Fans have every right to be disappointed.

[Crusty]

It has taken me some time to organize my feelings about Coach Marrone and his departure for the Bills. In short, I think this is a case where reality has dashed the expectations that Doug had created in us and he is leaving after having improved the program but with the job left unfinished.

It seems to me that fans have every right to be disappointed in Doug Marrone and yes, be a bit angry. He intentionally created certain expectations and we believed him. We marked him on a curve when he was losing and the team was playing lousy undisciplined football because we believed in him. When many were calling for his head, we defended him because we believed he was a good coach and that he was our best chance to succeed (in large measure because he wouldn't use the SU job as a stepping stone). We accepted slow, steady progress because we knew he would stay to get the job done and for many years to come. We bought what Doug was selling.

Doug had the program moving forward and ready to shift to a new trajectory. Fan expectations were at the highest point in a decade. The fact that he was becoming so highly regarded by nearly everyone while only at .500 simply shows how far we had fallen.

So, what changed? The most charitable version is that Doug had an unforeseen opportunity develop –one he could not have possibly contemplated a few months before. The less flattering version is that he interviewed for the Tennessee and Wisconsin jobs and was clearly looking for a better job.

I think it is fair to say that none of us saw this coming.

How does a coach with a .500 record at a Big East school get to be the darling of the NFL’s coaching carousel? Russ Brandon, a member of Syracuse University’s Sport Management Advisory Board was given control of the Buffalo Bills on January 1, 2013. My guess is that Brandon certainly knew this was coming some weeks or months prior to New Year’s day and Brandon was very familiar with Coach Marrone. It is reasonable to speculate that there were discussions prior to the Pinstripe Bowl and the deal was well along before it leaked. Since the NFL is a copycat league, Buffalo’s interest rippled through other programs.

So, Doug went hard at the job opening and did exactly what he did when interviewing at SU – he knew what everyone wanted to hear and he sold it. Listening to his presser made me realize how stupid I was to buy into Doug’s “dream job” sales pitch. He just repackaged the same line for his new dream job and it really sounds disingenuous. I’m a New York State guy, I love Western NY values blah blah blah. It really sounded lame – embarrassing so.

Fine, done. Nothing wrong with being ambitious. Thanks for resurrecting the program and best wishes – but keep the self-serving bullsh!t to yourself. Turns out that at the end of the day Doug is just another football coach, a modern day mercenary. That is today’s reality but pardon me if I don’t buy his sanctimonious nonsense. You only get to sell that stuff once.

What grade does he get for his tenure at SU? I give him an incomplete. He simply did not finish the job. He can rationalize all he wants but the job is incomplete. He was doing great and accomplished a lot but the program still has a long way to go.

As for the Hackett rumors – if true, maybe Doug should do a little editing of his email.
“I will do everything in my power to ensure that your next head coach will continue on the path toward making Syracuse University a national football powerhouse. I will always support Syracuse University Football. I will always support each of you.”

 

[orangechef]

great post, certainly more diplomatic than my earlier, emotion driven post. again, great post, could not agree more!!!

 

[matcuse]

It has taken me some time to organize my feelings about Coach Marrone and his departure for the Bills. In short, I think this is a case where reality has dashed the expectations that Doug had created in us and he is leaving after having improved the program but with the job left unfinished.

It seems to me that fans have every right to be disappointed in Doug Marrone and yes, be a bit angry. He intentionally created certain expectations and we believed him. We marked him on a curve when he was losing and the team was playing lousy undisciplined football because we believed in him. When many were calling for his head, we defended him because we believed he was a good coach and that he was our best chance to succeed (in large measure because he wouldn't use the SU job as a stepping stone). We accepted slow, steady progress because we knew he would stay to get the job done and for many years to come. We bought what Doug was selling.

Doug had the program moving forward and ready to shift to a new trajectory. Fan expectations were at the highest point in a decade. The fact that he was becoming so highly regarded by nearly everyone while only at .500 simply shows how far we had fallen.

So, what changed? The most charitable version is that Doug had an unforeseen opportunity develop –one he could not have possibly contemplated a few months before. The less flattering version is that he interviewed for the Tennessee and Wisconsin jobs and was clearly looking for a better job.
I think it is fair to say that none of us saw this coming.

How does a coach with a .500 record at a Big East school get to be the darling of the NFL’s coaching carousel? Russ Brandon, a member of Syracuse University’s Sport Management Advisory Board was given control of the Buffalo Bills on January 1, 2013. My guess is that Brandon certainly knew this was coming some weeks or months prior to New Year’s day and Brandon was very familiar with Coach Marrone. It is reasonable to speculate that there were discussions prior to the Pinstripe Bowl and the deal was well along before it leaked. Since the NFL is a copycat league, Buffalo’s interest rippled through other programs.

So, Doug went hard at the job opening and did exactly what he did when interviewing at SU – he knew what everyone wanted to hear and he sold it. Listening to his presser made me realize how stupid I was to buy into Doug’s “dream job” sales pitch. He just repackaged the same line for his new dream job and it really sounds disingenuous. I’m a New York State guy, I love Western NY values blah blah blah. It really sounded lame – embarrassing so.

Fine, done. Nothing wrong with being ambitious. Thanks for resurrecting the program and best wishes – but keep the self-serving bullsh!t to yourself. Turns out that at the end of the day Doug is just another football coach, a modern day mercenary. That is today’s reality but pardon me if I don’t buy his sanctimonious nonsense. You only get to sell that stuff once.

What grade does he get for his tenure at SU? I give him an incomplete. He simply did not finish the job. He can rationalize all he wants but the job is incomplete. He was doing great and accomplished a lot but the program still has a long way to go.

As for the Hackett rumors – if true, maybe Doug should do a little editing of his email.
“I will do everything in my power to ensure that your next head coach will continue on the path toward making Syracuse University a national football powerhouse. I will always support Syracuse University Football. I will always support each of you.”

agree...we were just a stepping stone for him...now hes gone...good luck buffalo hope the giants and jets dont call anytime soon...

 

[Marsh01]

How does a coach with a .500 record at a Big East school get to be the darling of the NFL’s coaching carousel?
S”

Have you seen some of the coaches that have coached in the NFL the past 15 years?

 

[TheCusian]

I think disappointment is fine. I am.

But some of the nasty drivel (hoping Marrone fails, for example) is dumb and hurts the program.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

What grade does he get for his tenure at SU? I give him an incomplete. He simply did not finish the job. He can rationalize all he wants but the job is incomplete. He was doing great and accomplished a lot but the program still has a long way to go.

”

I think you are being a little harsh. No one wanted to see him leave and take his guys with him. Absolutely not, but you have to give him credit for his time here. He won two bowl games in the past three seasons. If he didn't do a good job, he would still be here. Let him go. Now, I think it's more up to Gross. He put faith into Shafer. Let's see how the next week plays out.

 

[Cuseregular]

you and this guy are on the same page...

http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2013/01/timing_of_departure_a_blow_to.html

And at the risk of repeating myself, I was good with all of this as it just being the way it is having seen it first hand myself years back. But what's different is my old coach was up front from the get go about his plans, Marrone based on the totality of the evidence lied all along the way, to Little via Hackett, to recruits also via Hackett, to the players in that now joke of a letter to them (the Bills exec. said in the presser he'd been watching DM since he went to the UCOnn game so I'm sure there was early contact and not just after the bowl game and his shower with the "20 calls" BS), to us and Buffalo fans by saying the OC will need to have NFL experience setting us up and creating the scenario for further damage to the program here with his pilfering of Hackett.

Guy up and baled instead of fighting to leave the program on an even better footing of where his yeomans work has gotten it thankfully, BUT, Fight the freaking good fight to get more $ for your assistants, fight the good fight for better facilities, etc. and if by year 6 or 7 you're still fighting and it aint happening, well you've put in your time enough and move on with the program on a less tenous footing. If there hadn't been SOME movement in that regard to facilities or if there wasn't a brighter future ($) on the horizon with the ACC, I'd get it more and be more cool with it, but clearly with Manley and the locker rooms etc., they have at least started to see it trending positively.

I was ok with all of this until the final lie with Hackett, as well as Hackett lying for him and also now having all of this confirmed. Not that its so horrible we lose Hackett, but because it shows the guys a Chalatan and FOS. This post is not so much written with concern for the future of the program as I think SS saves the day, but more to express disdain toward the old HC for, shockingly to me, the person he turned out to be.

What you and the letter writer posit is spot on. DM will now mostly be jeered instead of revered here, and rightly so.

 

[Crusty]

I think you are being a little harsh. No one wanted to see him leave and take his guys with him. Absolutely not, but you have to give him credit for his time here. He won two bowl games in the past three seasons. If he didn't do a good job, he would still be here. Let him go. Now, I think it's more up to Gross. He put faith into Shafer. Let's see how the next week plays out.

Well, I agree that is why I gave him credit for improving the program but I don't think anyone would say he finished the job.

 

[CuseACC]

I agree with cuseregular's post. He sealed his fate in Syracuse with the Hackett pilfering. It wasn't so bad until he took Hackett, in my book. Now I look at him and picture the Cleveland Browns Uhaul vans departing Cleveland for Baltimore in the middle of the night years ago.

 

[SmilinBob]

I'm not going to bury the guy because I don't know how this shook out, what if Hack was his 2nd or third choice? Do we know if Hackett was the first person Doug asked to be OC for the Bills? What if he wanted 1 or 2 other guys but they said no and then turned to Hackett? I'm not saying this is how it went but I wasn't there and assuming that this was Marrones first choice may be incorrect. He has to get a staff in order and time may be a huge issue when it comes to snapping up quality guys. Again, I could be wrong and these two had a handshake deal right from the get go but I'm not going to assume the worst right out of the gate either.

 

[orangechef]

I agree with cuseregular's post. He sealed his fate in Syracuse with the Hackett pilfering. It wasn't so bad until he took Hackett, in my book. Now I look at him and picture the Cleveland Browns Uhaul vans departing Cleveland for Baltimore in the middle of the night years ago.

great comparison, just how I feel!!!

 

[ForeverOrange]

I can understand the anger on here, and to be honest, i'd be lying after the current news about Hackett, if I said i wasn't disappointed, but I think we all need to just let this go and count it as a lesson learned. He did his job, and has moved on, now its time for us to move on and keep doing our job, which is to support this team.

 

[IthacaMatt]

It has taken me some time to organize my feelings about Coach Marrone and his departure for the Bills. In short, I think this is a case where reality has dashed the expectations that Doug had created in us and he is leaving after having improved the program but with the job left unfinished.

It seems to me that fans have every right to be disappointed in Doug Marrone and yes, be a bit angry. He intentionally created certain expectations and we believed him. We marked him on a curve when he was losing and the team was playing lousy undisciplined football because we believed in him. When many were calling for his head, we defended him because we believed he was a good coach and that he was our best chance to succeed (in large measure because he wouldn't use the SU job as a stepping stone). We accepted slow, steady progress because we knew he would stay to get the job done and for many years to come. We bought what Doug was selling.

Doug had the program moving forward and ready to shift to a new trajectory. Fan expectations were at the highest point in a decade. The fact that he was becoming so highly regarded by nearly everyone while only at .500 simply shows how far we had fallen.

So, what changed? The most charitable version is that Doug had an unforeseen opportunity develop –one he could not have possibly contemplated a few months before. The less flattering version is that he interviewed for the Tennessee and Wisconsin jobs and was clearly looking for a better job.

I think it is fair to say that none of us saw this coming.

How does a coach with a .500 record at a Big East school get to be the darling of the NFL’s coaching carousel? Russ Brandon, a member of Syracuse University’s Sport Management Advisory Board was given control of the Buffalo Bills on January 1, 2013. My guess is that Brandon certainly knew this was coming some weeks or months prior to New Year’s day and Brandon was very familiar with Coach Marrone. It is reasonable to speculate that there were discussions prior to the Pinstripe Bowl and the deal was well along before it leaked. Since the NFL is a copycat league, Buffalo’s interest rippled through other programs.

So, Doug went hard at the job opening and did exactly what he did when interviewing at SU – he knew what everyone wanted to hear and he sold it. Listening to his presser made me realize how stupid I was to buy into Doug’s “dream job” sales pitch. He just repackaged the same line for his new dream job and it really sounds disingenuous. I’m a New York State guy, I love Western NY values blah blah blah. It really sounded lame – embarrassing so.

Fine, done. Nothing wrong with being ambitious. Thanks for resurrecting the program and best wishes – but keep the self-serving bullsh!t to yourself. Turns out that at the end of the day Doug is just another football coach, a modern day mercenary. That is today’s reality but pardon me if I don’t buy his sanctimonious nonsense. You only get to sell that stuff once.

What grade does he get for his tenure at SU? I give him an incomplete. He simply did not finish the job. He can rationalize all he wants but the job is incomplete. He was doing great and accomplished a lot but the program still has a long way to go.

As for the Hackett rumors – if true, maybe Doug should do a little editing of his email.
“I will do everything in my power to ensure that your next head coach will continue on the path toward making Syracuse University a national football powerhouse. I will always support Syracuse University Football. I will always support each of you.”

Great post. Well said !!

 

[MeloMan]

I'm not going to bury the guy because I don't know how this shook out, what if Hack was his 2nd or third choice? Do we know if Hackett was the first person Doug asked to be OC for the Bills? What if he wanted 1 or 2 other guys but they said no and then turned to Hackett? I'm not saying this is how it went but I wasn't there and assuming that this was Marrones first choice may be incorrect. He has to get a staff in order and time may be a huge issue when it comes to snapping up quality guys. Again, I could be wrong and these two had a handshake deal right from the get go but I'm not going to assume the worst right out of the gate either.

Well, I heard from a "decent" source 2 days ago that an offer had been made to Hackett (not sure when the offer was actually made though). I'm sure there are others here who know more, but I believe Hackett was part of the plan from the get go.

 

[SmilinBob]

Well, I heard from a "decent" source 2 days ago that an offer had been made to Hackett (not sure when the offer was actually made though). I'm sure there are others here who know more, but I believe Hackett was part of the plan from the get go.

Thanks melo and that's what I see are a lot of assumptions, maybe we'll never really know but personally I'd like to have the facts before condemning Marrone regarding this. Not that my shaking fist really would matter though!