There are a lot of new rumors about the Cleveland Browns right now.  I don’t know of any other team that had so much action during their bye week this season.  The GM was fired and there is another starting QB secret.  Now, throw in Mike Holmgren as a possible Vice-President of Football Operations and there is plenty of spin out there.  As it stands right now, Randy Lerner, publically, will not ax his head coach, Eric Mangini.  I agree with not mentioning his plan for Mangini now, it would just undermine Coach’s decisions from here on out.  Also I think Mangini may need one more year to figure this team out.  A lot of people on this site are posting that Brady Quinn was not given enough time to show what he can do before being benched.  Isn’t this the same situation with the coach?  It is hard to judge someone by their first year coaching.  So before calling for his head, let’s give him a chance, unlike how he gave Quinn a chance.  That being said, this is a hypothetical post about Mangini returning next season.

Again Hypothetically, Mangini has pulled out 5 wins in the last 8 games.  These wins would be against the Lions, Chiefs, and Raiders.  I will give the team one more win due to the fact that I believe, to save his job; he needs to win more games than Romeo Crennel did last year.  For that reason I have chosen the Bengals, because the Browns played them close in Oct.  Now during the off season there will be moves done.  First thing is the QB situation.  Both Quinn and Derek Anderson will be gone trades and draft picks.  I will not get into whom, what, and where but they will be gone.  Kellen Clemens will be a free agent (FA) in the offseason and Mangini will pick him and he will be the starter.  Clemens is a 2nd round pick out of Oregon and he was Mangini’s 3rd ever draft pick as a head coach.  This is his guy that he was going to groom to be his starter.  With Clemens starting that would put Bret Ratliff as back up, and then I believe there will be a QB drafted in later rounds.  Now that puts to rest the QB controversy, let’s move on to Joshua Cribbs.

I believe that, remember this is Mangini being the head coach next year; Cribbs will be gone next year.  And I have justification for that.  Based on the situation of contract disputes with Cribbs and the organization and FA, Mangini will get another former Jet and draft pick.  He will pick up Leon Washington, who was drafted round 4 in the same year as Clemens.  The justification for this move will be, besides he is a former Jet, Washington is a dynamic kick returner and will fill that slot for Cribbs, but also the Browns will be needing a RB due to Jerome Harrison being a free agent in 2010 and Jamal Lewis retiring.  This will put the depth chart at James Davis as #1 back and Washington at #2.

I feel with the history of how Mangini has run this Browns team, he will get more New York Jets to move to Cleveland.  I wonder what will happen in the Draft but really don’t want to speculate since that has been done way too much.  Also it will be over posted come week 17.  I honestly think it would be unfair to Mangini not to give him a fair shake at Head Coach because he took over a bad team.  We may need to give him time to put his plan into action.  And this may, or may not, be that plan.