Eric Mangini will return for a second season as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, along with most of his staff, the team announced Thursday.

That four-game winning streak following the 1-11 shitshow to kick off their season just may have saved his job. While Mangini was preparing his exit speech, new team president Mike Holmgren shocked the world of football and made the decision to keep Mangini around.

Yes. Despite the lack of any agreement as to how they would each like to run the program, and despite Holmgren wanting to get Cleveland football moving in the right (winning) direction, he has chosen to keep Mangini aboard. It’s mind-boggling.

“I was able to gain some tremendous insight into his thought process and philosophies, and came away from our meetings very impressed,” Holmgren said. “In my opinion, Eric has gained the respect and admiration of players, coaches and others in the organization, and with him continuing to lead the team I feel that we are headed in the right direction. Working together, our goal is to build on the strong tradition of this franchise and help get the Browns back to the playoffs.”

That’s a nice statement. However, I’m inclined to believe that the only reason Holmgren is giving Mangini another shot  is because when it doesn’t work out, it’ll be Mangini in the line of fire. Not Holmgren, the first-year executive.

Safety first, right Mike?