[LitlBuck]

Cleveland.com

NFL beat writers share "tales" of new Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini
by Tony Grossi, Plain Dealer Reporter
Thursday January 29, 2009, 10:29 AM

TAMPA -- To be a Browns beat writer at Super Bowl XLIII is to be the recipient of condolences from other scribes. Specifically from those that covered the New York Jets while Eric Mangini was coach.

"So he painted over a mural of Browns Hall of Famers?" said one. "In New York, he removed the Jets' one Super Bowl trophy displayed in the players locker room. He replaced it with a paper shredder so they could destroy their gameplans each week."

Tales of Mangini's restrictive ways in New York are rampant here.

"Oh, you'll love him talking about injuries," one writer said. "If he even conceded a player had a knee injury, he would refuse to say if it was his right knee or his left."

"It took me three weeks once to get an interview with the offensive line coach," said another.

They said that Mangini instructed Jets PR staffers to keep track of which players were talking to which writers -- just in case a disturbing quote was published from an unidentified player.

"We were stunned, absolutely stunned, he was hired so soon after being fired," said one. "Even people in the (Jets') building felt he needed time -- a year or two -- to reflect on things he did wrong."

The reviews were not all bad.

"He's more human than (Bill) Belichick."

"He's really not a bad guy. Never treated anybody in the media with disrespect. Even when it was warranted."

"He'll bring discipline to that team."

"He's great talking about his family."

She had better coach like hell next season or the Browns writers will take him to the woodshed.