Berea, OH (My Sportsbook) - The Cleveland Browns made it official on Thursday and introduced Eric Mangini as their new head coach.

Mangini, fired as head coach of the New York Jets one day after the conclusion of the regular season, reportedly agreed to a four-year contract to replace the fired Romeo Crennel and return to the place where he began his NFL coaching career.

"I couldn't be happier to come home to Cleveland," said Mangini. "I'm excited about getting to work and moving forward."

Mangini started his NFL career in 1994 as a Browns ball boy and then an intern in Cleveland's public relations department, before joining then-Browns head coach Bill Belichick's staff as an assistant in 1995.

After 11 years as an assistant, Mangini earned his first NFL head coaching job with the Jets in 2006 and completed three seasons with a record of 23-25. He led New York to a mark of 10-6 and a surprise playoff appearance in his first season, then struggled to a 4-12 record in 2007 before this year's team finished 9-7.

The Jets were considered Super Bowl contenders in late November with a mark of 8-3, coming off a victory over previously-unbeaten Tennessee. But a 1-4 finish, including losses in the final two weeks to lowly Seattle and AFC East rival Miami, sealed Mangini's fate.

"I feel really good about the things we did in New York," Mangini stated at a news conference Thursday. "We're going to work as hard here."

The Browns, meanwhile, struggled mightily throughout the 2008 campaign and finished with a 4-12 record despite lofty preseason expectations off a 10-6 mark in 2007. The disappointing campaign led to a change in the front office, as general manager Phil Savage was shown the door before Crennel was fired.

A new general manager has not yet been hired, but speculation has Baltimore's George Kokinis as the favorite. Kokinis is currently the Ravens' director of player personnel and a friend of the new coach.