By Tom Withers
Associated Press
BEREA — Browns coach Eric Mangini believes his process for turning around the team will work despite a horrid first half of the season.
The Browns dropped to 1-7 following Sunday’s 30-6 loss in Chicago. Afterward, owner Randy Lerner said he was “sick” about the state of his team, a feeling Mangini said he shares with his boss. Mangini said he and Lerner share the same vision for improving the Browns.
Mangini added he had a positive phone conversation with Lerner on Monday morning, and he feels he still has Lerner’s support.
“I’ve never gotten a feeling otherwise in all of my conversations with Randy,” Mangini said.
Mangini and his coaching staff will spend the bye week evaluating and analyzing every aspect of the team. He has no plans to change offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s duties and will use the time off to decide whether to start quarterback Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn when the Browns play Baltimore on Nov. 16.
Anderson had a 10.5 rating on Sunday and was replaced late in the fourth quarter by Quinn, who began the season as Cleveland’s starter but was benched after 10 quarters.
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Angry Browns fans to meet with team owner — Two longtime Cleveland Browns season ticket-holders organizing a protest to show their disgust with a decade of losing will meet with team owner Randy Lerner.
Mike Randall and Tony Schafer, who have been urging other Cleveland fans to stay away from their seats for the opening kickoff of the Browns’ nationally televised game against Baltimore on Nov. 16, have a meeting scheduled with Lerner on Tuesday morning at the team’s headquarters.
Randall, who’s also known as “Dawg Pound Mike,” plans to present Lerner with over 2,000 e-mails he has received from fans since announcing the “walk-in” protest. Randall said he hopes to persuade the ultra-private Lerner to speak directly to Cleveland’s disappointed fan base.
The Browns dropped to 1-7 on Sunday with a 30-6 loss in Chicago.
Randall said he and Schafer spoke briefly with Lerner before Sunday’s game. In planning their demonstration for before the Monday night game against the Ravens, the fans had hoped to force Lerner and Cleveland’s front office to address growing concerns about the club’s direction as well as a lack of connection to the Browns’ storied past.
“They are listening,” Randall said. “We know that Randy cares and we don’t want him to sell the team. Our goal is to get him to talk to the fans so we know what’s going on. We’re going to talk to him about a lot of things from stadium operations to the atmosphere on game days to our frustration that the fans are not being heard.”