Cribbs goes to bat for Mangini

Posted by Mike Florio on January 5, 2010 8:43 AM ET

With Browns coach Eric Mangini due to meet Tuesday with new team president Mike Holmgren, and with plenty of folks thinking that it'll be an uphill climb for Mangini to persuade the Big Show to order up a second act, the best player on the team has made his preference known.

"I believe coach Mangini should be our coach again," receiver Josh Cribbs posted on his Twitter page.

The endorsement came in a tweet that also asked Cribbs' 8,050-and-counting followers to choose between Underworld and Twilight.

Though that might cause some to think that maybe "JoshCribbs16" isn't the Josh Cribbs who wears No. 16 for the Browns, the folks at Sportsin140.com say that it's Cribbs.

Cribbs' stance is curious, given that Mangini has consistently refused to give Cribbs a new contract, despite Cribbs' belief that the prior regime and owner Randy Lerner promised to "pay the man." Then again, there's always a chance that Mangini has told Cribbs that if he goes to bat for the coach and the coach stays, Mangini will do everything he can in order to get Josh a new deal.

curious, as in "i just played my ass off for nothing if dude gets fired". ?!? DUH!

considering what Cribbs dedicated his season to--showing Eric what he's capable of on the field--i think it's rather OBVIOUS Mangini is his ally. Florio FAIL!

consistently refused? in his first year? when he basically said "i have bigger roles defined for you and need to see where to accurately slot you"? consistently refused? LOL

talking about a guy with 3 years left on his current contract as if they HAD to rework it for him--nice spin. Florio FAIL!

he doesn't need to tell him any of that, it all goes without saying! it's called integrity, something Mike Florio certainly knows nothing about. Florio FAIL again!

if we can get some "Florio FAIL" signs up in CLE for him to see i think he'll realize he's wasting his time with us and the reports will naturally die...unless he was actually never reporting with us in mind, but rather the national audience--that would make a lot of sense. they seemingly enjoy a good story more than the truth anyway.

@nw-ohio-brownie said:

We'll all know shortly, but man, if the Show and EM can find a way to co-exist, I will be more excited than I have EVER been as a Browns fan.

@hoorta said:

hoorta,

This, by far, is my biggest fear. And I am sure my fears will be realized if the Big Show hands EM his pink slip. This guy, if given adequate time by an organization (4+ years), will entrench himself as one of the next great head coaches. He will coach again and coach well.

We'll all know shortly, but man, if the Show and EM can find a way to co-exist, I will be more excited than I have EVER been as a Browns fan.

@hoorta said:

These guys wouldn't know a good source if it bit them in the gluteus maximus.

@chip-banks said:

I've always felt that Bentley was injured before camp started.

@brownindian said:

I do not see Holmgren firing Mangini - cos if Mangini is fired and if Holmgren hires a new coach who cannot repeat a 5-11 performance. The media and fans will be on him like when the ousting of Bill Bellichek was repented. We did more with less talent and that has coaching written all over it.

Not only that- if Mangini is fired the Browns 4 game win streak at the end of the season, and low penalty total will probably give another NFL GM reason to consider EM for a new coaching gig in 2010. And should Mangini turn into another Bill Belichek II (he seems to learn from his mistakes way faster than BB), Holmgren's going to be wearing serious egg on his face.

And there's the stability factor. It would be nice to have the same coaching staff in place for more than one year.

PS How in the hell does Florio know Mangini bribed Cribbs to say nice things about him? Hidden Microphones? What a slimeball.

@brownindian said:

I do not see Holmgren firing Mangini - cos if Mangini is fired and if Holmgren hires a new coach who cannot repeat a 5-11 performance. The media and fans will be on him like when the ousting of Bill Bellichek was repented. We did more with less talent and that has coaching written all over it.

Too many. Periods my friend

I do not see Holmgren firing Mangini - cos if Mangini is fired and if Holmgren hires a new coach who cannot repeat a 5-11 performance. The media and fans will be on him like when the ousting of Bill Bellichek was repented. We did more with less talent and that has coaching written all over it.

He's been a shameless shill for agents Jonathan Feinsod and Neil Schwartz, who represented two of the three players mentioned above (Kendall and Baker). It was actually Tannenbaum who was said to have promised Baker a new deal . . . but Baker's original agent to whom the promise was supposedly made had nothing to do with the Feinsod/Schwartz renegotiation tactics, which included having Baker sit out because he "tweaked" his back.

Florio was also used as the Feinsod/Schwartz public mouthpiece all during the contentious Reevis negotiations.

These are the same guys, BTW that represented LeCharles Bentley, who had that mysterious first play of training camp non-contact injury. The stories that Bentley actually hurt his knee playing basketball and then somehow made it to the line of scrimmage and flopped seem kinda out there. But the point is that Bentley, with his obvious connections to these same agents, is on local radio hammering Mangini constantly.

Douche bag . . . Florio, that is.

"Mangin has bribed Cribbs with the promise that he will try and give him a new contract if he says good things about him."

WTF? is wrong with the media? They say nothing about the Gatorade bath from players who "hate Mangini" they say nothing about the hug that Cribbs promptly and readily gave to Mangin as soon as the clock read 00:00. Its a joke.

@clevelandfanforlife said:

actions speak louder than words, broseph.