. He also has been flagged for five penalties, more than any Browns player this season.
The Jets are 6-2. They had close escapes against Detroit and Denver, two struggling teams. Nonetheless, they won those games.
The Browns may be the best 3-5 team in the NFL, but they are still 3-5.
But Mangini correctly sees the team moving in the right direction.
"[We want to make sure] that win or lose, whoever you're playing understands that they were in a fight," he said. "There are bruises on all sides that are the launching point for us. ... I want to see more of it. I want to see, every play, where you're imposing your will on your opponent."
There's more.
"It also goes into not being intimidated by anybody," he said. "You can't go out on Sunday and stick your toe in the water and see how it feels before you jump in. You have got to attack and attack early and often and consistently throughout the course of the game. We have got a lot of guys that aren't intimidated by the opponent. Sometimes you can lose a game before you even play it just based on not being certain whether or not you should be in that game."
A year ago, that was the case for the Browns. But not now. Part of the reason for that is trading players such as Edwards, who rebelled against the demands that Mangini and his coaches have brought.
"I feel the best for the guys collectively and the coaches collectively because they work hard," Mangini said. "It hurts when we lose. Playing in Cleveland means something. The city means something, being in front of our fans means something. ... You want to reward the fans for their loyalty. You want to be able to give those groups what they deserve. That's important."
To Edwards, playing in Cleveland never meant anything beyond the disappointment of not being drafted by Miami. Regardless of how well Edwards may play for the Jets, keep in mind that it was not going to happen for him here.