The Pressure is On Eric Mangini to Win Next Season

Seems like the latest theme on here is all the different pressures members of the Cleveland Browns organization are facing next season. Today, it is head coach Eric Mangini, the person likely feeling the most pressure going into next season. Despite the Browns winning the last four games of last season, Mangini appears to be a coach about to sit on the hot seat. This also comes after an off-season in which the rumors were swirling around his potential firing once Mike Holmgren took over as president.

Luckily, the early part of the schedule is favorable to the Browns, but there are some potential rough patches in there. It’s not like the Browns are expected to be fighting for a playoff spot this season, though. So what happens if the Browns win 6 or 7 games? Would it really be Mangini’s fault given the talent currently on the team? If the Browns have a season like that, it puts the front office in a tough situation. It would seem that the season has to go to either extreme – either really well, or utterly terrible – for there to be a clear-cut decision on Mangini’s future with the team.

There have been the rumors that Jon Gruden could be interested in the Browns coaching job, but if he truly was, I doubt Holmgren would have kept Mangini on for this season. Either way, the team has to show some visible improvement next season, and if it doesn’t come through wins, it has to be in the development of its many young players. But will that be enough to keep Eric Mangini around beyond the 2010 season?