After NFL.com's Ian Rapoport confirmed over the weekend that Eric Mangini is back in the NFL as a senior offensive consultant for the San Francisco 49ers, the first question was obvious: After building his career on defense, why flip sides?
The second question deals with the future: Is Mangini gunning for another head-coaching job?
"That's definitely a goal of mine," Mangini said Tuesday, per Matt Maiocco of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. "Right now, I'm doing what I can do here as well as I can do it. I think it's every coach's goal to eventually do that."
That brings us back to Question No. 1: Why offense? It's actually a masterful move, because Mangini will be used by Jim Harbaugh as a double-agent of sorts, helping the 49ers' attack stay one step ahead of defensive adjustments.
"I like the idea of working on offense," Mangini said. " ... I did that my first two years in the league, and I think that'll make me a lot better overall coach because it gives you a totally different perspective. If I go back to defense at some point, I'll be that much more rounded."
Free-agent tracker
NFL free agency is under way. Follow all of the latest rumors and signings in our free-agent tracker. More...
Another chance to steer an NFL ship will take time. Mangini initially was hailed as a boy wonder during parts of his 23-25 run with the New York Jets. He took them to the playoffs in 2006, but his next two seasons with Gang Green were rough sailing. After a 10-22 stint with the Cleveland Browns, Mangini was fired by then-team president Mike Holmgren.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
