Detroit Lions running back Kevin Smith (34) dives for a touchdown on a 25-yard reception as Cleveland Browns linebacker Kaluka Maiava defends in the second quarter of an NFL football in Detroit.
Photograph by: Paul Sancya
Credit: AP

"I'm just saying there were a lot of them (injuries)," Mangini said of injuries to defensive players who later returned to the game on Sunday.

Schwartz was quick to respond.

"He's way out of bounds on that," Schwartz said. "That couldn't be further from the truth. Both teams were running no huddle (offense), and the officials did a very good job of standing over the ball, so there was no need to do that."

Mangini, who worked with Schwartz when the two started their coaching careers under Bill Belichick in Cleveland, is no stranger to pointing a finger at a onetime colleague.

When he coached in New York, Mangini accused Belichick and New England of videotaping the Jets' defensive signals during the 2007 season opener.

Mangini first raised the possibility that the Lions were flopping immediately after the game.

"There were multiple, multiple, multiple injuries throughout our no-huddle process," Mangini said on Sunday.

Browns wide receiver Chansi Stuckey supported Mangini's theory that the Lions were faking, but said he would do the same.

According to the official play-by-play, there were six instances involving five players in which a Lions player went down with an injury during the no-huddle and then returned.

"That's what their coach does," Stuckey said. "If someone tries to do that (no huddle) to us, I would expect our guys to do the same thing. Unless it gets into that under two-minute situation where that causes a timeout, any other time it's fine and I would do the same thing."

Stuckey said the injury ruse can be effective in slowing down an offense.

"Once you're going, those defensive linemen can't run in and off the field," he said. "They're getting tired, they do four, five pass rushes in a row, they're getting tired, so someone has to do something like that to try to slow us down and stop the rhythm and try to get some fresh guys on the field."

Lions linebacker Barry Foote was offended at the veiled suggestion of cheating.

"We've been getting banged up all season," Foote said. "It doesn't matter if teams play the no-huddle or not. I don't know what is going on (with the injuries). Maybe we need to drink different water. Coach Mangini just needs to stop making comments about our team."

Asked if the NFL should look into the use of the ploy, Mangini acknowledged it was tricky.

"It's subjective," he said. "How do you know what is and isn't an injury?"

The Browns squandered a 24-3 lead as the fell to 1-9 with the defeat.

Mangini also thought officials made an incorrect pass interference call in the end zone at the end of the game - a penalty that gave the Lions one more play from Cleveland's one-yard line.

With no time on the clock, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw his fifth touchdown pass and Detroit kicked the extra point for just their second victory in 26 games.