CLEVELAND -- Eric Mangini drove away from the Browns' team headquarters Wednesday night. It's not known if he's coming back.
The embattled coach left the Browns' training facility at 5:35 p.m. after presumably having his big meeting with new team president Mike Holmgren. As he drove away in his car, Mangini didn't stop to speak with reporters outside.
Team spokesman Bill Bonsiewicz wouldn't confirm if Mangini, who's fighting for his job, had the chance to make his case to Holmgren. The team isn't expected to comment on Mangini's situation until there's an announcement.
On Tuesday, his first day running the Browns, Holmgren said Mangini had a legitimate shot of returning for a second season in Cleveland. Holmgren wants to make a decision about Mangini's future by the end of the week.
On his second day in Cleveland, Holmgren did interview Philadelphia Eagles general manager Tom Heckert for the Browns' GM vacancy. Heckert took a break from the Eagles' preparations for this Saturday's NFC wild-card playoff game at Dallas to meet with Holmgren, who's expected to conduct other interviews this week.
Holmgren didn't reveal the names of any potential GM candidates. Some names that have been floated as possibilities include: San Diego Chargers senior executive Randy Mueller, Green Bay Packers co-directors of football operations John Schneider and Reggie McKenzie, Seattle Seahawks pro personnel director Will Lewis and Seahawks director of pro personnel Lake Dawson.
Lewis and Dawson both worked with Holmgren in Seattle.
Holmgren served as both the Seahawks' coach and GM for four seasons, a span that didn't go as well as he hoped. Holmgren said he has learned not to take on more than he can handle. He also said any decisions on free agency or drafts would be made by a consensus of voices -- not just his.
"I could do it all if I wanted to," Holmgren said. "I don't want to. I am going to hire a general manager. Very few teams, none that I've been associated with, with high-powered personnel people or presidents or whatever you want to call them, does the guy come in, pound the desk and say, 'We are taking this guy, and I don't care what anybody thinks.'
"There's one team I can think of that does that, but no one else."
Heckert talked with the Atlanta Falcons last year about their GM job and was lined up to speak with the Browns but backed out when the team hired George Kokinis. Heckert, whose father, Tom, worked as a scout for the Browns in the 1980s, has been the Eagles' GM since 2003.
Holmgren and Heckert have the same agent, Bob LaMonte.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
