Eric Mangini Gives Back

by Cleveland Frowns on June 4, 2012

One of the best things that happens anywhere happened in Hartford, Connecticut again last weekend when over 700 high school football players, many from Hartford’s poverty ridden city schools, gathered at Eric Mangini’s alma mater, Bulkley High School, for the 11th annual football fundamentals camp hosted by the former Cleveland Browns head coach

“I want kids to see that the other kids from Hartford are just like them and break down some some stereotypes,” Mangini told NBC Connecticut’s Diana Russini (video here).

“This is my 10th year here and I love every minute of it,” said former Browns and current Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to the Hartford Courant’s Desmond Conner (story here, photos here).

Ryan worked the camp along with his brother Rex, the New York Jets head coach, and added:

“Eric’s got a great camp. We love this camp. It’s all about the kids and the fundamentals. Regardless of the weather, it’s always a great day. Rex and I always have fun here. You know, some of these campers, they keep coming back each year and you see them and go on, so it’s fun.”

Read the whole thing.

I was at the camp this weekend as well to volunteer and maybe get a story, which I did (spoke with Rex and Coach and tons of the campers and others), so look forward to that here soon. In the meantime here’s an excellent read on the 2009 camp (and bus ride) from Fox Sports Ohio’s (and Cheddar Bay’s) Zac Jackson; and check out this piece by Branson Wright that was in yesterday’s PD, if you missed it, on Muhammed Ali’s social justice summit held in Cleveland in 1967, “the epicenter of black political and social progress,” which is all for today. Hope everyone’s week gets off to a decent start.

UPDATE: Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders was at the camp as well and posted a bit on his experience here.

  • ClevelandFrowns

    Great read from Zac Jackson on the 2010 camp here http://cle.scout.com/2/975085.html

  • Brian Sipe

    but Frownie he put players on buses to go up there… he is a bad bad man… Grossi broke that story day ONE….

    I find it funny Tony said he will not entertian any stories about Browns coaches or front office losign their jobs on his Hey Tony… Hmmm, he loved anwering “fire the coach” questions from day one with Mangini, but year 3 of H&H and there is a hand’s off policy now for Tony and others might I add

    • bupalos

      Well, you know there’s those extra playoff tickets to consider now…

    • BIKI024

      yes, Grossi never like Mangini, newsflash.. paisan verse paisan crime, what’s going on???

  • Beeej

    I really really hope you took the bus there.

  • CleveLandThatILove

    Hot damn, Frowns!!

  • actovegin1armstrong

    Frownie,
    I am happy that you made the trip, I am certainly a Mangenius fan.
    I am anxiously awaiting your inimitable style as you regale us with the details.
    I hope you do not mind if I do a bit of “thread jacking”.
    What did you think about the last possession in OT last night?
    And of course D Wade’s “I was not the first option” comment.

    Trouble in paradise?

    • Bryan

      What did Wade say about “not being the first option?” I missed that.

      • actovegin1armstrong

        Wade admitted that he had an open look, but he mentioned that he was “not the first option” in a downtrodden almost desultory way.
        As if Spoiledstra drew up a play and SOMEBODY passed the ball like a hot potato; when he should have made the shot.
        Wade sounded like he was not expecting to get the ball.

        However, I am an idiot and I may have just been reading between the lines because reading has always been an arduous travail for me.

        • Jim

          Are you referring to the last shot in OT? Seeing as how Lebron fouled out prior to the last possession, it would be difficult, even for him, to forego the last shot and instead put it in Wade’s hands.

          • ClevelandFrowns

            Yeah, I don’t understand the question. For all the guys who could have taken the last shot for the Heat last night, Wade seems to have been a fine choice.

          • Petefranklin

            Frownie if you still like the spurs you can get them at about what they were to open the series, minus two dollars or so, still overpriced, but probably a winner.

    • http://www.redright88.com/ TitusPullo94

      Here’s a breakdown of the possession from Grantland: http://tinyurl.com/cag3kuj

      If Wade would have done what he was supposed to do, things may have turned out differently.

      Poor LeBron, dude is just continually saddled with poor teammates, too bad he wasn’t able to pick his own team.

      • bupalos

        It is interesting, the more you think about that play, Wade basically just gave it a passive-agressive veto. He barely even kept up the facade.

        Of the little and forced attention that I’ve given to the Heat, I think Wade pretty consistently comes off as the least likable of the 3.

        • BIKI024

          he had a good look, but he should’ve jumped into the defender, he def got him to bite on the face.. of course he probably would’ve only hit 2-3 of the FT’s but at least they would’ve gone to another OT..

          • bupalos

            He got a great look in the end. The issue is more that he barely pretended to run the play they called. And then (depending on interpretation) seemed slightly sulky that the play hadn’t been called for him in the first place.

            I’m just afraid he may poison Lebron’s moral character.

    • http://brian23.com Brian

      Its always trouble in paradise when they lose and they’re the most dominant duo ever when they win = NBA media coverage.

      Something on the mental side is def up with wade – he plays Like he’s in a trance. Might have caught LBJ’s malaise thing.

      The only certainties are spoelstra will try a different starting lineup and that lineup won’t know how to run a coherant offensive basketball play.

      • BIKI024

        it will def be a different lineup on Tuesday, Bosh is back..

    • http://www.redright88.com/ TitusPullo94

      Looks like I gave out the wrong link (but if you want to sign up for a Summer Program, go for it).

      Here’s the correct one: http://tinyurl.com/cqfk4v2

  • dubbythe1

    cant wait to read about the experience!

  • bupalos

    Look forward to seeing the full report frowner. Sort of. Sometimes it’s nicer and more pleasant to NOT find out about lost possibility.

    I have a somewhat different view of Mangini now than I did, but ultimately I think the die was cast when Lerner gave him more rope than he could handle. It was bad timing. Mangini was coming out of New York probably with the feeling that his Belichickan model had been further proven, and that all his problems had been caused by a lack of control that left “the process” insufficiently pure. Mix in a franchise at step 0, and an owner looking to exit stage left (actually I guess England is to the right on the map), and I think the rest falls in line naturally. Too much power + fairly young purist-type person with firm convictions + blank slate: always sounds good and never quite works, at least not without a lot more friction than you were expecting.

    I have no doubt that some of the basic media ambivalence was earned. Mistakes like the way the bus ride was handled (which I now take mostly as a kind of virtuous Belichickian fraternity hazing) seem to me emblematic of a true believer in full control.

    I don’t think the progress under Mangini was as stunning as some seem to, nor do I think the organizational mess embodied in Kokinis should be dismissed as readily as it is around here. Nor the odd situational innumeracy from an obviously smart man. But I am pretty sure that with enough time Mangini could have achieved a credible model of management and would have had as much football success as obvious personal success. Even for someone not quite so enamored or convinced of the superiority of the spartan camp-out model, it’s hard not to mourn the loss.

  • rodofdisaster

    Is this like the football version of “Wedding Crashers”?

  • smittypop2

    Spurs look pretty unstoppable now. Where are all the flopping lovers at?

    • acto

      Still here and still loving Los Spurs.

      Shall we make it five out of nine?

      This best of seven business is too short.

  • The Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs

    Frowns, take me next year.

    Also, if there was a session on “Time Management,” maybe we could take Pat with us. Go ask Pat.

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