Opportunity drill under fire again in Cleveland
Earlier in the season, Browns head coach Eric Mangini was called onto the carpet so to speak, for his role in the season ending injury rookie RB James Davis suffered during a post-practice “opportunity drill.” Mangini defended the practice, claiming it allowed younger players to show their talent and desire to the coaching staff without sacrificing repititions for the starters in the process, and the team was largely absolved of any punishment by the league.
Fast forward to this morning… Dan Graziano of NFL Fanhouse has learned that yet another Cleveland player has been lost for the remainder of the season, thanks in part to the team’s continued use of the post-practice drills, this time DE Keith Grennan, who is currently on the Browns practice squad.
Obviously, the loss of Grennan won’t affect the Browns on the field, where they’ve been utterly abysmal this season in posting a 1-7 mark, despite having high expectations coming into the year, but the fact that his injury is a direct result of the aforementioned opportunity drill may catch the league’s attention in a bad way. And given that Mangini is teetering on the brink of losing the support of his team and the ownership group, this latest incident could very well be enough to push him straight over the edge.
Fact is, no team wants to see players injured in practice, let alone after practice, so the idea that a coaching staff would openly promote these kinds of drills seems somewhat absurd. That said, this makes two confirmed casualties in Cleveland this season, and when coupled with the allegations laid out by Browns RB Jamal Lewis earlier in the week claiming Mangini works the players too hard in practice, one has to wonder if a change in the league’s policy on post-practice drills is in the works for this off-season.
Either way, Mangini is likely looking at an early dismissal from his post once the season is complete, ending his head coaching career prematurely, and setting the Browns back even further in their quest to return to prominence. One can only hope that owner Randy Lerner will learn from this mistake and choose more carefully his coach next time around.
Other posts you may enjoy:
Subscribe to NFLNR
