Eric Mangini

Eric Mangini (born January 19, 1971) is a former NFL head coach and current Fox Sports 1 analyst. He coached the New York Jets from 2006 to 2008 and the Cleveland Browns from 2009 to 2010. After his head coaching stint, Mangini worked as an NFL analyst for ESPN before returning to the sidelines with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013. He started as a tight ends coach, was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2015, and was fired the following year when Chip Kelly took over as head coach. He then moved to Fox Sports 1 as an analyst.

Mangini played linebacker at Bulkeley High School in Hartford, Connecticut, and nose tackle at Division III Wesleyan University, where he still holds the school records for single-season (11.5) and career (36.5) sacks. During his junior and senior years, he coached the Kew Colts, a semi-professional team in Melbourne, Australia, to two regional championships. He also joined the Chi Psi fraternity, the same one Bill Belichick had been in two decades earlier.

Mangini first caught Belichick’s attention as a 23-year-old ball boy with the Cleveland Browns. Belichick helped him move up to a public relations intern and then an offensive assistant. After a year as an offensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, Mangini spent three seasons as a defensive assistant under Belichick with the New York Jets. When Belichick became head coach of the New England Patriots in 2000, Mangini went with him as defensive backs coach. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and turned down defensive coordinator jobs with the Dolphins, Raiders, and Browns before finally taking that role in New England in 2005.

At age 35, Mangini became the youngest head coach in the NFL when the Jets hired him on January 17, 2006, replacing Herm Edwards. He beat out several internal and external candidates. Receiver Laveranues Coles nicknamed him "The Penguin" for his waddle and intense stare. In his first season, Mangini led the Jets to a 10–6 record and a playoff berth with quarterback Chad Pennington, but they lost to the Patriots in the wild card round. The team fell to 4–12 in 2007, and early that season Mangini reported the Patriots for illegally filming the Jets’ defensive signals, sparking the "Spygate" scandal. In 2008, the Jets started 8–3 but collapsed, missing the playoffs, and Mangini was fired on December 29, 2008.

The Cleveland Browns hired Mangini on January 7, 2009, with a four-year deal. He quickly drew criticism for micromanaging and for removing a mural of Browns legends from the team office. Sports Illustrated’s Joe Posnanski called it the worst coaching hire in 25 years. Former player Nate Jackson later wrote that Mangini’s style left players "deep in despair" with "no fight left in them." After a 1–11 start, the Browns won four straight, including a victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, to finish 5–11. Mike Holmgren kept Mangini for 2010, a season that featured back-to-back upsets of the defending champion New Orleans Saints and the Patriots, plus a breakout year for running back Peyton Hillis and rookie quarterback Colt McCoy. Still, the Browns finished 5–11 again, and Mangini was fired on January 3, 2011, with a 10–22 record.

Mangini appeared in a cameo on The Sopranos, where his character was called "Mangenius." He joined ESPN as an NFL studio analyst in August 2011, appearing on NFL Live, SportsCenter, and First Take. He now works as an analyst for Fox Sports’ First Things First.