Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan all spoke with the media on Friday regarding their future with the team. Here is what they said to the media:
ERIC MANGINI (Source)
(On if it is difficult for him personally to stay focused on the game and not think about what might happen after the season) — "It is and it isn’t. There are so many things that you have to do during the course of a week to prepare for a game that the amount of time that you have to reflect on other things, it’s not like it’s a tremendous amount of time. Again, I really am proud of the way that the guys have responded. As I’ve said before, if I was any different in my approach and the coaches were any different in their approach, then it’s hard to ask a group of men, a group of players, to be consistent in their approach. The future will come quick enough. Jake (Mangini) every now and then will ask a question, he must hear things, he asked if we were moving. I said, ‘Don’t worry about it Jake, we will figure it out.’ When you get those types of questions, you don’t think of how I am going to explain the situation to my six year old. That’s part of the human element."
(On if he feels that the coaching staff has been able to set aside distractions and focus on this final game) — "I do. We’ve been through uncertainty in the past, we have a little experience with it. You know Brian (Daboll) and Rob (Ryan) really well because of their time down here (with the media), but all of the guys are good guys. Brad Seely and right on down the line, Carl Smith, they’re all great guys that all want the same thing. They want us to keep moving forward and win. They’re not going to deviate or do anything or take any of their focus away that would hurt the ability of the team to do that."
(On what he would do if he was told that he could stay if he made some changes to his assistants) — "With hypotheticals like that, I’d rather just sit down with Mike (Holmgren) and talk to him and see what he says. We’ll talk through those things when we do talk through those things as opposed to really talking about them now."
(On when he will sit down and discuss things with Holmgren) — "I’d imagine it will be Monday. That’s my anticipation."
BRIAN DABOLL (Source)
(On if he feels the same way as Rob Ryan who feels confident that if this is his last season with the Browns that he will get another job somewhere) — "I’m just concentrating on this game. We’re going to go out there and try to win this game and that’s where my focus is."
(On if it is tough to stay focused with all of the uncertainty about next season) — "No, that’s the business that you’re in. That’s what you signed up for when you got in this business. Starting out working all those hours, 20 hours a day at Michigan State and stuff like that. You try to get into a position like this and when you get into it you understand what it is. It’s a bottom line business and I’ve been around a lot of good coaches and I’ve heard a lot of good stories from a lot of good coaches in this league. A lot of good coaches, some great coaches. That’s just the nature of the business."
(On if he thinks he is a package deal with Eric Mangini) — "I think everybody understands the nature of this business, I really do. We’ll find out what happens here, but I think everybody understands the nature of this business. It’s a bottom line business. The guy that used to coach here the year before we got here used to always say it’s a production business, Romeo (Crennel). It’s a production business. It was his first line to the defensive staff when I was over there on defense, it’s a production business so you understand that. We’re going to try to produce this Sunday."
(On if he expects Mangini to stick with him) — "I haven’t even been thinking about it to be honest with you. The one thing I’ll say is you understand the business, you understand the business. Now you can’t think about it, you’ve got to go out there and try to play Pittsburgh and do the best job that you can and try to beat them. Things will all fall into play, they will."
(On how he blocks all of the stuff out) — "You have to. You’ve got to in this business. Things that happen are going to happen. You have a positive outlook on things, everything happens for a reason. You control what you can control which is to go out, there try to call a great game against Pittsburgh, give those guys a good chance, be energetic at practice, get them to go out there when we have this record practice good, have a good attitude, have a good attitude in the meetings, not point fingers, enjoy being in there still, enjoy going out on the practice field, having a good practice. You can control all those things and that’s all you can control."
ROB RYAN (Source)
(On if he would be open to a scenario where there would be a head coaching change and he would return as defensive coordinator) — "I haven’t thought of that. I did that in Oakland three times, five times or whatever it was. I don’t know. I love Eric, he hired me and I’d be more than happy to go out with him if that’s what it takes."
(On if he would be shocked if he didn’t get a phone call for an interview for a vacant head coaching job in the NFL) — "Yes, I’d be really shocked because I think I’ll definitely get interviewed. I have a really, really good feeling about that."
(On if he has heard from any teams yet about potential head coaching jobs) — "No, they can’t talk to you now, so no. You can’t talk to another team now while the season is going on. I’m sure I’ll get a chance. You read all of these things, ‘Oh this guy is going here, this guy is going there,’ but nobody knows. It’s a big process, obviously, to hire a head coach. Am I going to be ready for that challenge? Yes, absolutely."
(On what he would hope people remember about his time in Cleveland if the coaching staff went their separate ways after the season) — "It’s not a funeral, I hope (joking). I just see tremendous growth in this team, I really do. From where we took it when we got here to where it is now, we are a much better team. We are a very disciplined team, I think we are second in the league in penalties. There are a lot of really good things here. We have got a lot of good, quality people in the room all throughout the team. A good young quarterback, you have got a lot of talent on this team, young talent. I don’t know how they would remember us, probably from beating Pittsburgh the last time we played."
(On why their record isn’t better than it is) — "I thought it would be, I really did. I can’t really pinpoint it. I know it’s hard to win, to change the culture overnight. I know we are doing that, it’s just we’ve lost a couple games that, obviously, we felt we shouldn’t have lost. I’m not sure why exactly."
(On the notion of them underachieving) — "It’s a (heck) of a league. We’ve had a (heck) of a schedule, it’s a (heck) of a league and you always have to be at your best. I don’t know what people are going to say. Did we think we would win more games? Absolutely. Right now, we’ve won I guess five games or whatever it is and we are looking to get our sixth."
(On if Mangini deserves a chance to see what he can do with a possible superstar quarterback in Colt McCoy) — "Absolutely. I think so. I think the kid really grew up fast. When he first got here, he was struggling. His arm strength didn’t look what it does now, it looked like he was having a hard time adapting to the pro game and I think now the kid really has a little moxy to him. I think he’s a winner and I think he will prove that in the time to come."
(On if the criticism of Brian Daboll is unfair considering what he came into at the start) — "I think it was unfair on me (joking). I don’t know. You know how it is, this is a top level job and heat comes with the territory. That’s just the way it is. I can’t farm Brian’s land, I’ve got enough problems with my own. We are working hard to get in here and we want to end up being in the top five in every category and that’s what we’re pushing for. We are obviously going to try to beat these guys, which is a huge game. They are coming in, they’re going to be at their best and we are going to be at our best on defense."