Cleveland Browns next coach? The envelope, please! Poll

Who is the most likely successor should Browns President Mike Holmgren decide that Eric Mangini isn't the coach he wants?

View full sizeAP FileIs this the happy face of the next Browns coach? Sandusky native Jon Gruden is one of the names being bandied about by rumormongers.

Cleveland, Ohio -- The speculation -- and that's all it is right now -- is that the losses to two-win teams (at the time) Buffalo and Cincinnati sealed Browns coach Eric Mangini's fate, that nothing at this juncture will save his job. Not a win over Baltimore on Sunday. Not a win over Pittsburgh to close out the season next Sunday.

Starting Blocks isn't willing to debate the wisdom of ousting Mangini. Mainly because at least this particular Starting Blocks writer thinks it would be a bad idea; better the devil you know, etc. Now if we want to talk coordinator positions ...

But we digress. The fact is that the rumors are out there that Mangini is done. Out with the old, in with the new! Ah, but therein lies the rub. Who is the new coach?

Is it Sandusky native Jon "Chucky" Gruden (and we have an affinity for him, for obvious reasons, if indeed Browns President Mike Holmgren makes that move)? Ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher? What about another Holmgren disciple, Steve Mariucci, who once shared an office in Green Bay with Andy Reid? Carolina's John Fox is gonna be looking for work come Jan. 3. Tennessee's Jeff Fisher, despite his long tenure with the Titans, which dates back to when they were the Oilers, could come to a close over the rift between the coach and owner Bud Adams. Denver's Josh McDaniels is also on the list of unemployed. Or maybe even a college coach? How about Jim Harbaugh from Stanford, who just might be tempted to bring his quarterback, Andrew Luck, to town?

Of course, there's always the most likely scenario: Holmgren, who has expressed an interest in coaching again, returning to the sidelines, there to mentor Colt McCoy and install the West Coast offense he so dearly loves (and so brilliantly executes).

So, let the games begin! But remember, at this stage, it IS just a game.