 Mangini as head coach of theCleveland Browns | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Nose tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1971-01-19)January 19, 1971 (age 54) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Hartford (CT) Bulkeley |
| College | Wesleyan |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | 33–47 (.413) |
| Postseason | 0–1 (.000) |
| Career | 33–48 (.407) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
Eric Anthony Mangini (born January 19, 1971) is an American former professionalfootball coach and current television sports analyst. He served as a head coach for theNew York Jets from2006 to2008 and theCleveland Browns from2009 to2010. After departing Cleveland, Mangini became an NFL analyst forESPN. He returned to coaching with theSan Francisco 49ers, starting in 2013 as the team'stight ends coach before being promoted todefensive coordinator in 2015, only to be fired in 2016 by new head coachChip Kelly.[1] Mangini then became an analyst forFox Sports 1.[2]
Mangini is also known for being a former assistant underBill Belichick, serving under him as a defensive assistant while Belichick was the defensive coordinator with the Jets and later following him to theNew England Patriots.
Mangini was a linebacker at Bulkeley High School inHartford, Connecticut.
Mangini playednose tackle atDivision IIIWesleyan University and holds the school's single-season (11.5) and career (36.5)sacks records.[3] During the second semester of his junior and senior years, he coached the Kew Colts in 1991–92, a semi-professional football team inMelbourne,Australia, to two regional championships.[4] Mangini joined theChi Psi fraternity that coaching mentorBill Belichick, another Wesleyan alumnus, was part of two decades earlier.
Mangini first caught the attention ofBill Belichick, under whom he would coach for nine seasons, as a 23-year-old ball boy with theCleveland Browns. His work ethic impressed Belichick, and the head coach was instrumental in promoting Mangini to a public relations intern, and later, an offensive assistant.[5]
After spending 1996 as an offensive assistant with theBaltimore Ravens, Mangini rejoined Belichick[6] and spent three seasons as a defensive assistant with theNew York Jets. When Belichick was hired as theNew England Patriots head coach in 2000, he brought along Mangini[7] as his defensive backs coach. Mangini, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, turned down defensive coordinator positions with theMiami Dolphins,Oakland Raiders andCleveland Browns before accepting the role with New England in 2005.[8]
Mangini, 35, became the youngest head coach in the NFL when he was hired by theNew York Jets on January 17, 2006, to replaceHerm Edwards. He beat internal candidatesDonnie Henderson,Mike Heimerdinger andMike Westhoff and external candidatesJim Haslett,Mike Tice,Tim Lewis andJoe Vitt for the job.[9] He was quickly nicknamed "The Penguin" by receiverLaveranues Coles because of his waddle and fierce stare.[10]
In his first season, Mangini led the Jets to a 10–6 record and a postseason berth withNFL Comeback Player of the Year quarterbackChad Pennington. The Jets, who finished the previous year 4–12, lost to theNew England Patriots in a wild card playoff game.
The Jets went 4–12 in 2007, failing to make the playoffs. Early in the regular season, Mangini complained to league officials that Belichick's Patriots illegally filmed the Jets' defensive signals, exposing the "Spygate" scandal.
In 2008, a late season collapse—the Jets missed the playoffs despite an 8–3 start—led to Mangini's firing on December 29, 2008, one day after the season ended.[11]
Mangini was hired as the head coach of theCleveland Browns on January 7, 2009, signing a four-year deal.[12] Mangini faced early criticism in his tenure with the Browns for his tendency to micromanage the team and his disregard for the team's history (one of his first acts was to tear down a mural of Browns' greats on the wall of the team office).Sports Illustrated columnistJoe Posnanski went so far as to call Mangini's hiring by the Browns as the worst coaching hire from the past 25 years.[13] In his 2013 memoir, former playerNate Jackson, who was briefly part of the Browns' practice squad during the 2009 preseason, sharply criticized Mangini. Jackson wrote that Mangini's coaching style had so alienated his players that they seemed "deep in despair" with "no fight left in them" only a few months after Mangini took over.[14]
After starting his first season in Cleveland 1–11, the team bounced back with a win over their division rival and defending Super Bowl championPittsburgh Steelers. This started a four-game winning streak to end the season with a 5–11 record. On January 7, 2010, it was announced thatMike Holmgren had decided to retain Mangini as head coach of the Browns for the 2010 season.[15]
Mangini's second season was highlighted with back-to-back upsets over the defending Super Bowl championNew Orleans Saints andNew England Patriots. The Browns were forced to start rookie quarterbackColt McCoy due to injuries to starting quarterbackJake Delhomme. The season also saw the breakout of running backPeyton Hillis. These developments, however, did not amount to any marked improvement, as the Browns once again finished 5–11.
On January 3, 2011, Mangini was fired with a 10–22 record as the head coach of the Browns.[16]
Mangini was hired by theSan Francisco 49ers as a senior offensive consultant on June 4, 2013. On February 20, 2014, he was promoted to be the tight ends coach. On January 22, 2015, he was again promoted to be the defensive coordinator.[17] However, after just one season, he was released along with most of the coaching staff after head coachJim Tomsula was fired and replaced byChip Kelly.[1]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| NYJ | 2006 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd inAFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toNew England Patriots inAFC wild card game |
| NYJ | 2007 | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 3rd in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ | 2008 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3rd in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
| NYJ total | 23 | 25 | 0 | .479 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
| CLE | 2009 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th inAFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CLE | 2010 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3rd inAFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CLE total | 10 | 22 | 0 | .313 | — | — | — | |||
| Total | 33 | 47 | 0 | .413 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |||
Mangini and his wife Julie have three sons.[18]
While coaching the Jets, Mangini was a resident ofHarding Township, New Jersey.[19]
Toronto Blue Jays' presidentMark Shapiro is Mangini's brother-in-law and sports agentRon Shapiro, who currently represents him, is his father-in-law.[20]
Mangini had a cameo role in the penultimateepisode of the crime dramaThe Sopranos.[21] In the scene, Mangini is referred to by his nickname, "Mangenius".
On August 4, 2011, it was announced that Mangini would joinESPN as an NFL studio analyst onNFL Live,SportsCenter,ESPN First Take, and other programs.[22]
But he still worries about his house, a six-bedroom Colonial on 3.2 acres in Harding Township listed at $3.45 million
