ORCHARD PARK - Maybe it was because he had just dumped talented but troublesome wide receiver Braylon Edwards on the Jets for wideout Chansi Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnik and a couple of draft choices.

Maybe it was because nobody asked him about the $1,700 fine he levied on a Browns’ player because he didn’t pay for a $3 bottle of water from a team hotel mini-bar.

Whatever the reason, Cleveland coach Eric Mangini, who brings his 0-4 team into Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday afternoon, was downright pleasant in yesterday’s conference call to the Bills’ media.

He answered the obligatory questions about Edwards and then discussed his team, one of six winless NFL clubs.

MANGINI, 39, had coached the Jets to a 23-25 record the previous three seasons, before being fired last January.

But the disciple of Bill Parcells (Jets’ assistant 1997-99) and Bill Belichick (Patriots’ aide 2000-05) wasn’t out of work long, accepting an offer by Cleveland only nine days later.

But while Browns’ fans were initially encouraged, his heavy-handed style quickly grew old with both the players and the faithful.

Mangini practiced his team hard, to the chagrin of many veterans, and the malcontents were quickly dismissed. Tight end Kellen Winslow was sent to Tampa Bay in late February and Wednesday it was Edwards’ turn.

Between those two moves, Cleveland lost four straight games to open the season: 34-20 to Minnesota, 27-6 and 34-3 at Denver and Baltimore, respectively, followed by last Sunday’s 23-20 home defeat by Cincinnati in overtime.

And those numbers aren’t a mirage.

Cleveland is last in the NFL in yards surrendered and 31st of 32 teams in rushing yards given up and fewest interceptions (one).

It’s no better on offense where the Browns are 30th in points scored and passing yards and 29th in yards gained.

“I WAS pleased with the way our guys played last week and we got closer to understanding what Browns’ football is,” Mangini maintained of the loss to the Bengals. “It doesn’t happen overnight ... the guys have been working at it and I’ve been pleased the way they’ve been working.

“I liked the way we played last week, not that you’re ever happy with a loss ... I’m not saying that. But I did see a lot of encouraging things in all three phases. And the important thing is to take that from last week and apply it to this week and fix some of the things that we need fixed.”

And there’s plenty of fixing to be done.

“The thing that I’m looking for is a very specific type of player,” Mangini said of what he wants the Browns’ roster to be. “We draft based on this and bring in free agents based on this ... smart guys, tough guys, hard-working guys, guys that are competitive ... intensely competitive, guys that are selfless and will play whatever role that needs to be played to win the game. Guys that football’s really important to ... it’s not just a job, it really means something.

“That’s what we view as our core characteristics. Each week I’m looking for a group that communicates well, that focuses on the task at hand, that can finish games and that trusts each other.”

If you think you’ve heard that before, you have.

“I believe in that and I learned it in 1997-99 with Bill Parcells,” Mangini recalled. “I learned it and lived it in New England where we transitioned from 5-11, then the next year were 0-2 and 1-3 and just kept working at it and kept believing in what we were doing and it broke and it broke big and it’s broken (big) for a long time.”

But Browns fans haven’t been very patient, already calling for Mangini’s job.

“One of the big things relating to focus is being able to tune out the external stuff and really be in the moment,” he said of the fan-generated distraction. “That’s the only chance you have to improve. You can’t do anything about the past, you can’t do anything about the future. What you can control is right now.

“For any team, for any person to improve, you’ve got to make deep decisions. I always thought that Bill Belichick was one of the best I’ve ever seen at getting a group focused on the task at hand and everybody doing it together.”

And Mangini hasn’t changed his focus or his goal.

“We’re looking to win now and to build an organization that’s competitive and can win every season and that does take time,” he cautioned. “But that doesn’t mean, by any stretch, we’re not going to try to win this game. We’re trying to win every game right now and trying to make decisions that are good for us now and in the future.”

Mangini concluded, “I didn’t go into this (job) with any expectation except that we make progress. Sometimes it’s dramatic. Sometimes it’s subtle, but the key thing is that it’s always there. It happens at different points.”

Right now Mangini, and Browns’ fans, merely hoping it happens soon.

(Chuck Pollock, the Times Herald sports editor, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)

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