Buffalo Bills Hire Syracuse Head Coach Doug Marrone

Another coaching domino has reportedly fallen in the NFL. After interviewing Lovie Smith and being rumored to be after Chip Kelly, the Buffalo Bills have announced that they’ve hired neither and have instead given the job to Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone. The early morning deal was first reported by Adam Schefter.

Marrone is hot off his best season as the Orange head coach, leading Syracuse to their first ever first place season under his direction. Marrone also lead the Orange to their second ever Pinstripe Bowl win during his tenure, and he’ll leave the university with a record of 25-25.

That’s not a record that lights people on fire, but after the season that he’s had at Syracuse, Marrone generated plenty of interest when it came to NFL head coaching jobs. The Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns showed an early interest in Marrone, but it looks like the Bills, who play their games not far from Syracuse, ended up winning the sweepstakes.

Buffalo is looking to rebound after yet another disappointing season ended without a playoff berth. This marked the thirteenth consecutive season without a trip to the postseason for the Bills, and Chan Gailey, along with his entire staff, paid the price.

So the pressure is on Marrone to turn things around in Buffalo. He showed that he could do it at a terrible Syracuse program, but this is the big leagues an he leash is a lot shorter, while the competition is a lot more fierce.