New Browns coach means new discipline

By MARLA RIDENOUR

In the past 12 months, Country Club Crennel has morphed into the Mangini Preparatory Academy.

Eric Mangini and Romeo Crennel are close friends, their bond forged during seven years together as assistants under Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick.

But the difference in their coaching styles couldn’t be more striking.

As the Browns open training camp with two practices today in Berea, fans will get their first look at the highly organized and disciplined structure Mangini brings. He was hired Jan. 9 to succeed Crennel, who was fired after going 24-40 in the previous four seasons.

Players now must run laps when they’ve committed a penalty and drop to the ground for pushups when a catchable ball gets away. Mangini keeps count of the lap-running offenders. Speakers blare music to improve concentration, with the playlist thoughtfully compiled by Mangini daily. Pop quizzes will soon become routine, although they might not begin until the first game plan is crafted.

Mangini has always been a stickler for detail, at least dating to his days at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

“When he puts his mind to something, he’s going to get it done and he’s going to make sure everything is done right,” said Frank Hauser, Mangini’s defensive coordinator and coach at Wesleyan. ”He’s not going to leave any stone unturned. When he was captain his senior year, he made sure everyone else was doing it right as well. He takes care of the little things.”

Linebacker David Bowens, one of six former New York Jets on the Browns roster, knows what bothers Mangini most.

“People who aren’t accountable, people who continuously make the same mistakes and people who just don’t show effort,” Bowens said. “He wants guys who are tough, smart and can compete.”

Bowens said Mangini will drill his players on every situation that could possibly arise. Mangini admitted to digging some examples out of the Browns’ film archives.

“We work on [situations] every day — two-minute, short yardage, backed up, red zone,” Bowens said. “Things like that, where teams would fold or make mental mistakes, we’ll be good at.”

Mangini was 23-26 in three seasons with the Jets before being fired. Now at age 38, the former Browns ball boy must establish authority without alienating his players with his tough tactics.

“The most important thing to me, and to any coach, is that you show the players you can help them be successful,” Mangini said in June. “It may be pushing or yelling or whatever it is, but those things are always done in order for them to be the best possible player they can be.

“Sometimes it’s loving them up and sometimes it’s not loving them up. But my responsibility is to help them improve every single day. I think when players know that’s what your objective is, and it’s not about power structure, it’s not about rules … it’s about a shared common goal of making them successful and making us successful.”

Linebacker D’Qwell Jackson knows Mangini will expect a lot.

“He puts in the time, and he expects the players and coaches to work as hard as him,” Jackson said. “We understand that. It’s going to make us better as an individual player and also as a team.

“From everything I’ve heard, he’s a great guy, he’s smiling. But when it’s about business, it’s about business. He doesn’t mess around with that. The guy is smart as heck. That’s going to motivate every guy on this team. I’m not making predictions, but we’ll be a damn good team come this year.”

Running back Jamal Lewis didn’t cringe when he heard about Mangini’s lap-running policy. Lewis went through the same thing with the Baltimore Ravens under coach Brian Billick.

“That’s how I learned,” Lewis said. “If you jump offside or something happens, he’d send you on a lap. It teaches you discipline. You think about it before you do it.”

But when asked if he liked the idea, Lewis responded with the wisdom of a 10-year veteran.

“It’s a great idea, as long as you don’t have to run it,” Lewis said. “I just sit still until the play is called.”