Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini elaborated some more Monday on the thought of backup quarterback Seneca Wallace seeing some special packages this year. I love Mangini's direct answer here, which might stem from Mike Holmgren rubbing off on him a little bit:
"Seneca’s going to have plays in there where he’ll be involved, and maybe he’ll be involved with Josh (Cribbs), and we can have some fun with that."
Questions were also posed to Mangini as to whether or not Wallace would have a legitimate shot at becoming the starting quarterback if Jake Delhomme struggles in the preseason. Mangini didn't directly answer that question, but overall it still seems like it will be Delhomme's ship to captain to start the season:
"They’re different types of quarterbacks," Mangini said. "Jake definitely has a larger body of work, although I’ve played against Seneca, and he was tough."
If Romeo Crennel had stated that Wallace would have some plays for him, then I probably would have discounted it immediately as a nonsensical smokescreen. Although Mangini was not perfect in utilizing players last season, he along with Brian Daboll started getting things right by the end of the season by utilizing the best assets on offense as much as possible.
Wallace probably shouldn't have too many reps -- after all, if he enters a game, we want to catch the defense by surprise. We also want to establish continuity in the running game, some level of stability with Delhomme, and a way to keep getting Cribbs into the game. That limits Wallace's chances, but even if it is one play every two to three games, it could be that play that contributes to the Browns winning another ballgame.
Mangini is also getting better when it comes to being short and sweet. On Monday, he listed the core characteristics of players who play for the Cleveland Browns:
"Smart guys, tough guys, hard workers, fiercely competitive, selfless. Football is truly important to them. They’d play if they weren’t getting a bunch of money. They live football."
That's better than the time last season where he rattled about 50 more traits.