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Eric Mangini on M&M: Loose officiating benefited Ravens defenders 01.21.13 at 2:45 pm ET
By
Eric Mangini

Eric Mangini

ESPN analyst Eric Mangini, the former Jets and Browns coach, joined Mut & Merloni on Monday afternoon to offer his take on the Patriots’ 28-13 loss to the Ravens in the AFC championship game.

Mangini said the Ravens borrowed a strategy from the old Patriots playbook by being aggressive toward receivers as they come off the line of scrimmage — and seeing what they can get away with.

“There were a bunch of times yesterday when the officials were just letting the teams play,” Mangini said. “There were times when Brandon Lloyd got hit in the face, there were times where he was hit well after five yards. But as Bill [Belichick] always says, ‘We do business as business is being done.’ So as long as they were letting it happen, Baltimore was going to do it. That’s the feel that it had.

“I think what you have to do against a team that can fast break like New England is you’ve got to find some way to slow down the well-oiled machine. And one of the best ways is to get up and instead of trying to cover them down the field — because it’s hard to match Wes Welker, it’s hard to match Aaron Hernandez, but if they can’t get started, that’s your best shot.

“Every time that Baltimore’s played New England — even looking back at last year’s matchups — they were hitting guys out of the backfield, they were hitting guys at the line of scrimmage; it was a very similar program. And Dean Pees [the Ravens defensive coordinator who is a former Patriots assistant], he knows that as well as anybody.”

Belichick was criticized for refusing to give a postgame interview to CBS sideline reporter Steve Tasker on Sunday. Mangini, who famously had a falling-out with Belichick when he left the Patriots staff to become coach of the Jets in 2006, said he can relate.

“Being a person that’s taken a lot of flak from the media in the past and now having a little bit different role, sometimes that can steamroll, and sometimes something that’s small can be blown up to be a lot bigger than it is,” he said. “I think it’s really a difficult time when you lose a game, and you lose a game like that. With the track record that they’ve had … that stuff hurts. As great as you are and as much of a Hall of Famer as you are and much as everybody says you should act this way, everybody responds to that stuff differently. I’m not defending it [but] I get it. It hurts a lot. But at the end of the day, you have take care of that stuff. You’ve got to do that interview. I think maybe he’d like to have that back.”

Asked about his own future, Mangini implied that he’d like to return to the sideline at some point.

“I go through the whole range of emotions,” he said. “It’s one of those things where I’ve loved this [broadcasting] experience for what it’s allowed me to do with three young boys — I’ve got 9, 7 and 4 — but I miss a lot of it. So if I could get with the right people and the right team, I think I’d strongly consider it. But it has been pretty amazing from the perspective of having a chance to see my kids grow up.”

To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page. For more Patriots news, visit the team page at weei.com/patriots.

Read More: Bill Belichick, Eric Mangini, Print  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Anonymous

    this is absolutely comical. haven’t we heard about DBs being physical before??? can’t quite place when….

  • Johnny Spygate

    Nice try Judas, but Bill ain’t listening.
    You know what also benefited the Ravens?  Brady suc king once again in a big game.  Fact.

  • Anonymous

    Also a fact, if there was no Brady … There would be NO big games.

  • Betty White

    Please……those 3 personal foul calls on Baltimore giving NE a gift 15 yards each time were classic home cooking that NE has been getting for years. I can’t count the number of times this year I watched the Tapetriots not convert on a third down and then the late flag comes out for some BS defensive holding call or something similar to give them an automatic 1st down. Also I saw Kruger #99 on Balt getting held quite a bit yesterday so maybe that was the “loose officiating” that was benefiting NE. 

  • Bruinman86

     The first Personal Foul was legit, but the second was iffy.  Although a lack of self discipline was more to blame for the second one.  Looked like the Ref was trying to keep the game in control given the history between the two teams.

  • Junbug0128

    brady is washed up

  • RobDX

    Some of it I agree on with Magini. But a bit of this has to be Mangenius trying to join Daboll in BB good graces.

  • Junbug0128

    mangini knows hes done in new england

  • Boston_Sports

    No matter how hard the loss, post game interviews are part of the game. Bill should have done the interview. The Patriots have nothing to be ashamed of. They have dominated the NFL for over ten years and have been consistent as a team. Coordinators change, players change and the Patriots keep on winning. Give the Ravens their due. They beat the Patriots twice this season and are going to the Super Bowl. It’s that simple. The commish may need to look at this film and make the necessary changes for fair play.

  • Old Time Hockey

    i guess you watch the all 22 to be able to watch Kruger being held, Lineman hold on every play so get a clue. 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EPJJJA72IJKIZSTO4S3S3WQ76Y HopJim

    Wonder if there will be a fine for the hit that knocked Ridly literally out.  If there was ever a helmut to helmut hit that was it.  Typical for this game, no call but suspect fines coming.  I’m sure Pats would gladly pay the fine and get the play back.

  • Anonymous

    I SOMETIMES WATCH MANGINI ON FIRST TAKE  ON ESPN. I THINK HE IS A PHONY. HE ALWAYS LOOKS AT THE GAME MOVIES AND TELLS YOU WHAT IS WRONG. HE IS A MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK. ITS EASY TO LOOK AT FILM AND TELL YOU WHAT WENT WRONG. HE DIDN’T DO TOO WELL IN NEW YORK AND CLEVELAND. THIS YEAR THERE WERE 8 HEAD COACH OPENINGS . MANY MORE ASSISTANT COACH OPENINGS. I DIDN’T SEE HIM GET HIRED. THAT SHOULD TELL YOU SOMETHING. I REALLY THINK HE SHOULD SHUT HIS MOUTH.

  • GISELLE

    WEEI=NATIONAL ENQUIRER

  • Jonontime

    12345amaven is correct, he is well known up in the NE area as Mangina

  • Jonontime

    he ain’t mangenius

  • time to admit

    brady n welker seem to get us there…then send us outta there as well

  • Really33

    he is a fool.   the refs gave the patriots all the calls. Brady had a bad game.PERIOD

  • true fan

    The Patriots scored 557 points in the regular season, which is the third highest total ever. 
    They scored almost as many points as the next two teams in their division combined.  Brady is far from washed up.

  • Anonymous

    It’s Mangini’s job to break down film. It’s his job to point out where teams went wrong.

  • Schwank

    Bottom line losing Gronk, no matter how rationalized, hurt us two years in a row.  Combine that with one or two key plays that didn’t go our way and boom……we lose.  The Welker drop was huge.  The fumble was huge.  The clock misnmangement at the end of the 1st half hurt also. Let’s say the Pats get TD at the end of the half, 17-7.  Let’s say a FG instead of Welker’s drop. 20-7.  Different game? 

    it is what it is …. however.

  • Mimimm

    The Rayvens play dirty= FACT

  • Refscheattoo

    Correct me if I’m wrong…but isn’t your A S S on the ground considered being down?  That ball did not come out of Ridley’s hands AFTER he was down…the Ravens were again..handed a win for Ray Lewis..wow

  • Anonymous

    MANGINI—EVERYTHING HE KNOWS CAME FROM THE MIND OF BB. YUP, HE TEACHED HIM THE DEFENSIVE PART OF THE GAME. MANGINI WAS GOOD AT DC.
    WOULDN’T IT BE SOMETHING IF BILL AND MANGINI COULD PATCH THINGS UP AND BE THE NEXT DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR FOR THE PATS—- WOW!!!!!!
    PATS REALLY NEED HELP AT DEFENSE, AND SOMEONE THATS KNOWLEDGEABLE.
    SOMETHING HAS TO HAPPEN AND SOON….

  • Skotch

    Are you serious Eric Mangini? Ravens borrowed the Patriots strategy? Oh… so that’s why the Patriots lost. WRONG! Can’t you just give the Ravens credit for a great victory? Even though you seem to have a man-crush on Tom Brady, you shouldn’t take that away from the Ravens. You sounded so one sided, it was ridiculous….like a poor sport making excuses. I’m sure Ravens fans loved to hear you too. You know, I don’t hear your poor sportsmanship like jargon when it comes to excuses why Brady beat the Raiders to get to the Superbowl years back. You know which game I’m talking about. “TUCK RULE.” Nope, it is just another great win for Brady. Besides, you yourself said there were strategies, in this case, unfair (to you), that the Patriots employed. Given that these were past strategies used by Patriots, and of coarse they don’t do this now, LOL, (SPY GATE), what in your right mind thinks they played an absolutely above board game themselves? You must have seen this game on tv,right? I did, a couple times. If anything the Patriots were definitely guilty of you own excuses. Tv showed a segment of Raven receivers being held at the line. The commentator mentioned that the Ravens

  • Skotch

    Type your comment here.q

  • Skotch

    About Mangini’s comments about “loose officiating” on the Ravens/Patriots game:  He says there were strategies borrowed from the “OLD” Patriot’s playbook by the Ravens. It makes me think of what tactics they have been using in their “NEW” playbook that keeps Brady from being pressured and sacked (allowing him to throw flat-footed, in a perfect, gigantic cushion unlike most other teams) time after time, game after game. I have been a fan of football for over forty years now and I have never ever seen anything like it. I have never seen wide receivers be so wide open, over and over again. Brady is so confident that he won’t be touched that he mocks the other team by standing in the same position, both feet firmly planted on the ground, in the pocket looking like a freakin’ statue for crying out loud. It really makes the other team look silly. Which brings me to ask why?  Why so much time? It’s sure NOT Brady’s scrambling ability. Can you say” HOLDING” folks? Look closely and you will see for yourself. Fortunately Patriot fans don’t have to hear a poor sport whining to America about that ’cause I’m not going to be a commentator on ESPN anytime soon. But wow dude, I can make up some excuses or accusations too but I certainly do not like to hear them coming from a guy that is backing a team that is notorious for using those same tactics, (admitted by Mangini himself) to justify losing a game by down playing the Ravens earned victory on national TV. And I don’t feel sorry for you that the Patriots lost. I ran out of excuses years ago when my then LA Rams lost Four NFC championships all by real bad calls, real bad luck, dirty play, crooked ref.’s, muddy field, drop the ball, hurt players..bla bla bla, but guess what? The LA Rams/ Anaheim Rams still DID NOT win a Superbowl. Patriot fans can’t say that. They are lucky!

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