Browns Finish Strong

I haven't given Browns head coach Eric Mangini much credit this season, and frankly he hasn't deserved much. First there was the poor draft last spring. For an encore he created a needless quarterback controversy. Oh, and did I mention that the Browns were the laughing stock of the N.F.L. for most of the season? But I would like to give the coach and team credit where it's due. Somehow Mangini was able to keep his troops motivated down the final stretch of the season when it would have been easy to pack it in. Not only was the play on the field embarrassing for most of the season, but there were outside distractions as well. There was front office turmoil and " Mangenious" was looking over his shoulder as Mike Holmgren was interviewing to be his new boss. It would have been easy for some within the organization to "mail it in" for the last month of the season, and in fact it looked at times as if they might be ready to do that. But the coaching staff and players finished like true professionals. They played hard on every down during the closing month of games , and put together the longest winning streak we've seen since 1994. While it's great that Mangini and his boys showed character and heart late in the year, 5 wins and a last place finish in the division isn't going to do. While it would be ironic to fire a coach on a 4 game winning streak there are quite a few who feel Holmgren just might do that. I'm really not sure if Mangini deserves a second season or not. I'm glad that Holmgren is here to figure that out . If you were Holmgren would you send Eric packing, or are the 4 straight wins a sign that his philosophy is beginning to work?