The End of The Doug Marrone Era

I am sad.  It is a sad day for Syracuse football fans.  Our head coach, Doug Marrone, has agreed to become the new head coach for the Buffalo Bills.  He is leaving.  Are we happy for him?  Sure.  Are we miserable?  You bet.

The outsiders don't understand what Marrone has meant to us.  They see that he is 25-25 in 4 years at the school and are unimpressed.  They see that we haven't produced that many NFL pros in recent years, though Chandler Jones is a star in the making for New England.  They see a team that has won the same bowl game twice in 3 years.  They don't get it.

When I got to Syracuse in 2004, our football team was coached by Paul Pasqualoni, who had coached Donovan McNabb, Dwight Freeney and others.  We went 6-6 and lost to Calvin Johnson and Georgia Tech in the Champ Sports Bowl.  We had the dubious honor of being the first team in NCAA history to allow 51 points in both their opener (51-0 loss to Kyle Orton and Purdue) and our bowl game (51-14 loss).  We decided to replace Coach P after that year with Greg Robinson.

Under Robinson, Cuse promptly went 1-10 in 2005.  Our only win came over the University at Buffalo.  In '06 we won 4 games and thought, for a brief second, that our program was improving.  However we only won 2 games in '07 and 3 games in '08.  We were awful.  We were the worst team in the Big East.  Syracuse University, the school that produced Jim Brown, Art Monk, Floyd Little, Larry Csonka, Marvin Harrison and so many others, was one of the worst programs in the entire NCAA.  That's what Doug Marrone, then New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator and a Syracuse alum, inherited in 2009.

So, to come into that atmosphere and culture of losing and to go to bowl games in 2 of 4 seasons is quite remarkable.  He rebuilt the program into something fairly respectable.  We had a team that could compete with almost any team in the country, even if we didn't win.  The job he did this year, when Syracuse had one of the hardest out of conference schedules in the NCAA, was excellent.  He was able to turn a 2-4 team into the 8-5 Pinstripe Bowl Champions.

Yes, we will miss Doug Marrone.  We now head into a new conference without a leader.  We are losing our QB, left tackle, 2 best wideouts, defensive captain, and head coach.  The end of the Doug Marrone Era is coming at a terrible time for Syracuse, and a great time for Marrone.  We do wish him the best, honestly.  But it still stings.

Now, what will Marrone do with the Buffalo Bills?  Well, they need a ton of help on both sides of the ball.  Let's say that they decide to go defense with the #8 pick in the draft.  They could take it on a great middle linebacker like Notre Dame's Manti Te'o.  That would give them their best defender since London Fletcher left for DC.  Their biggest need on offense is quarterback, and Doug Marrone's college QB may be available at the 41st pick.  Could he bring Ryan Nassib in to take over from Ryan Fitzpatrick?  He already knows the system, and they have playmakers in place in CJ Spiller, Stevie Johnson and Scott Chandler.  To help shore up that offensive line, Marrone could bring in Justin Pugh from Syracuse, who is the #7 tackle according to ESPN.  Not a bad pickup.  Those are just some ideas.

Best of luck to you Doug Marrone.  We wish you nothing but success.  Hopefully you can take the Bills back to the promised land and make all of us fellow alumni proud.

Now... who the hell is going to coach our football team?

NFL Playoffs- Wild Card Predictions

Here are my quick predictions for NFL Wild Card weekend.

Saturday:

4:30- Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans

You may remember that last year, the Bengals went into and got trounced by the Texans.  Not only were they able to dominate them physically and force Andy Dalton to throw 3 interceptions, but they also allowed TJ Yates and Arian Foster to control the game tempo.  There isn't any reason to think the Bengals will fair better today.  First, the Texans are on a bit of a losing streak, just like they were last year.  That should make them even hungrier to win.  Next, we have the fact that the Bengals have never won a playoff game under coach Marvin Lewis.  He could buck the trend this year, but I just don't see that happening.  JJ Watt had his coming out party in this game last year, and I don't think the Bengals can stop him any better this season.  If the Texans are able to come out and once again establish Foster and that running game as a consistent threat, they should be able to win.  Of course, if they try to sling it all over the field and ignore the running game, everything could change.  Still, give me Houston at home, 24-21.


8:30- Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field will be just that tonight- frozen.  The forecast has Green Bay at a chilly 26 degrees at kickoff, with flurries and a windchill that makes it feel like 15.  Not exactly the best weather for a dome team to play in.  Still, the Vikings have Adrian Peterson, who seems to be able to dominate an opponents defense in any conditions.  The real key to this game is if the Packers D can stop AD, and if Christian Ponder can take advantage of 8 or 9 men in the box defensive fronts.  This one could be another squeaker, just like last week in the MetroDome.  But I think the home field advantage, the inexperience of Ponder, and the pure QB awesomeness that is Aaron Rodgers will be a little too much for Minnesota.  The Pack are 7-1 at home, and the Vikings only 3-5 on the road.  I think Peterson will get over 150 yards rushing, but the Packers will win in fairly dominant fashion, 31-17.



Sunday:

1:30- Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens

I like the Ravens a lot.  They are close to where I live, a model franchise that I wish the Redskins would try to emulate a little more, and they draft Syracuse players.  But there is something about these Colts that is impossible not to root for.  Andrew Luck has been an amazing leader, and is one of the best late game QBs in the league already.  They entire Chuck Pagano situation makes them the best story in the league.  Also, because everything has to be about Cuse, they have my boy Dwight Freeney.  The Ravens limped into the playoffs, while the Colts dominated the Texans in their last game.  What will be the difference?  Ray Lewis.  Not even his play in the game, but his presence.  This week, Lewis announced that this playoff run will be his last, retiring at the end of the season.  I can't see the rest of his teammates, much less the city of Baltimore, allowing him to lose in his last home game.  Give me the Ravens in a close one, 17-14.


4:30- Seattle Seahawks at Washington Redskins

This will be a battle of running games and rookie QBs.  Marshawn Lynch vs Alfred Morris.  Russel Wilson vs Robert Griffin III.  Not the best passing offenses in the league, and both defenses have been playing well recently (though Seattle's has been much better the entire season).  The Redskins last two playoff games?  Losses to Seattle in Seattle.  I am not sure if the home field advantage will help.  Last time the Hawks went across the country, they hung 50 in the Bills.  I am not sure that the Skins' secondary can keep track of Sidney Rice and Golden Tate all day.  I am not sure how healthy RG3 is, and what those huge Seattle defenders might do to him if they catch his blindside.  But, since I live in the DC metro area, since I am a Redskins fan, and since I am afraid the Skins hoodie I am wearing might strangle me if I say they will lose, I have to pick them.  Third time is a charm, and the Redskins advance 23-20.


Enjoy the games!