• Becomes the 16th head coach in Buffalo Bills history

• Owns 21 years of coaching experience, including seven in the National Football League and 14 in the NCAA

• Held the title of Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2006-2008

• His fi rst NFL coaching stint came in 2002 with the New York Jets as the team’s offensive line coach

MARRONE QUICK FACTS• Returned to his alma mater of Syracuse in 2009 and

guided the Orange to a 25-25 record in four seasons

• Posted 8-5 marks in 2010 and 2012 en route to capturing New Era Pinstripe Bowl Championships

• Set multiple offensive school records in 2012, includ-ing total yards (5,681), passing yards (3,691) and fi rst downs (300)

• In 2011, a school-record and league-leading 28 student-athletes were named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team

• Tabbed the 2010 American Football Coaches Associa-tion (AFCA) Region 1 Coach of the Year... 2010 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year fi nalist

• Was a three-year letterman along the offensive line at Syracuse from 1983-85... earned Associated Press All-East accolades as a senior and second-time honors as a junior... tabbed AP All-East Honorable mention in his sophomore year

• During his playing time at Syracuse, the Orange com-piled a 19-15 record and made their fi rst bowl game appearance in six years

RESTORES SYRACUSE PRIDE

• From 2006-08, the New Orleans Saints led the NFL in total yards per game (387.8) and passing yards per game (287.4) while ranking third in points per contest (26.1)

• The Saints led the NFL in total offense in 2006 and 2008... in 2008 the offense set team records for points (463), total yards (6,571), net passing yards (4,977), touchdowns (57) and fi rst downs (354)

• Oversaw an offensive line unit that yielded the fewest sacks in 2006 (16) and the tied for the least allowed in a three-year span through 2008 (52) despite throwing the ball an NFL-best 1,868 times

O.C./O-LINE COACH OF HIGH POWERED SAINTS

• Began his NFL coaching stint as offensive line coach of the New York Jets for four seasons from 2002-05

• Part of a coaching unit that helped the team earn two postseason appearances (four games) in two of his four years with the Jets (2002 and 2004)

• Oversaw an offensive line that paved the way for the NFL’s leading rusher in 2004 in Curtis Martin (1,697 yards)

• Posted the third-best rushing offense in 2004 (149.3 rushing yards/game) and second in rushing fi rst downs (135)

O-LINE COACH OF JETS: 2002-05

• A Bronx, N.Y. native, Marrone was drafted in the sixth-round of the 1986 NFL draft by the LA Raiders and played two years in the NFL, fi rst with Miami in 1987 and then with the Saints in 1989.... also had playing stints with Pittsburgh, Dallas and Minnesota before closing his career with the NFLE London Monarchs

• Coaching career began in 1992 at Cortland (N.Y.) State as the school’s tight ends coach before stints as the offensive line coach at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1993) and Northeastern University (1994)

• Was the director of football operations at Georgia Tech in 1995, before coaching the tight ends (1996) and offensive line (1997-99)... In 1999, the Yellow Jackets led the nation in total offense (509.4 yards/game) and points per game (40.7)... part of a coaching staff that helped guide the school to a bowl game in three con-secutive years (1997-99).

• Spent 2001 at the University of Tennessee (tight ends coach) and 2000 at the University of Georgia as the program’s offensive line coach

THE MARRONE FILE

QUICK COACHING FACTS AND INFORMATIONCoaching Experience: 21 Years NFL: 7 years NCAA: 14 Years NFL Coaching Experience: Coordinator: 3 Years Position: 4 Years

DOUG MARRONE

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, January 7, 2013

BILLS TAB MARRONE 16TH HEAD COACH IN TEAM HISTORY ORCHARD PARK, NY – The Buffalo Bills today announced the hiring of Doug Marrone as the 16th head coach in franchise history. Marrone, 48, replaces former Bills head coach Chan Gailey who was relieved of his duties on December 31, 2012. The 2013 season will mark Marrone’s eighth year in the National Football League and first as a head coach in the professional ranks. Marrone spent the previous four years as the head coach of his alma mater’s football program at Syracuse University from 2009-12 and led the program to a 21-17 record in the last three seasons. He guided the Orange to an 8-5 mark in 2010 and 2012 – with both campaigns culminating in a New Era Pinstripe Bowl Championship.

Syracuse’s offense set several program records in 2012 for total yards (5,681), passing yards (3,619) and first downs (300). Prior to his Syracuse tenure, Marrone spent seven years in the NFL. From 2006-08 he served as the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints after a four-year span as the offensive line coach of the New York Jets (2002-05). The Saints led the NFL in total offense and passing yards per game in 2006 (391.5 total yards/game and 281.4 passing yards/game) and 2008 (410.7 total yards/game and 311.1 passing yards/game). In 2004, the Jets’ offensive line paved the way for the league’s third-best rushing offense (149.3 rushing yards/game) while tallying the second-most rushing first downs (135). Running Back Curtis Martin led the NFL with 1,697 rushing yards and posted nine 100-yard games. Before arriving in New York, Marrone coached the tight ends and tackles at the University of Tennessee in 2001. He spent the 2000 season at the University of Georgia as the program’s offensive line coach after spending the previous five years at Georgia Tech. In 1995, Marrone was the director of football operations before coaching the tight ends in 1996 and offensive line from 1997-99. In 1999, the Yellow Jackets led the nation in total offense (509.4 yards/game) and points per game (40.7). Marrone was part of a coaching staff that helped guide the school to a bowl game in three consecutive years (1997-99).

Marrone’s coaching career began in 1992 at Cortland (N.Y.) State as the school’s tight ends coach before stints as the offensive line coach at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1993) and Northeastern University in 1994. Marrone, a Bronx, N.Y. native, was drafted in the sixth-round of the 1986 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Raiders and played two years in the NFL, first with the Miami Dolphins in 1987 and then with the Saints in 1989. He also had playing stints with Pittsburgh, Dallas and Minnesota before closing his career with the NFLE London Monarchs (1991-92). A three-year letterman at Syracuse, Marrone returned to the university and graduated in 1991. He and his wife, Helen, have two daughters, Madeline and Anne, and a son, Mack. DOUG MARRONE COACHING HISTORY:

YEAR LOCATION RECORD ACHIEVEMENTS 1992 Cortland (Tight Ends) 7-4 1993 U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Offensive Line) 4-5 1994 Northeastern (Offensive Line) 2-9

1995 Georgia Tech (Director of Football Operations) 6-5

1996 Georgia Tech (Tight Ends) 5-6 1997 Georgia Tech (Offensive Line) 7-5 Carquest Bowl Champions 1998 Georgia Tech (Offensive Line) 10-2 Gator Bowl Champions 1999 Georgia Tech (Offensive Line) 8-4 Gator Bowl Appearance 2000 University of Georgia (Offensive Line) 8-4 Oahu Bowl Champions

2001 University of Tennessee (Tight Ends/Tackles) 11-2 Citrus Bowl Champions

2002 New York Jets (Offensive Line) 9-7 1st AFC East – Lost 2nd Round Playoffs

2003 New York Jets (Offensive Line) 6-10

2004 New York Jets (Offensive Line) 10-6 2nd AFC East - Lost 2nd Round Playoffs

2005 New York Jets (Offensive Line) 4-12

2006 New Orleans Saints (Offensive Coordinator) 10-6 1st NFC South – Lost NFC Championship

2007 New Orleans Saints (Offensive Coordinator) 7-9 2008 New Orleans Saints (Offensive Coordinator) 8-8 2009 Syracuse University (Head Coach) 4-8 2010 Syracuse University (Head Coach) 8-5 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Champions 2011 Syracuse University (Head Coach) 5-7 2012 Syracuse University (Head Coach) 8-5 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Champions

““ ”WHAT THEY’VE SAID ABOUT COACH MARRONE

“I was truly fortunate to be under Coach Marrone’s tutelage both at the University of Georgia and for three years with the New Orleans Saints. In my opinion he was the best position coach that I was ever able to work with. He really had a knack and passion for the game of football, was very detail-oriented and driven to be able to coach each player into becoming the best possible player they could be. On a personal level, I just really appreciate everything he did for me along the way and I know I’m a much better player because of his leadership than if our paths had never crossed. “I think everything that Doug did was calculated and planned. When he was looking at the Syracuse job, he had a notebook full of things detailing how he wanted to coach and improve the program. He’s very detail-oriented and passionate. With the combination of those qualities, I expect Buffalo to be successful under his leadership.” -- Jon Stinchcomb, Former Saints Offensive Lineman (2003-10)

“ “IwouldbereallyexcitedifIwasaBillsfan.ThisisaguyIhavebeenstudyingforalongtime.IcompetedagainsthimwhenhewastheoffensivecoordinatorfortheSaints.Heisatough,hard-nosedanddetailedcoach.Reallyhasagoodcommand for the game and is really good teaching the game. What he did at Syracuse speaks for itself. He turned that program around. “Ithinkheisonthecuttingedgeoffensively.Hehasavastfootballbackgroundifyoujustcheckwherehecomesfromandthekindofpeopleheisabletoacquireintermsofhisstaff.IthinkhedidanexcellentjobatSyracuseofdevelopingyoungcoachesandsurroundinghimselfwithareallygoodbraintrust.IexpecthimtodothesameinBuffalo.Ithinkitisagreat hire. “Ithinkheisgoingtowin.IthinkheisgoingtogettheBillsbackintheplayoffssoon.ObviouslyIthinkBuffaloisonthe right track. Buddy Nix did an excellent job acquiring players. I think they are on the right track, but I think Coach Marrone isthekindofcoachthatcanpushyouoverthetop.Hehaswoneverywherehehasbeen.Ithinkheisgoingtocontinuetodothat.Hewillfindawaytogetitdone.” -- Jon Gruden, ESPN Analyst

“ “IthinktheBuffaloBillsmadeagreathire.IthinkfromthetimethatSean(Payton)firsthiredDougMarrone,asouroffensivecoordinatorandoffensivelinecoach,itwasprettyclearthathewasdestinedtobeaheadcoach.Wewereproudofthefactthatpeoplequicklynoticedthetremendousjobhedidaspartofourcoachingstaffandidentifiedhimasacapableheadcoachingcandidate.HeprovedthatinarelativelyshortamountoftimeatSyracuse.Hehasalltherequisiteskills.Idon’texpectanythingbutgreatresultsinBuffalo.” --MickeyLoomis,NewOrleansSaintsExecutiveVicePresident/GeneralManager

“ “IambigfanofthecombinationofhavingagoodfootballIQ—itisdemonstratedthroughsuccessatotherplaces.IthinkwhatCurtisMartinwasabletoaccomplishwhen(Marrone)waswiththeJetssaysalotabouthisknowledgeoftherungame.ThenyoualsohavetotakealookathowhefunctionedinNewOrleanswithanoffensethatwas…everybodythinksofthemasapass-firstteambutIthinktheimpactandthefoundationthatDouglaiddownthereisoneofthereasons that they have been quietly successful running the football. And then the opportunity to go to Syracuse and learn all of the other things that come with being a head coach.” --DarylJohnston,FOXSportsAnalyst/FormerCollegeTeammate

“ “IamthrilledforDougandhisfamily.IreallyenjoyedmytimeworkingwithhimwhenhewasherewiththeSaints. Doug is a coach who deeply about his players. It was fun to watch him resurrect the program at his alma mater, Syracuse,andIknowthatthefeelinginourorganizationwasthathewouldhavesuccessdoingthatveryquickly.Thisisa great opportunity for Doug and I can tell you that there are a lot of people here at the Saints that are proud to see him having earned this opportunity with the Bills.” --DrewBrees,NewOrleansSaintsQuarterback

DOUG MARRONE HEAD COACH 8TH YEAR IN NFL/1ST WITH BILLS Doug Marrone enters his first season as Buffalo’s head coach and his eighth season in the NFL coaching ranks. Marrone spent the previous four years as the head coach of his alma mater’s football program at Syracuse University from 2009-12 and led the program to a 21-17 record in the last three seasons. He guided the Orange to an 8-5 mark in 2010 and 2012 – with both campaigns culminating in a New Era Pinstripe Bowl Championship.

Syracuse’s offense set several program records in 2012 for total yards (5,681), passing yards (3,619) and first downs (300). In 2011, the Orange had a school-record and league-leading 28 student athletes named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team. After guiding Syracuse to the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl Championship, Marrone was tabbed the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 1 Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. Prior to his Syracuse tenure, Marrone spent seven years in the NFL. From 2006-08 he served as the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints after a four-year span as the offensive line coach of the New York Jets (2002-05). The Saints led the NFL in total offense and passing yards per game in 2006 (391.5 total yards/game and 281.4 passing yards/game) and 2008 (410.7 total yards/game and 311.1 passing yards/game). Prior to his arrival in New Orleans, the franchise never had a 4,000-yard passer or posted more than 5,700 yards of offense. Quarterback Drew Brees eclipsed 4,000 passing yards and the offense tallied more than 5,700 yards in each of Marrone’s three years with the Saints. The Saints set a team record with an NFL-best 6,264 yards of offense in 2006, 5,780 in 2007 (4th in the NFL) and led the league once again in 2008 with 6,571 yards. In his first season as an NFL offensive coordinator in 2006, the Saints set franchise records for first downs (330), average yards per play (5.8) and passing yards (4,503). Left tackle Jammal Brown was voted All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl in his first year at the position, while Guard Jahri Evans was a unanimous All-Rookie selection. The Saints’ offense finished fourth in the NFL in 2007 and led the league in red zone touchdown percentage (.720, 36 of 50) while posting an NFC-best 46.3 third-down conversion mark. New Orleans also broke the team’s previous season’s first down record (346) while setting an NFL record for completions (440) and franchise bests for passing first downs (222), attempts (652), touchdown passes (28) and completion percentage (67.5). The Saints led the NFL in total offense for the second time in three years in 2008 while setting team records for points (463), total yards (6,571), net passing yards (4,977), touchdowns (57) and first downs (354).

The Saints’ offense line was instrumental in the team’s success under Marrone’s guidance. The offensive front held their opponents to the fewest sacks allowed in 2006 (16) and tied for the fewest sacks yielded from 2006-08 with 52 despite throwing the ball 1,868 times – most attempts in the three-year span. Quarterback Drew Brees captured the NFL passing title in 2006 (4,418) and 2008 (5,069). He became just the second passer in NFL history to reach the 5,000-yard milestone in league record books (Dan Marino – 1984). In 2008, Brees was tabbed the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year. From 2006-08, Brees led the NFL with 13,910 passing yards and 1,209 completions. During his time with the New York Jets from 2002-05, the team made two postseason appearances (2002 and 2004). In 2004, the Jets’ offensive line paved the way for the league’s third-best rushing offense (149.3 rushing yards/game) while tallying the second-most rushing first downs (135). Running Back Curtis Martin led the NFL with 1,697 rushing yards and posted nine 100-yard games. The Jets’ offensive line helped the offense post an average of 5.3 yards per play and a 4.0 yards gain per rushing attempt in 2003. In his first season with the Jets in 2002, despite having two new starters along the offensive line, the rushing offense totaled 1,618 yards. Before arriving in New York, Marrone coached the tight ends and tackles at the University of Tennessee in 2001. He spent the 2000 season at the University of Georgia as the program’s offensive line coach after spending the previous five years at Georgia Tech. In 1995, Marrone was the director of football operations before coaching the tight ends in 1996 and offensive line from 1997-99. In 1999, the Yellow Jackets led the nation in total offense (509.4 yards/game) and points per game (40.7). Marrone was part of a coaching staff that helped guide the school to a bowl game in three consecutive years (1997-99). Marrone’s coaching career began in 1992 at Cortland (N.Y.) State as the school’s tight ends coach before stints as the offensive line coach at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1993) and Northeastern University in 1994. Marrone, a Bronx, N.Y. native, was drafted in the sixth-round of the 1986 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Raiders and played two years in the NFL, first with the Miami Dolphins in 1987 and then with the Saints in 1989. He also had playing stints with Pittsburgh, Dallas and Minnesota before closing his career with the NFLE London Monarchs (1991-92). A three-year letterman at Syracuse along the offensive line, Marrone earned Associated Press All-East accolades as a senior and second time honors as a junior. He was tabbed AP All-East Honorable mention in his sophomore year. During his time with the first string offense, the Orange compiled a 19-15 record and made their first bowl game appearance in six years. Marrone and his teammates, including All-American Tim Green, helped lay the foundation that resulted in the program’s 1987 undefeated season. Marrone returned to Syracuse and graduated in 1991 with a degree in liberal arts. He and his wife, Helen, have two daughters, Madeline and Anne, and a son, Mack.

Marrone as an NFL Offensive Coordinator

NFL RANK NFC RANK YEAR TEAM TOTAL RUSH PASS TOTAL RUSH PASS 2006 New Orleans 1st T-18th 1st 1st 11th 1st 2007 New Orleans 4th 28th 3rd 3rd 13th 2nd 2008 New Orleans 1st 28th 1st 1st 14th 1st

DOUG MARRONE COACHING HISTORY:

YEAR LOCATION RECORD ACHIEVEMENTS 1992 Cortland (Tight Ends) 7-4 1993 U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Offensive Line) 4-5 1994 Northeastern (Offensive Line) 2-9

1995 Georgia Tech (Director of Football Operations) 6-5

1996 Georgia Tech (Tight Ends) 5-6 1997 Georgia Tech (Offensive Line) 7-5 Carquest Bowl Champions 1998 Georgia Tech (Offensive Line) 10-2 Gator Bowl Champions 1999 Georgia Tech (Offensive Line) 8-4 Gator Bowl Appearance 2000 University of Georgia (Offensive Line) 8-4 Oahu Bowl Champions

2001 University of Tennessee (Tight Ends/Tackles) 11-2 Citrus Bowl Champions

2002 New York Jets (Offensive Line) 9-7 1st AFC East – Lost 2nd Round Playoffs

2003 New York Jets (Offensive Line) 6-10

2004 New York Jets (Offensive Line) 10-6 2nd AFC East - Lost 2nd Round Playoffs

2005 New York Jets (Offensive Line) 4-12

2006 New Orleans Saints (Offensive Coordinator) 10-6 1st NFC South – Lost NFC Championship

2007 New Orleans Saints (Offensive Coordinator) 7-9 2008 New Orleans Saints (Offensive Coordinator) 8-8 2009 Syracuse University (Head Coach) 4-8 2010 Syracuse University (Head Coach) 8-5 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Champions 2011 Syracuse University (Head Coach) 5-7 2012 Syracuse University (Head Coach) 8-5 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Champions

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton on new Buffalo Bills Coach Doug Marrone: 'He's ready'

Former Saints offensive coordinator and Syracuse Coach Doug Marrone reportedly accepted the Buffalo

Bills head-coaching job Sunday. Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press

By Larry Holder, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on January 06, 2013 at 4:44 PM, updated January 06, 2013 at 10:51 PM

Sean Payton's coaching tree saw one branch strengthen Sunday as former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Doug Marrone reportedly accepted the Buffalo Bills head-coaching job.

And being the elder statesman of his family coaching tree, Payton said he gave Marrone as much advice as he could as Marrone reportedly drew interest from a couple of other teams before deciding on Buffalo.

Payton said he spoke with Marrone two or three times during the last couple of weeks to help him sort out the process of interviewing for an NFL head coaching job and briefly helped sort out which position would be best for him.

"Really, he had a couple of specific questions and the one thing that I can recall our conversations centering around was the comfort level (with the team)," Payton said Sunday. "There's somebody you're going to meet in the process that you're going to work with and turn the program around. Any of these job openings, they all have weaknesses because they wouldn't be open if they didn't.

"I kind of really equated it to the process I went through and having a chance to meet and get to know Mickey (Loomis) and Mr. (Tom) Benson. There are a lot of thing you could find wrong with certain jobs, but you have to find that certain person or two and the ownership you feel that can really help you. I felt that way, and I think in Doug's case, I went back to that experience with him. The interaction you have with your general manager and your owner is going to be not just occasional. It's going to be daily. You've got to have a comfort level."

Payton called Marrone "a great leader" and "a great teacher."

"I think he's certainly someone the players will respond to, and I think he's ready," Payton said.

Marrone joined Oakland Raiders Coach Dennis Allen as the second assistant coach from Payton's original 2006 Saints staff to become an NFL head coach. Curtis Johnson gives Payton a third head coach in his tree as the former Saints wide receiver coach became Tulane's head coach last year.

Payton hired Marrone in 2006 after Marrone served as offensive line coach with the Jets for the previous four seasons. Marrone accepted the Syracuse job toward the end of the 2008 Saints season, and Payton gave his blessing for Marrone to leave before the end of the season. Aaron Kromer took over for Marrone.

Payton said he absolutely saw qualities in Marrone when he hired him in 2006 that would translate into Marrone becoming an NFL head coach at some point. Payton said it was only a matter of when.

"He was someone that was on that original staff when you look at Dennis Allen who's out at Oakland now, and Doug Marrone, these guys came back in '06 after Katrina. ... When his opportunity came at Syracuse, it was his alma mater and he was able to get that program turned around," Payton said. "I think he'll do a great job. I really do. I know he had a handful of options this offseason with some of these pro teams. I'm excited to see him get this opportunity. He deserves it."

Former Saints offensive lineman Jon Stinchcomb said it's fun to watch all of the former Saints assistants move on to bigger jobs and said Payton is steadily building a coaching tree like Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick. "When you win a Super Bowl, those doors open down the road," Stinchcomb said.

Stinchcomb's relationship with Marrone goes back to their days at Georgia where Marrone coached Stinchcomb and the Bulldogs' offensive line in 2000. Stinchcomb said Marrone is an "unbelievable coach."

"Our paths crossed twice and I'm grateful for it," Stinchcomb said. "He is, in my opinion, the best position coach that I got to play for and got to be on a team with. He's just a very detail-oriented guy that's extremely driven and loves and respects the game of football. He was a huge influence on my career."

Stinchcomb said Marrone took over a "rag-tag group" with Jammal Brown moving to left tackle, Stinchcomb had never started an NFL game, Jeff Faine was a new center, Jamar Nesbit was a utility lineman and an unknown rookie from Division II Bloomsburg named Jahri Evans.

"You put all of that together and you just think, 'What?' He's just a special coach, and I'm excited for him. I like him as a person," Stinchcomb said.

Former Saints and current 49ers center Jonathan Goodwin added: "(I'm) Happy for him. He's a great coach who's an extremely hard worker. I think he will do a great job in Buffalo just like he did at Syracuse."

Bills pick Marrone to forge turnaround Syracuse coach Marrone selected to add spark that will end run of losing seasons

BY: Mark Gaughan / News NFL Columnist | @gggaughan , Mark Gaughan / The Buffalo News | @gggaughan , Tim Graham / News Sports Reporter | @ByTimGraham

Coach Doug Marrone brought the New Orleans offense to Syracuse and developed quarterback Ryan Nassib into a winner. Associated Press

The Buffalo Bills worked into Sunday night on a contract for Syracuse’s Doug Marrone to become the team’s next head coach. A Bills source, speaking on condition of anonymity, informed The Buffalo News the team and Marrone had agreed in principle Sunday morning and that an announcement was expected today. The Bills declined to comment officially on Marrone’s status Sunday night. ESPN reported Sunday night the contract would be for four years. While Marrone didn’t create the same splash as other candidates would have, news of his hiring was well-received in the NFL community. Marrone is viewed as a solid and respectable choice for a woebegone franchise that was last competitive when cell phones had antennas. The decision likely will define whether Russ Brandon is considered successful as Bills president. Brandon took over the title from owner Ralph Wilson one week ago. “They don’t know [Marrone],” said ESPN analyst Herm Edwards, who as New York Jets coach hired Marrone as an offensive line assistant in 2002. “He’s one of those guys where everybody’s going to be saying, ‘Who? Wha? Huh?’ “He doesn’t have that name when you think about offensive guys. But Doug did a good job at Syracuse, got them back to respectability. He built a program.”

Rather than hire someone who has been an NFL head coach before, the Bills chose an up-and-comer they hope will spark a team that has missed the playoffs 13 straight seasons. “That’s a great hire by the Bills because he brings together that pedigree that is popular now: a substantial pro background with that mix of college,” former head coach and NFL Network analyst Brian Billick said. Marrone, 48, took on a culture of losing at Syracuse and turned it around. The Bronx native will try to do the same thing with the Bills. In picking Marrone, the Bills are going with an offensive-minded coach with a reputation for being a disciplinarian. Head-coaching experience was important to the Bills, but they opted for a candidate with college experience over two other interviewees – former Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt and former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith – who took their teams to Super Bowls. The Bills also interviewed Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton and Oregon Ducks head coach Chip Kelly. A scheduled interview with Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy was canceled Saturday. The Bills never have hired a head coach directly from college, but Marrone has NFL credentials. Marrone was the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator under Sean Payton from 2006 to 2008, although Payton called the plays on game day. Payton is one of the most highly regarded offensive minds in the league. “I think he’s certainly someone the players will respond to, and I think he’s ready,” Payton told the New Orleans Times-Picayune on Sunday. Before joining the Saints, Marrone coached the Jets’ offensive line for four years. He oversaw a rugged unit that paved the way for future Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin. “He’s a detail guy,” Edwards said. “He’s very organized. He understands the importance of fundamentals and technique. He will stress that. He will make sure the assistant

coaches teach that. “His strongest traits will be putting players into position to have success, and he’s about developing players. He’ll be very good offensively. He understands a skill set of players. The offensive line along with the quarterback probably will be his focal point.” But Syracuse is where Marrone showed his full abilities as a leader. Marrone took over a program that went 10-37 the previous four years and had gone seven straight seasons without a winning record. Marrone went 25-25 in four seasons with the Orange. He went 4-8 in 2009, improving by one win over the previous season. Syracuse then posted records of 8-5, 4-7 and 8-5. Syracuse won the Pinstripe Bowl over Kansas State in 2010 and over West Virginia last week. “When his opportunity came at Syracuse, it was his alma mater, and he was able to get that program turned around,” Payton said. “I think he’ll do a great job. I really do. “I know he had a handful of options this offseason with some of these pro teams. I’m excited to see him get this opportunity. He deserves it.” Marrone played for Syracuse as an offensive lineman and was a captain. Upon arriving at Syracuse, Marrone was committed to eradicating a losing attitude. A couple dozen players wound up leaving the program over the next two seasons. “He came in with rules, and the people who didn’t want to follow the rules are gone, and those who did want to follow stayed,” linebacker Derrell Smith told reporters in 2010. Early in Marrone’s first season, he gathered the players in the locker room one morning and had them clean the room so they could take more pride in where they spent their day. He required players to dress in a suit and tie instead of sweat suits on game days. He required they sing the Syracuse alma mater before leaving the field after a game. If players were late to class, he would post photos on TV monitors in the weight room. On the field in Syracuse, Marrone ran the Saints’ offense, more or less. It’s a pro-style attack that has its roots in the West Coast offense. It relies on the quarterback getting

the ball out of his hands quickly and hitting receivers in stride. It uses tight ends and a fullback in situational roles. In New Orleans, Marrone worked with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, Drew Brees. At Syracuse, he developed Ryan Nassib into a winner. Nassib will enter the NFL draft in April and could be a prime target of Marrone and the Bills.

Poliquin: The New York Jets' Brandon Moore won't soon forget his long-ago coach . . . Doug Marrone By Bud Poliquin, Post-Standard columnist on July 28, 2012 at 5:20 PM, updated July 28, 2012 at 6:24 PM

Cortland, N.Y. -- He was the fella who was never supposed to have been grunting in Saturday morning’s monsoon, who was ignored by all 32 clubs during the 2002 NFL Draft, who had to defect from one side of the ball and enlist with the other before finally inspiring a free-agent sniff.

But no matter. There was Brandon Moore, one of 89 Jets slogging about on the soaked Cortland State turf during the New York squad’s second day of preseason camp. There was Brandon Moore, needing a good wringing-out but feeling not at all like the green-and-white antique -- albeit, the greatly admired one -- that he’s become.

“I feel good,” said Moore, the Jets’ rock who has crafted a string of 130 consecutive starts, regular season and playoff, along New York’s offensive line. “You look at these young guys. They’re in just as much pain as I am. They get dehydrated just like me. I wake up in the morning a little tight, a little sore. But everybody does. You just push through it.”

He’s 32 and despite being an undrafted free agent once upon a time (as a defensive tackle, yet), he is about to begin his 10th campaign with the Jets. And as Moore, a guard, gazed about the soggy grounds on Saturday he had to have known that only one other athlete -- linebacker Bryan Thomas -- had been on the New York roster longer than he’d been.

One. Out of 89.

That, folks, is staying power.

“I’ve put in a lot of work,” Moore explained. “I’ve tried to improve my craft. I try to get better from game to game and from year to year. And I’ve still got some time ahead of me. I'm having fun. I’ll be around for a while.”

Now, this 6-foot-3, 305-pounder out the University of Illinois was not the most intriguing story at Saturday’s misty camp. And never mind that Moore is an English major-turned-Wharton School of Business whizbang-turned-Pro Bowler. Nah, the reason why nearly 3,000 fans and some 100 media types huddled in the rain was to peek at:

(1) Tim Tebow, the colossus of a backup quarterback who went all David Hasselhoff on the masses at the end of the wet workout by doffing his top and running bare-chested, “Baywatch” style, from the field. And,

(2) The Thin Man, a.k.a., Rex Ryan, the Jets’ chatty head coach who has lost roughly 100 pounds and a couple of chins and no longer resembles either his beefy twin brother, Rob, or William Howard Taft.

But Moore could have won the bronze medal on Saturday because . . . well, because there just aren’t too many of his types -- the coming-out-of-just-this-side-of-nowhere ones -- strapping on helmets for a decade in The League.

And who was his champion, if not his savior?

Doug Marrone. The one and the same.

“He was my first O-line coach after I switched over from D-tackle,” recalled Moore of the Syracuse University ramrod who served as a Jets staffer between 2002-’05. “He was the one who got me started. If it wasn’t for Doug whipping me into shape and doing all of that extra stuff after practice . . . ”

It seems that back in the day, Marrone would regularly skip his lunch, no small sacrifice for him, and stay on the field with Moore, forcing the kid to push the blocking sled distances beyond which a blocking sled should ever be pushed. And look at Moore now: Once an oversight from the Midwest, he’s now a New York dean pulling down close to $3 million from a Jets outfit with Super Bowl aspirations.

“Doug was never really a drill-sergeant kind of coach,” remembered Moore, who has blocked for Chad Pennington and Mark Sanchez, for Curtis Martin and Shonn Greene .

. . and now awaits whatever duties surface in front of Tebow. “Even the rookies could talk with him.

“He could be a little intimidating, but Doug wasn’t a yeller and screamer. You didn’t look at him like, ‘Oh, the guy’s a jerk.’ The fact is, he took the time out of his schedule -- because, you know, he didn’t have to do it -- to work with me. I know I owe him a lot.”

And that would include what remains due on those benefits gained from a certain man-to-man that Moore will likely never forget.

“I was up and down about whether I was going to make the team,” he said. “I wasn’t practicing well. I was feeling sorry for myself. And Doug pulled me aside one day and he told me, ‘Listen, you don’t want to be like me. You don’t want to have regrets. You don’t want to leave this game with the idea that you didn’t give it your all.’ Every time I’m a little down, I always think about that conversation.”

It was held a good 10 years ago. And, likely, on a drier day than Saturday. And who knows? Without it, Brandon Moore, delighted all this time later to have lived a football life long enough to have become something of an antique, might have been somewhere in the real world in no need of a good wringing-out. And where would have been the fun in that?

SPORTS OF THE TIMES Some Northern Flair for a Pinstripe Affair By GEORGE VECSEY Published: December 29, 2010 Doug Marrone always wanted to play in Yankee Stadium. It wasn’t that far from his home in the East Bronx, measured by nine miles or a lot of money for tickets, even back in the ’70’s.

He will take the field of the new Yankee Stadium on Thursday, but the run and hit signs on the scoreboard have been replaced by down and to go.

Marrone is the coach of the Syracuse football team, which will take on Kansas State in something called the Pinstripe Bowl, matching two teams with 7-5 records. The conditions are even worse than anything the Yankees have ever foisted upon their fans, even with baseball’s long march toward Thanksgiving.

Aren’t bowl games supposed to be sunny and warm and festive? That was always the appeal of the Orange Bowl and the Rose Bowl, making people jealous of the benign weather. Instead, Syracuse and Kansas State get to play in the Pinstripe Bowl in snow-clogged New York, with ice floes in the never-more-aptly-named River Avenue.

Nevertheless, the site is still Yankee Stadium and the game offers a chance for both universities to show off their “programs.”

In reality, the only bowl game that means anything is the Bowl Championship Series matchup between Oregon and Auburn on Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz. Everything else is for television dollars and the merriment of boosters and keeping fans safe and warm up north.

For Marrone, the Pinstripe Bowl is a homecoming. He is a big man, a former offensive lineman for Syracuse who spent two years in the N.F.L. and has been coaching since 1992. He remains enough of a kid to clearly relish being in the Big Ice House in the Bronx, as Red Barber never called it.

“It took me 46 years,” he said.

The football coach has a personal tie to the Yankees. His grandfather Robert Thompson was an usher at the Stadium for nearly 20 years, often bringing home splintered bats and wayward baseballs and other souvenirs. He died when Doug was 5 years old, but the contact with the Yankees endures — longer than the mementos did.

“My mom put them in a box,” Marrone said, as other sports junkies in his audience shook their heads, knowing what was coming next. “They got all brown,” he added, noting that he could have gone to a major collector and cashed them in. But he’s not complaining. Not much, anyway.

Marrone and his counterpart, Bill Snyder, were sitting in the conference room in the corridor between the two clubhouses. It was easy to anticipate Joe Girardi, the Yankees’ manager, flitting in from his office to say, no, he was not considering giving Joba a start, and yes, he did expect Burnett to pitch better this season.

In fact, Marrone was using Girardi’s office in the Yankees’ clubhouse, but he was more voluble than Girardi usually is, maybe because he was in his home borough. In a sport with rural and Southern overtones, there are not many coaches from the city. But Marrone got his start at Lehman High School, imagining himself a Yankee.

His earliest memory is of Chris Chambliss’s home run to win the 1976 American League pennant, but he was not there. He saw his first World Series game a year later, and developed a feel for baseball from a distance. He still prefers the bleachers and the upper deck, in homage to his childhood, admiring Graig Nettles, the clutch third baseman.

“I could probably get up here and show you the batting stances of all the Yankees,” he said. Alas, nobody coaxed him. Snyder seemed like a reasonable guy who would have enjoyed a little show, but time was short. Too bad.

Anyway, Marrone went away to Syracuse, played on some pretty good teams under Dick MacPherson, and then played for the Dolphins in 1987 and the Saints in 1989 and then in London in the experimental European league.

He has worked up the ladder and was an assistant on Long Island with the Jets from 2002 through 2005 under Herman Edwards, who used to joke that Marrone worried more about the Yankees than he did about the Jets.

After that staff was blown up, Marrone went to New Orleans, and then he came home to Syracuse, which had sent Jim Brown and Ernie Davis and Floyd Little to major bowls, bowls named after citrus and flowers.

“This is our first bowl game since 2004, and our first winning season since 2001,” Marrone said proudly.

So nobody asked him how it felt to be playing in a nouveau bowl game in a city and a region that is not too good at digging out from snowstorms. Now the gunk is melting, causing major slush under the elevated train, but the plaza alongside the stadium is cleared.

The playing field, which had been covered during the storm, was not tundra-hard at midday on Wednesday, between the practices by the two teams. There was snow in some sections of the stands, but workers were heaving it toward the piles on the sidelines, where it was being trucked away.

It is a safe bet the stands will be dry and there will be no snowballs. For a new bowl game being held in a snowbound city, that is something.

E-mail: geovec@nytimes.com

Doug Marrone's big day has arrived ... and with it might come a full house By Bud Poliquin, Post-Standard columnist on September 05, 2009 at 6:41 AM, updated September 05, 2009 at 7:46 AM

Syracuse, N.Y. -- A week or so ago when he was asked to forecast how he was going to handle the most emotional Friday night of his professional career, Doug Marrone, who can shake off a question as if he was standing on a mound looking in at a stubborn catcher, all but scoffed.

Why, he'd partake of his guilty pleasure of choice -- either cookies or ice cream ... maybe both -- and then fall into bed where he'd sleep like the proverbial baby.

And the game that would follow? The first one of his career as the head football coach of his beloved alma mater? There would be no nerves. None. He'd be ready, Marrone promised. And his Syracuse University outfit would be prepared. And the club on the other side, Minnesota, would have its hands full.

There was, though, an issue for Doug as he anticipated his Orange debut. He was concerned about the number of folks who'd ultimately be in the Carrier Dome seats this afternoon to greet both his athletes and those Golden Gophers from the Big Eleven.

"I've never asked the fans for money," Marrone declared. "I've never said, 'Give 20 bucks to the program, will you?' But everywhere I've gone since I got this job I have asked the fans to come out to watch this team play. All I've asked is that they give us a chance."

With that, this so-very-earnest man paused. On the SU bridge for 8 1/2 months, Marrone had been equal parts coach and barker since leaving New Orleans and his cushy NFL gig as the Saints' offensive coordinator to rescue his old school. And there was an ache.

"If we don't get 40,000," said Doug, "that would kill me."

The good news is that Marrone should survive this historic day -- unless, of course, his offense or defense or special teams does him in -- because a near-sellout crowd is expected inside the Dome this afternoon when the Orange will begin its 2009 season of redemption.

It's been almost nine months now since Doug Marrone first stood before the public as Syracuse University's head football coach. As he faces his opener today against Minnesota, a big crowd will gather at the Carrier Dome to take a look.

The spectacular weather? The State Fair? All those yawning fairways and water-side lounge chairs and backyard barbecue pits? As the announced number of tickets distributed stood at 45,645 as of late Friday afternoon (leaving only 3,617 officially available for purchase), many of the usual Labor Day weekend temptations seem ready to be ignored this afternoon by a fair amount of our citizens.

Thus, Marrone, the 45-year-old former lineman who has pledged to restore football excellence around here, appears on the verge of getting his wish. His bunch will, indeed, be saluted today by a nearly-packed house of believers who wish to be deloused, finally, of the Greg Robinson Era.

"Win," Derrell Smith, the senior middle linebacker, said the other day. "That's what we're going to do this year. Win. This is the year of aggression for us. I don't know if it was a 'scared' thing last year. Maybe it was just a lack of 'knowing.' Whatever it was, it's gone. I don't want to put a number on anything. I'm just telling you that we're going to win."

That challenge begins at noon today when the Orange plays the first of its remarkable eight home contests against a Minnesota squad, whose five-game losing streak to end the 2008 campaign has not deterred the wise guys from establishing it as a seven-point favorite. And those near-100,000 eyes will have all kinds of things to study.

There will be Marrone, whose sideline demeanor had better be more forbidding than that of his predecessor, Robinson, who beseeched more than he demanded. There will be the offensive line, which has for too long been worthy of the snide remarks it has heard. There will be the linebackers, who, after Smith, look like so many green bananas.

Oh, and there will be the quarterback. The new kid. The first hometowner to run the Syracuse huddle since Dick Easterly, out of our burg's old North High School, crouched over center nearly 50 years ago.

This Greg Paulus experiment, the one that will take the CBA product directly from the basketball court at Duke to the football field in Syracuse, may not work ... even if Marrone, who has more credibility than any of those nameless cyberspace mopes, insists otherwise. But, one way or the other, Paulus' great adventure will be watched.

Like a guy on a tightrope, it will be watched.

The contributions of Delone Carter, Arthur Jones, Mike Williams, Mike Holmes and Antwon Bailey (and there needs to be many) will not go unnoticed. Nor will the play of all those others, too many of whom are too untested to inspire a whole lot of confidence on this morning. But Paulus' fingertips are the ones that will need to be as obvious on this group as those of Marrone if Smith is to be a seer.

"If you asked me," said Jones, who just might be the Orange's finest player, "I'd have told you that Greg Paulus, not me, was the face of this team. It's amazing to me that he can just jump in from basketball and learn everything like he has.

"He's on point. He improves every single day. He's going to shock a lot of people. If I didn't know it myself, or read any of the media things, I would have thought he's been a college-football quarterback for three or four years. It's exciting. It's unbelievable."

And now, with the foreword written, the story begins. This, in front of a toasty Dome throng that may make a run at 47,000 ... 48,000 ... perhaps even 49,000 bodies. Marrone, after all, will coach his first-ever college game only once. And Paulus, the whiz-bang returned, will toss his first-ever college pass only once.

And more than a view of us want to be witnesses.

All in all, then, the assumption is that Big Doug will report to the Dome today after a good night's sleep.

Doug Marrone ready for rebuilding project as Syracuse looks to get back to respectability

Published: Tuesday, August 04, 2009, 10:16 PM Updated: Tuesday, August 04, 2009, 10:22 PM

By Bridget Wentworth/The Star-Ledger

NEWPORT, R.I. -- Doug Marrone has the look an ex-football player, complete with the big body and broad shoulders. He has the sound of an ex-football player, complete with the gruff twang that resonates in his voice. He has the knowledge of an ex-football player, right down to where the right guard's feet have to be during a pass-protection scheme.

All of that would have made him abundantly qualified to be Syracuse's new head coach. Heck, after the four years the program had just endured under Greg Robinson's watch, Marrone could have just been an ex-football player, and he could have won the job.

But he had the one intangible that no one else had: He knew Syracuse football because he was a part of Syracuse football.

"I don't sell," Marrone said bluntly in the ballroom at the Viking Hotel in downtown Newport Tuesday morning. "I just tell them what I am and what I believe in. I think the difference between myself and someone else that might have gotten the job is I played there. I went to school there. When they leave, they're going to be an alumnus and a letterman just like I was."

Marrone's new job as the coach of Syracuse is certainly a tough task but one he is diving into headfirst. Erasing the tumultuous and disastrous four-year tenure of Robinson won't come with a few Big East wins or even one good season.

When a program like Syracuse goes from nine bowl game appearances under the previous regime of Paul Pasqualoni to only 10 wins in four years under Robinson, it leaves deep scars. Marrone, a former Orange offensive lineman who spent the past six years in the NFL -- first as an offensive line coach with the Jets and most recently as the New Orleans Saints' offensive coordinator -- comes back with an impressive pedigree.

Then again, his predecessor's pedigree was just as impressive. But that's where the similarities end.

"When people take over a program, the first thing you have to do is ask yourself the question: 'Why were they not successful?'" he said. "The first thing that we had to do in

December was to go out and recruit. It's a little bit easier for me that I've always wanted this job, so I've been able to do a lot of research on the school and the demographics of where we've gotten kids before that enabled us to be successful."

Recruiting, though, is only a small part of the equation. In four years, Syracuse has seen its football reputation sullied, as it's become the doormat of the Big East Conference with two 10-loss seasons.

Changing that in the minds of fans, recruits and players won't happen immediately. It has to be built from the ground up.

"The administration and the people have to be patient with him," said Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt, a fellow Big East coach at his alma mater. "It's going to take time. You cannot turn things around as fast as you could in the past. It takes more time nowadays to build a program. The No. 1 thing they have to do with Doug, is be patient with him and give him a chance."

In just eight months, Marrone has begun the process of bringing some of the traditions back to Syracuse that were lost under Robinson. One, "The Burning of the Shoe" -- where seniors throw their shoes over their shoulders following the final practice -- has made a comeback. Even 79-year-old former Orange coach Dick MacPherson showed up to the event at the conclusion of last season.

"They're bringing back a lot of the tradition," senior defensive tackle Arthur Jones said. "The Burning of the Shoe, a lot of things. That had been lost the last couple years and it's a beautiful thing. It's cool."

Marrone though knows that the bottom line for his alma mater won't be measured in shoe burnings or warm feelings, it will be in wins and losses. And if the wins column isn't vastly improved from Robinson's four years, no one will care that he's a former Syracuse player.

Which is why he knows he's in the right place. The fact that he didn't have to sell himself to his team says that. For now and at the point where Syracuse's program has fallen, Marrone feels that a little burst of energy and fire might be just what his old stomping grounds need.

"The relationship from when I first walked into that first team meeting was special," Marrone said. "To be able to say, 'I sat in that seat. I worked in that weight room. I've been on that field. I sweat and bled on that field.' Here I am. I've come back to get our school back to something that we're proud of."