Instant Juice: Syracuse coach Doug Marrone headed to Buffalo Bills

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Marrone will take over the Buffalo Bills

A quick take on Doug Marrone leaving Syracuse:

WHAT HAPPENED: Doug Marrone has agreed to coach the NFL’s Buffalo Bills according to reports from ESPN and NFL.com. Marrone had reportedly interviewed with the Buffalo Bills on Friday. He went 25-25 at Syracuse while leading the Orange to two Pinstripe Bowls. Marrone will replace Chan Gailey who was fired last week after posting a 16-32 record.

ANALYSIS:

* Syracuse is still Marrone’s dream job. But it doesn’t have to be his final job. Also, dreams can change over time. He had to strike while the proverbial iron was hot. If Syracuse goes 4-8 in the ACC next year, suddenly, the NFL isn’t calling anymore.

» Sad, upset, angry about Marrone’s decision? Leave your thoughts below

marronefield1
Marrone will take over the Buffalo Bills

* It’s hard to turn down NFL money. Marrone was one of the lowest paid coaches in the BCS schools and he will probably be getting three times what he was making.

* Syracuse needs to make a decision now. Do they want to pay someone a good amount to run the program and pony up for some elite facilities? The team needs the equivalent of the Melo Center. With the ACC and MetLife money coming in, SU should use it.

* Scott Shafer should be one of the candidates considered to replace Marrone. The defense has improved dramatically under him, and he knows the recruiting roads well.

» Related: Boeheim pitched Marrone to stay in Syracuse

* Speaking of recruiting, how does this effect SU’s current class? Guys like Zach Allen came to play for Marrone. SU needs to act immediately so that recruits don’t start looking around.

* A couple of months ago, Marrone was nearing the hot seat. Now, he’s getting a big time raise. Funny how things can change.

* As a Syracuse fan, you have to feel thankful for the Marrone era. Think about all he accomplished in his time. He restored the credibility of the program. He got the recruiting to the level where they were competing for guys like Ebenezer Ogundeko. And he was a great ambassador for the University.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.