Browns players like softer, kinder Mangini

BEREA (AP) — High-fiving, butt-slapping and even smiling. Eric Mangini looked like a different guy last week on Cleveland’s sideline.

Described as dour, demanding and dictator-like, Mangini, who has lived up to his hard-nosed, stone-faced reputation since his arrival from New York in January, was noticeably more animated during Cleveland’s 23-20 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The coach has loosened up — a little.

And the Browns are digging Mangini’s minor makeover.

“The important thing of him showing his emotion was just realizing our team needed to see that,” said linebacker David Bowens, one of 10 Browns who played for Mangini in New York. “Not to show he’s a hard guy all the time and that he does care about us. Guys appreciate that.”

Mangini’s kinder, gentler approach began last week. Instead of making the Browns practice outside in the rain on Wednesday, he moved the two-hour session into the indoor field house. The next day, the players were only required to wear their shell protective gear and not shoulder pads.

Mangini sensed his players were dragging and needed a break. By the time Sunday’s game rolled around, their legs were fresh.

“We were a lot faster,” Bowens said. “We weren’t so beat up going into the game. That helped.”

During the game, Mangini, who typically stands alone on the sideline, was much more enthusiastic than in the previous three games. He threw his arm around Brodney Pool following the safety’s interception. He congratulated quarterback Derek Anderson after his 1-yard TD run and screamed “Yeah!” and pumped his fist when nose tackle Shaun Rogers blocked an extra point to force overtime.

Mangini worked the bench area like a politician looking for votes.

He was a new man. Well, at least a changed one.

“Coach definitely has a certain demeanor,” tight end Robert Royal said. “But he has been a little bit looser, and I think it shows that he knows the guys now know what to expect from him and he doesn’t have to stay on them to make sure they’re doing the right thing.”

It’s not that Mangini has turned into Mr. Rogers. But he seems to have realized he needs to adjust his personality to better suit his team’s persona. Like everything else with the Browns, it’s a work in progress.

Almost from the time he took over in Cleveland, Mangini has been harshly criticized for his methods.

He has fined players for petty offenses like parking in the wrong stall or having their cell phone ring during team meetings. Mangini famously fined one player $1,700 for not paying for a $3 bottle of water during a hotel stay. He was also blasted for mishandling the Browns’ quarterback competition, and this week he caught flak for trading wide receiver Braylon Edwards to the Jets for next to nothing when he had months to make a better deal.

He has taken some shots, fair and unfair. But Mangini won’t apologize for his ways.

“I’m really comfortable with who I am and what I believe in,” he said. “As people get to know me and spend time with me, they understand what my goals are: to have a team that is disciplined, selfless, hard-working. I’ve seen it work. In transition it’s sometimes difficult.”