Doug Marrone is out as Buffalo Bills head coach, more accurately, he quit as Bills coach. With a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the franchise after it was purchased by Terry Pegula, Marrone decided to opt out of his contract. When Marrone signed his deal with Buffalo back in 2013 there was a stipulation in the deal that allowed him a window to opt out if there was a change in ownership. This week Marrone had a three-day window to do just that, and did so at the last minute. According to ESPN, Marrone was influenced to opt out when he couldn't get the extension he wanted beyond the two years left on his deal.
Now the rumors are flying that the Jets are the favorites to land him.
New York Jets become favorites to land former Bills HC Doug Marrone, who is from the Bronx.
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Apparently both sides have a mutual interest in joining forces, which has to make you wonder if Marrone was in contact with the Jets before he quit. If that's true it would be tampering on the part of the Jets. Woody Johnson called Marrone's Buffalo dismissal "pretty good news," since he has a history with the coach dating back to his time with the Jets as offensive line coach from 2002-2005.
“I just found out Doug Marrone is available. We will look at him,”
Johnson told The News. “He is a coach who was with us. And I know him a
little bit. This is pretty good news,” the owner added. “I was shocked. It’s been a
long time since I’ve seen Doug, and I have good memories of him,” (NY Daily News).
Marrone, a Bronx, NYC native, apparently has some allies within the Jets, not including the owner. According to Rich Cimini of the Daily News, Charley Casserly whom Johnson hired to consult him on the process is a big fan.
"Someone who knows Casserly, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Casserly has been raving about Marrone since he was the Syracuse coach (2009-12). Even then, Casserly was describing Marrone as a future NFL head coach, a rising star in the business.
"He was totally infatuated with him," the person said. "You have to know Charley: When he gets on something, he's a pit bull. I know he's got Woody [Johnson] all lathered up," (Cimini, ESPN NY).
With all of this news now developing, something really stinks. For starters the Jets already interviewed Anthony Lynn, their current running backs coach. The reason that is significant has to do with the fact that Lynn is African American, circumventing the Jets under the ridiculous Rooney Rule, allowing them to hire the coach they want.
The Jets haven't even interviewed Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator with the Seahawks, nor any serious coaching candidate linked to the job.
Most troubling of course is the blatant fact the Jets do not have a GM in place. Logic would dictate to any franchise that they are best hiring a general manager first, before settling for a head coach, not the opposite. The Jets already made this mistake when they forced Rex Ryan down John Idzik's throat. This would be a similar mistake, manufactured by Woody Johnson.
If the Jets want to tap Marrone before they have settled on a general manager they are asking for trouble. Hiring Marrone, and a GM at the same time doesn't make it any better, since it would still feel hollow and orchestrated.
Additionally, what kind of influence does Casserly and Ron Wolf really have? If Marrone is Casserly's guy doesn't that mean he's acting as the defacto GM? Does Casserly even want to be the Jets GM? It comes across that Casserly is manipulating Johnson. It doesn't take a genius to realize that Johnson is not a football guy; perhaps Casserly has tapped into that fact and is using against the owner.
Are the Jets tampering? That's hard to say since Marrone has already quit the Bills without a contract with the Jets, but it is ironic that he quits days after the Jets started their coaching search. The mutual interest doesn't help either. The NFL would have to step in and investigate if any allegations are made. So far, Buffalo has been quiet on that front.
From the football standpoint, the interest makes little sense. Marrone is a mediocre head coach. His Buffalo teams were a combined 15-17 in two seasons, and he was 25-25 at Syracuse. He has never been a big time winner or problem solver. Buffalo was 9-7 this year because of their defense, which was run by ex-Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. While Marrone has been credited for showing guts in benching quarterback bust E.J. Manuel for veteran Kyle Orton, others have speculated it was a move Marrone made to impress ownership.
This is not a good move for the Jets. They would be wise to wait on hiring a coach until a general manager is in place; sadly Johnson is fully on board in letting Casserly and Wolf pick the coach first. Get ready for another bumpy ride, Jets fans.
Marrone, a Bronx, NYC native, apparently has some allies within the Jets, not including the owner. According to Rich Cimini of the Daily News, Charley Casserly whom Johnson hired to consult him on the process is a big fan.
"Someone who knows Casserly, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Casserly has been raving about Marrone since he was the Syracuse coach (2009-12). Even then, Casserly was describing Marrone as a future NFL head coach, a rising star in the business.
"He was totally infatuated with him," the person said. "You have to know Charley: When he gets on something, he's a pit bull. I know he's got Woody [Johnson] all lathered up," (Cimini, ESPN NY).
With all of this news now developing, something really stinks. For starters the Jets already interviewed Anthony Lynn, their current running backs coach. The reason that is significant has to do with the fact that Lynn is African American, circumventing the Jets under the ridiculous Rooney Rule, allowing them to hire the coach they want.
The Jets haven't even interviewed Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator with the Seahawks, nor any serious coaching candidate linked to the job.
Most troubling of course is the blatant fact the Jets do not have a GM in place. Logic would dictate to any franchise that they are best hiring a general manager first, before settling for a head coach, not the opposite. The Jets already made this mistake when they forced Rex Ryan down John Idzik's throat. This would be a similar mistake, manufactured by Woody Johnson.
If the Jets want to tap Marrone before they have settled on a general manager they are asking for trouble. Hiring Marrone, and a GM at the same time doesn't make it any better, since it would still feel hollow and orchestrated.
Additionally, what kind of influence does Casserly and Ron Wolf really have? If Marrone is Casserly's guy doesn't that mean he's acting as the defacto GM? Does Casserly even want to be the Jets GM? It comes across that Casserly is manipulating Johnson. It doesn't take a genius to realize that Johnson is not a football guy; perhaps Casserly has tapped into that fact and is using against the owner.
Are the Jets tampering? That's hard to say since Marrone has already quit the Bills without a contract with the Jets, but it is ironic that he quits days after the Jets started their coaching search. The mutual interest doesn't help either. The NFL would have to step in and investigate if any allegations are made. So far, Buffalo has been quiet on that front.
From the football standpoint, the interest makes little sense. Marrone is a mediocre head coach. His Buffalo teams were a combined 15-17 in two seasons, and he was 25-25 at Syracuse. He has never been a big time winner or problem solver. Buffalo was 9-7 this year because of their defense, which was run by ex-Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. While Marrone has been credited for showing guts in benching quarterback bust E.J. Manuel for veteran Kyle Orton, others have speculated it was a move Marrone made to impress ownership.
This is not a good move for the Jets. They would be wise to wait on hiring a coach until a general manager is in place; sadly Johnson is fully on board in letting Casserly and Wolf pick the coach first. Get ready for another bumpy ride, Jets fans.
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