Oh, my little pretty one...pretty one...when you gonna give me some time...Marrone-a...
Apparently tomorrow, that's when.
Axeman updated his post on the Doug Marrone possible hiring to say that not only did Marrone NOT deny the report that he will come to SU but that the deal could be in place as soon as tomorrow. Now, ESPN is going ahead full-blast with the news that Marrone will indeed be introduced tomorrow at the next head coach of Syracuse football.
Marrone has deep ties to Syracuse. He was a three-year letterman in the 1980s and returned to finish his degree in 1991.
Marrone joined the Saints when coach Sean Payton took over in 2006. In that season, New Orleans' offense was ranked No. 1 in the league for the first time in franchise history. This season, the New Orleans passing game has ranked near the top of the NFL.
Going a step further, the D.O. Sports Blog has the actual transcript from the NFL Network pre-game show:
“Well Adam talked with Sean Payton the head coach about Doug Marrone he is so excited for Doug Marrone getting that job. A bronx native, somebody that played at Syracuse and he said it’s great, we haven’t decided how we’re going to move forward as far as game planning and assignments but we are thrilled that Doug Marrone is getting a chance to coach at his alma mater.”
I'd say if Sean Peyton is already talking openly about it, it's happening. Plus, it's already on his Wikipedia page so that's that.
According to Axe, Marrone said regardless of the hiring he will finish out the season for the Saints. Hence, every Syracuse fan on the planet is now rooting against New Orleans for the rest of the season so he can quit with all that NFL nonsense and get to work 'cruitin'. Assuming he's actually taking the job (ya neva know!)
It's all a little jarring if you ask me. After all the weeks and talk of Randy Edsall, Turner Gill and Skip Holtz, it's strange to find Doug Marrone as the one waiting for us at the end of the tunnel. Honestly I didn't even really take the time to get to know him as I just figured he was a "just in case we're screwed" candidate. And maybe that's actually the case. Maybe not, if you have a man-crush on Marrone the way Brent Axe does.
I'd say I'm disappointed by the choice but to completely honest, I'm not. Skip Holtz didn't want to be here. Randy Edsall didn't want to be here. Al Golden (publicly) didn't want to be here. Doug Marrone did. And not in the way Greg Robinson wanted to be here. Greggers would have taken the head coaching job at ANY 1-A school, we just happened to be the only ones who offered. Marrone was dying to work specifically for Syracuse. And there's something to be said for that.
Axeman nails it in his lovefest:
He wants to win to prove he can be a head coach, any coach does, but he also wants to win because HE CARES about this place.
He went here. He played here. It actually hurts him to see the program down.
Greg Robinson admitted he didn't really know what he was getting into when he took the job.
You get the feeling Doug Marrone knows exactly what he is getting into if he took this job.
When the whole coaching process was heating up, I said the most important criteria to me were:
- Head coaching experience
- Northeastern ties
- Strong recruiting skills
- Syracuse ties
Head coacing experience? That's a big no for Dougie. He's been an offensive coordinator for the last three years though, so that's decent. And while it might seem like he's "an NFL guy," it's misleading. Yes he's worked in the NFL since 2002 but before that he worked for quite a few East Coast colleges, including Georgia, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Northeastern and our neighbor to the south Cortand State. He worked his way up from tight end coach at the local college to get where he is today.
Northeastern ties?/Syracuse ties? One and the same. He certainly is "one of us," having played for the Orange between 1983 and 1985 as an offensive lineman. He returned to the school after a brief NFL career to get his degree. And while he moved on to other professional opportunities, he seems to have kept SU close to the heart. He's from the Bronx so he's a New Yorker all the way and I would think that's going to make a big difference from the Greg Robinson Era.
Strong recruiting skills? The jury's still out but I'm sure we'll learn more about his recruiting prowess over the next few days. I would assume he picked up a thing or two working in the ACC and SEC, but it'll be interesting to see how he translates that to the Northeast.
Much more to come including Marrone, you know, actually being offered and taking the job. We'll regroup tomorrow. Oh and, whatever you do, disregard this.
FYI, his son's name is Mack. Mack Marrone. Sweet.