Mangini Explains Browns Trade of Braylon Edwards to the Jets in Press Conference

(Opening statement)- “Good morning everybody. How are we doing today? As you know, we traded Braylon Edwards this morning to New York. Two of the players that are en route right now, one of them is Chansi Stuckey, who was starting for them. He had 11 catches and a touchdown. He played more in the slot for us last year. He is a smart guy, good quickness, good hands, very competitive. I think he is a guy that’s still developing as a pro and has done some really nice things in the early part of his career. Jason Trusnick is the other player. Jason is an Ohio native, went to Ohio Northern. Ended up signing [with the Jets] as a free agent. He has really come on as a contributor. He was AFC special teams player of the week, third week of the season, really contributed in that role. He plays both outside linebacker and inside linebacker and down some in sub. There were some draft choices for next year involved as well. I thought that, in looking at this, opportunities come up at different times, in looking at this opportunity, this was a really good thing for us and a good thing for Braylon. I wish him all the best.

“In terms of Buffalo, looking at them, I think this is, I’ve played Buffalo quite a few times, a little different look then what we’ve seen in the past. [They play] quite a bit in no huddle, almost exclusively in no huddle. They have some dynamic playmakers on offense, whether it’s Lee Evans, T.O. (Terrell Owens), Roscoe Parrish, Josh Reed, right on down the line, two good backs, with Marshawn Lynch coming back. I don’t think they’ve scratched the surface with what they can do offensively. I think Trent Edwards is another guy that continues to improve and will continue to improve. I’ve seen him quite a bit over the years.

“Defensively, Aaron Schobel causes problems for a lot of people. They have a high motor, aggressive front seven. They do some standard things from their blitz package, and they usually mix in a few things that are different each week. Dealing with their front, as well as those various pressure packages, I think will be important. [I have a] long history with Buffalo and they always play tough and they always play hard, especially at Buffalo.

“On special teams, year in and year out, this is one of the best groups in the NFL. I’m sure if you look at the overall statistics, each season, they’re either at the top or near top in every one of them. Roscoe (Parrish) traditionally returns punts, he’s been returning kickoffs as well. He’s explosive. There’s always something creative and challenging that they present.”

(On if the trade is a direct result of Braylon Edwards’ altercation Monday morning)- “Personal conduct is important to me. Opportunities come up at different times and in looking at this opportunity and exploring it versus other ones that we had, in talking to some other teams, thought this was one that was good for us and good for Braylon.”

(On if Edwards asked to be traded)- “That wasn’t something that came up. I had a really good conversation with him this morning. I think it’s a fresh start for him. I told him that I really hope that he continues to reach his potential and takes advantage of the opportunity that he has. If he, at any point, wants to reach out to me, I’d be here. My job as a coach, whether it’s a former player or current player, is to try to help guys keep getting better. He understood. He was great about it. Like I said, I really do wish him the best.”

(On if he felt like Edwards was going along with his program and if he had filed a grievance)- “In terms of grievances, any player that’s fined can file a grievance. There’s no correlation to that whatsoever, at all. I thought that he did do some really good things in the game. Sometimes you catch the ball, sometimes you have to be a role player and block and I was pleased with those things.”

(On what happened to Edwards as a player)- “I think that at different points, you have different levels of production. The key thing is to always evaluate how you can get back to the level of production that you had and what things you can improve. That’s important for anybody, not just him. Everybody goes through different phases in their career and it’s identifying the things that you can continue to improve on and that’s important.”

(On what he meant by saying it was a good move for the Browns and for Edwards)- “I thought it was an opportunity for us to add some more depth, add some more players to the roster, not just in the short-term, but in the long-term. As I said before, this is a process. I’m looking to win in the short-term and looking to win and build an organization that’s built to win over the long-term. There were components of both of those things in this trade. I thought it was also a good chance for Braylon as well.”

(On who initiated the trade and if he thinks it was a better deal than trading him to the Giants)- “Opportunities come up at all different points, Tony (Grossi), and you look at the opportunities. Contrary to popular belief, we do trade with teams other than the Jets and we do talk to teams other than the Jets. You look at the value of what the offer is and compare that versus what other offers are at the current time and you move forward based on that.”

(On if he had any concern with trading with the Jets again after the Draft day trade)- “No, none whatsoever. To me, it’s really about how we think we can improve our team. You talk to a lot of different teams and they have a perspective as to how they can improve their team. You really don’t look at it in that context. You look at it in the context of us.”

(On if the team is better today than before the trade in the short-term)- “I think each one of the players has different strengths and different things that they could work on. I think that the two players that are coming in can contribute. I’m looking forward to them contributing right away.”

(On if the team is better now)- “I think that, as we go along here and see how everything fits in, I think this is another real nice opportunity for Brain Robiskie to continue his path of development and create some opportunities for him to play. He’s done some good things, so I’m excited to see how he does. How Chansi (Stuckey) does, how Josh (Cribbs) continues to develop. We have a younger group that I think has a lot of really good potential. I’m excited to see what Brian can do as well.”

(On if he thought Edwards would buy into the team philosophy)- “One of the things, in talking to all the players, that was important to me is making them aware of what I had been exposed to, in terms of their past and what I had learned through research and being honest with them about it, giving them a chance to understand that. On the flip side of that, make them also understand that everybody has an opportunity. You’re not going to be judged by what you did prior to getting here, you’re judged on what you do while you’re here. I asked the same thing from them. I’m sure that they did their research and they did their evaluations. What was important to me was to be judged in the same way, by the interactions that we have, the relationships that we build, the experiences that we share, as opposed to somebody else’s perspective at another time, and another place. I think it’s important to be honest about that, and aware of those things, but also move forward with an open mind and let the relationship develop whatever way it develops.”

(On if Edwards conveyed any dissatisfaction with the offense)- “Like I said, I think last week was a good example of his blocking and things like that and that was positive. Offensively, I don’t think anybody is pleased with where we are, but I think there was a lot of progress over the course of the weekend, a lot of good things over the course of the weekend. We need to carry that momentum into the week and need to correct the things we need to correct and need to continue to improve, That’s important to everybody, the players, the coaches, we’re all working on that.”

(On what Edwards reaction to the news was)- “Like I said, we had a really good talk and we’ve had a lot of good talks. I think it is a great opportunity for him. I expressed how important I thought it was that he takes advantage of that and how much I thought he could take advantage of that. If at any point I could help him, or lend an ear, or anything along those lines, like I would do with any player, I’d be happy to do that.”

(On what the team was getting out of Edwards, football wise)- “In terms of the relationship and the expectations and the things we were trying to get done, I think we’re all learning about each other and getting closer to where we want to be. Which is really, I felt, as a head coach this past weekend, the way that the guys played and a lot of the good things that we did. Again, there’s no award for losing. Our goal is to continue to build on those things, those things that we did well. There were some things that I thought he did really well this past weekend. I’m sure he wants to be as productive as possible, and all competitive athletes are like that.”

(On if not having Kellen Winslow and Donte’ Stallworth for the season factored into keeping Edwards on draft day)- “You look at all the different things going into the draft. We took two receivers pretty high, understanding that we wanted to add depth and competition at that position. I’ve liked the way that Mohammed’s (Massaquoi) developed. I’ve liked a lot of things that Brian’s (Robiskie) done. It came back to special teams with him, but I think he made a jump last week, in becoming active. I think this creates an opportunity for him to really show the progress that he’s made. I think that’s a positive thing for him, for us, same thing with Josh (Cribbs), same thing with Mike (Furrey), same thing with Chansi (Stuckey).”

(On if he thought he needed a big name player with Winslow and Stallworth gone)- “I never really look at it in terms of a big name, or anything like that. I’m really looking at it in terms of guys that can play together and win together.”

(On if he sees Chansi Stuckey as a slot receiver here)- “I think he has some strengths there. I think that he’s developed more as an outside receiver over his time in the last year. He is a very smart guy with good quickness, highly competitive, good hands. He’s had production at different points in different games, whether it’s been in a role that was smaller, whether it’s been in a role that was bigger. I’m looking to continue to see that.”

(On if Edwards’ trade value was at an all-time low)- “You look at the different opportunities. You don’t know what trade value is going to be at any point. You listen to opportunities throughout the off-season, through the in-season, compare them and when you see one that you think works, you move forward with it. You never stop listening to opportunities. Sometimes they’re real, sometimes they’re not real. Sometimes they’re things that can actually be acted on, sometimes they can’t be. You just evaluate it as you go and you move forward.”

(On who the starting receivers will be)- “We’ll have to see at the end of the week. I think Brian has got a good chance. I think that Josh has done it. Mike, Chansi, we’ll see what they all do.”

(On if he had a sense that Edwards would be suspended by the league and if that affected the decision to trade him)- “That whole process takes time. It is a legal matter. The league looks into all those different things, so I’m not really sure where that’s going.”

(On if he has any hesitation about starting two rookie wide receivers)- “No, if those are the two guys that made the strongest case then there wouldn’t be any hesitation at all.”

(On if he was less tolerant of Edwards’ altercation because of his past)- “I really looked at it based on my experience. The research, in terms of the past, was just that, research. The ability to have an open conversation, an honest conversation, put everything on the table, so that there’s no gray area, no miscommunication and really set the expectations, restart the clock.”

(On if the team had previously engaged in any extension talks with Edwards)- “Throughout the course of the season, and the off-season, we look at all those things. Dawn (Aponte) and George (Kokinis) look at those things. I’ll be involved to some degree. When they happen and when they hit, [there are] different timelines for all that stuff.”

(On what message he is sending to players by trading Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards)- “Really, it’s about us trying to build the team and to continue to grow. It’s not something that happens overnight. It’s something that you work at, you work at. You look at it in two different perspectives, short-term, long-term, and building something that’s there to compete every year at a high level, not just as a team, but as an organization.”

(On if anything about his meeting with Edwards on Monday affected the decision to trade him)- “I had a good conversation with him there. We talked through the different things involved. I did research. I wouldn’t say that one was necessarily a trigger to anything else. To me, this is a chance for Braylon to really have a fresh start and I think that’s good for him. I think in terms of what we were able to do with the trade, it’s good for us.”

(On if trade talks came up before Monday)- “Like I said, Jeff (Schudel), we get a lot of different opportunities throughout the course of the year with a lot of different players, or picks, or all those things. There’s been a range of them. Some are more significant than others. Some are more real than others. You listen to all of them, because that’s what you’re supposed to do and that’s the responsible thing to do. That’s what, organizationally, we’re always committed to do, is find ways that we think we can improve.”

(On if Edwards’ name had specifically come up in trade talks before)- “I’m not going to address it specifically. I’m just going to say there’s been a wide range of talks, and that’s not uncommon through this part of the season, through any part of the season, through the offseason.”

(On if Edwards’ altercation gave him cause to talk to the team about what to do after games)- “To me, that’s something that I talk to the squad about all the time. It’s not a reactionary conversation. You try to be proactive. I’ve been talking about it since the first meeting that I had with the team, back whenever that was, and I’ll continue to talk about it on a regular basis. It’s never going to be just reactionary. It’s always going to be proactive, so that guys can put themselves in the best positions possible.”

(On if they came close with trading Edwards to the Giants for a second round pick, fifth round pick and either Mario Manningham or Domenik Hixon)- “I don’t really know where you got any of those numbers. In terms of what I understand about it, whether or not that happened or didn’t happen, I can tell you there were a lot of different opportunities.”

(On if the locker room is better without Edwards)- “I don’t think it’s a function of that. I think it’s a function of us having an opportunity and creating something that was good for both us and the player.”

(On the report that other players were with Edwards at the time of the incident and how he will deal with it)- “I have researched this and feel comfortable with the information that I have. Anything else will be internal.”

(On if Randy Lerner was involved with the trade)- “Randy and I talk frequently, either once a day, twice a day. He was here yesterday for pretty much the whole day and that’s not rare by any stretch, so we’re talking all the time. If we’re not talking, we could be emailing, could be texting. He’s involved. He cares. He wants to know the different things. He has good insight. He cares about the team. He cares about the organization and he’s heavily involved. I appreciate that. He’s a good sounding board and is very smart.”

(On how he wants players to handle themselves after a game)- “As a father of three, and all young kids, I like going and hanging out with them and spending time with them, but that’s me. I’m not 23 or 22 or 27, whatever it is. Everybody’s different. The important thing to me is that whatever decisions you make, make good decisions. If you see a situation that doesn’t look very good, remove yourself from it and always try to continually put yourself in the best possible position. You represent not just yourself, but the entire organization.”