Doug Marrone named Jacksonville Jaguars interim coach
By Daniel Lago
After taking a seat in the shadows for a few season, Doug Marrone has reemerged as a head coach in the NFL.
The Jacksonville Jaguars made the move everyone was waiting for on Sunday after a loss to the Houston Texans, firing head coach Gus Bradley. For some reason, they waited to announce who the interim coach would be even though almost nobody expected anyone other than Doug Marrone – that assertion was confirmed on Monday.
Assistant Head Coach Offense/OL Coach Doug Marrone has been named Interim Head Coach, Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell announced. #Jaguars
— J.P. Shadrick (@jpshadrick) December 19, 2016
Toiling away as the offensive line coach for the last 2 season, Marrone is best known for unceremoniously leaving the Buffalo Bills after a winning season despite putting up a winning record. Marrone went 15-17 overall in two season with the Bills and he made a foolish gamble by leaving the team in order to secure a “better” job. Marrone didn’t receive any offers and he settled for an assistant role with the Jaguars under Bradley.
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Comically enough, many made the casual joke that Marrone came to Jacksonville thinking he would eventually get the chance to be the interim coach. It probably should have happened last year, but Marrone finally gets to handle the reigns (albeit in a completely lost and disastrous season).
So what does Doug Marrone bring to the table? A different voice for one thing, as Bradley’s message has clearly not resulted in what matters most (wins). Marrone managed to guide a not-too-talented Bills team to respectable records with the likes of EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton at quarterback. While Marrone is highly unlikely to be seriously considered as the permanent coach this offseason, getting this team to show up and win these final two games would go a long way in rebuilding his resume as a head coaching candidate.
That being said, I don’t expect drastic changes in the way the team performs over the next two weeks. Marrone will probably make better in-game decisions than Bradley did, but this roster is going to take time to rewire mentally.