NFL Buffalo Bills

No Future for Doug Marrone With Buffalo Bills

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Buffalo Bills Doug Marrone

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

So much for continuity, so much for thinking it would be the Doug Marrone regime that would pull the playoff-deprived Buffalo Bills organization out of the NFL doldrums into championship contending success.

When word this week started to circulate about Doug Marrone having an opt-out clause and drawing big interest from other teams, I have to admit, I baulked. While Marrone is a solid coach who manages the game “the right way” (never too many chances, limit turnovers and controls field position) he is by no means someone you would think about in a who’s who of NFL coaches.

The Bills’ strength through Marrone’s entire tenure was never any of his alleged specialties — offense and offensive line — it was always the defense being ran by Mike Pettine and Jim Schwartz year one and two respectively. I suppose the next coming days or weeks will show his true market value, as outside of Buffalo, the national narrative of leading the Bills’ to a 9-7 record has to play big when you don’t actually look at how the Bills won most of those games.

I guess you can’t blame Marrone when there were reported differences between the front office and him as early as training camp, and if the report is true that new Bills owner Terry Pegula didn’t want to extend his contract, Marrone probably thought to strike while the iron was hot.

Even with Marrone leading the team to nine wins, he was not universally beloved by the team’s fans. The news of Kyle Orton retiring apparently was something he didn’t see coming and with no 2015 first-round draft pick or better quarterback options, maybe Marrone figured it was time to get out of dodge. There will be a fallout from this news, and it will be interesting to see how the Bills’ new owner will address this new organizational landscape. But understand above all, this offseason just got a lot more interesting.

Leman Harris is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @harrisleman.

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