Browns may have to pick between Mangini, Pioli
The Cleveland Browns' strong interest in fired New York Jets coach Eric Mangini could impact their search for a front-office executive, a league source with knowledge of the situation told the Cleveland Plain Dealer Thursday.
The Browns interviewed Mangini on Tuesday night and were impressed with him. They interviewed New England Patriots Vice President Scott Pioli on Wednesday and liked him, too.
But it's unknown if the two would be willing to work together after the Spygate scandal, so for the Browns, it might come to this: Do they hire the coach they love or the general manager they love?
If the Browns hire Mangini, knowing there is evidence that the coach is the biggest indicator of a franchise's success, he'd probably already have his own right-hand personnel man in mind. If they hire Pioli, he'd undoubtedly be given the authority to hire his own coach.
One thing is certain: The Browns want their coach and GM in complete synch this time, so they'd let each man choose his partner. Pioli and Mangini were once close, but it is unknown exactly where they stand after the yearlong controversy over the Patriots' taping of the Jets' defensive signals.
Pioli left his meeting with the Browns still intent on going through with his scheduled interview with the Kansas City Chiefs. A source told The Plain Dealer on Thursday that the two sides parted ways with no timeframe for a decision from Pioli. The source said a report in the Boston Herald that the Browns gave him a deadline of Thursday was untrue.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/p...urn=nfl,131893
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