Everyone knew the Bills defense was the driving force behind the upset win over the Packers in Week 15. Marrone’s offense had done little all season.
The debate didn’t make sense to Marrone, whose ornery disposition had turned off people at all levels of the organization for two years. He felt that he should have been praised. The lack of appreciation stung him. He was fed up.
Marrone’s relationship with the Buffalo media had long since deteriorated. The sports talk radio discussion that morning was a shot to the solar plexus. The Bills lost to the lowly Raiders the following week to seal their fate. No postseason. Again.
Buffalo finished 9-7 after a meaningless victory in the season finale against a Patriots team that had already locked up the No. 1 playoff seed and treated it like an exhibition game. (Tom Brady played only two quarters and All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski was inactive).
When Woody Johnson interviewed Marrone on Saturday to be the next Jets head coach, he likely didn’t see the side of the man who alienated so many at his previous job.
The Doug Marrone described by people who knew him in Buffalo is not what the Jets need.
“He’s a control freak,” one person said.
Marrone’s desire to have his hands in everything began even before the Bills hired him two years ago. His interview with the team lasted days, not hours, due to his need to ensure everything was to his liking, according to a source.
His power play to ask for a contract extension with two years left on his deal despite nothing on his NFL resume (15-17 record, no playoff appearances) to warrant such a demand didn’t come as a surprise to people who knew him in Buffalo.
“It’s about power and control,” a source said. “That is what drives Doug Marrone. That’s why he is a very dangerous person to have inside the building.”
Sources said that Marrone belittled people across all levels of the organization. From the front office to the media relations department to reporters to players, he tried to disparage perceived easy targets. His poor treatment of those people didn’t go unnoticed.
Marrone didn’t berate everyone. If he felt that you could further his cause, he would tolerate — or even engage — you. However, one person who was treated with respect by Marrone in the past two years told the Daily News that he never felt it was authentic.
Many Bills players didn’t like him, according to sources. That fact alone doesn’t mean much considering that disciplinarians often aren’t beloved by everyone in the locker room. However, Marrone’s lack of people skills rubbed many co-workers the wrong way. He took a coarse tack that wasn’t well-received in the building, according to sources.
Marrone is not exactly a cutting-edge coach. Jason Miller/Getty Images
Marrone is not exactly a cutting-edge coach.
Marrone called out injured second-year wide receiver Marquise Goodwin for not being able to play. Goodwin was marginalized after a promising rookie year. Marrone’s take: Got to be available.
Although Marrone had the support of respected veteran running back Fred Jackson and some others, sources said many players just didn’t respect a head coach who didn’t respect them. His public arguments with defensive end Jerry Hughes and front office personnel, including GM Doug Whaley, revealed his sharp edge.
Bills players learned of his departure via social media before he sent a generic text, final evidence that they were never his priority. He quit on them after two years regardless of what his apologists contend.
Marrone spent too much time in practice working with the offensive line, his pride and joy, rather than taking a broader interest in the team, according to people who knew him in Buffalo. Some NFL front-office executives told The News that Marrone reminded them of Tony Sparano.
Marrone’s inflated stock is the work of a savvy agent and well-placed friends. None of those apologists, however, can erase what people in Buffalo have known for the past two years.
Strip away the spin and here’s what’s left:
“He is the definition of average,” said a Buffalo source.
