Apparently, today was “Doug Marone Day” in the local newspaper world. Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News wrote more than 3,000 words covering key milestones in Marrone’s playing and coaching career. Sal Maiorana of The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wrote more than 1,700 words digging into what makes Marrone tick as a coach.
Together, that’s more than 5,000 words to digest and as an intelligent/busy Trending Buffalo reader we know that, you ain’t got time for that.
So, we did the work for you. Here are the 15 quotes that will make you want to play for Doug Marrone.
Marrone is Not Afraid to Question Authority
“If we were doing things and he didn’t think they made sense, he’d let you know.” – Dick MacPherson, Syracuse football coach
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“He was never afraid to express his opinion.” – Syracuse teammate Bob Brotzki
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“The thing that was great about Doug is it was always: ‘How come you’re doing that? How come we’re doing this? Couldn’t we do this a little bit better?’ ” – Paul Hackett, coaching colleague
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“All Doug has ever wanted to do is be the best he can be, and he has never been afraid to push the envelope to do it.” – Paul Hackett, coaching colleague
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“I was never a big fan of, ‘This is what we’re doing. Why? Because we’ve always done it this way.’ I never bought into that. Why do we do it this way? I always wanted to know the reason or purpose. I don’t know how it was instilled in me or why.” – Doug Marrone
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“I remember in my interview [for the Jets job,] they asked me: ‘Now if you’re coaching in the NFL, how are you going to change? These guys are getting paid to play, they’re professionals. Tell me how your coaching style is going to change?’ I looked them dead in the eye and said, ‘I’m not changing. Either I’m the right person for this job or I’m not the right person for this job.’ ” – Doug Marrone
Marrone is a Program Re-Builder
“He went back to the basics,”“He made sure we did all the little things, and I think that was huge in turning the program around. He started off the field. There was no earrings in the building, no hats in the building. We all had to wear the exact same outfits working out. He wanted everything to be like there were no questions you had to ask. You went to class on time. Before he got there, kids weren’t going to class, they weren’t getting the work done, they weren’t graduating. His whole thing was, ‘If you do the little things off the field, you’ll be the guy making the play on the field” – Justin Pugh who played under Marrone at Syracuse.
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“When I’d gotten into coaching, I’d always thought about coming back and giving back to the university. When the program wasn’t doing well, then I really wanted to get back and get it back up. It was a dream to go back there.” – Doug Marrone
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“When I did the research prior to the interview process, I didn’t know that Buffalo was out of the playoffs for 13 years. When I saw that, I said, ‘Man, that’s a long time.’ So that’s our goal, to get back to the playoffs.” – Doug Marrone
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“People talk about changing the culture, and that’s the reason we’re here, and we have a great challenge in front of us. I’d rather go after things like that rather than something that’s not as challenging.” – Doug Marrone
Marrone Connects with His Players
“It’s important for us to communicate to those around us, whether it’s sports or business, of the direction we’re going. I think that’s the biggest thing you need the ability to do. Sean Payton was very, very good at it. Herman Edwards was very good at it. It has to be from your heart. It has to be with great clarity. It can’t be a mixed message.” – Doug Marrone
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“I learned the most as a professional while playing for him. He’s a tremendous teacher. He paid attention to details. That’s one of his biggest things. He challenged us and made us play in some cases I believe better than our capabilities.” – 10-year NFL veteran Jeff Faine, who spent two seasons with Marrone.
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“The generation that we grew up in and our parents grew up in, when someone told us to do something, we did it – period, end of discussion. But we’re in a different generation now. We’re in a knowledge-based generation. They want to know the why and the purpose.” – Doug Marrone
Marrone Knows What This Means to Buffalo
“The buildup in the city on that first game back [in New Orleans] was unbelievable. We were getting ready to kick off, and it was so loud. I turned around to look at the stands, which is something I wouldn’t normally do, and people were literally crying. What it told me was you can influence a region. You can make people’s lives better by the sport we play. You can rejuvenate a community. It’s just not about what’s on the field.” – Doug Marrone
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“That’s my challenge to pull it all together [in Buffalo]. I’ve always believed this: When you’re playing for something more than yourself, you’ll play at a higher level. I don’t care if it’s football, what job you’re in, if you feel a higher calling, you will do it better and become more dedicated to it.” – Doug Marrone
14 days to Training Camp.
