For the second straight week, Coach Doug Marrone will lead his Buffalo Bills against a team he played for in the NFL.
After beating the division rival Miami Dolphins, who Marrone played on in 1987 as an offensive lineman, Marrone will go back to the place that began his rise from coordinator to eventual NFL head coach. Marrone played with the Saints in 1989, his second and final year as a player in the league, but was offensive coordinator for New Orleans from 2006-2008, before being hired as the head coach at Syracuse.
Marrone has a great appreciation for the people he met and the experiences he had with the Saints that have helped make him the coach he is today.
“I always appreciated, one Mr. Benson and I were kind of back to back, I always appreciated what he did for me,” said Marrone said on Wednesday. “Sean (Payton) and I, we had a working relationship and we had a close friendship. To be close to him and see what he went through as a head coach was obviously very helpful. Having the ability to sit in with Mickey Loomis and Rick Reiprish and the people in the scouting department. Be involved with pro and college, I think that experience is invaluable for what you get especially for when you’re working with great people. I was very fortunate to have that and it’s been a big part of who I am today and what I’ve learned.”
Like the Dolphins, Marrone views the Saints as a playoff team coming off a bye week, though he stopped short of calling it a statement game.
“As far as us, we just keep trying to keep our focus on the next game and going out and winning it,” said Marrone. “I think that’s why you’ll find I stay away from labeling things like that. It would be important for us to go out and win on the road which we haven’t done well in a long time. We’re coming off one win on the road and we have to keep that same type of itinerary that we had going in to Miami.”
Buffalo’s hard fought win against the Dolphins still leaves them last in the AFC East at 3-4, but a victory this weekend could put them back in the race for both the division and wild card playoff spots. It won’t be easy against a New Orleans squad that has won 12 straight games in the Metrodome in which Sean Payton was coaching, and against a quarterback in Drew Brees who Marrone knows well and respects immensely.
“I think he’s an outstanding competitor,” said Marrone. “I was very fortunate to be around him. Many people don’t know that he defeated Andy Roddick in tennis when he was in high school. That’s the type of athlete and competitor that he is. When you think about it, people like Drew, and I can’t speak for Tom Brady and Peyton Manning because I haven’t been around them in that type of setting, but when you look at what does a quarterback need to do to get himself ready, how does he handle his business off the field as well as on the field, how about his leadership? I always feel fortunate to be with someone like that because at least you know how it should be done.”
Photo: Ed Runyon
After winning Defensive Player of the Week for his dominant performance in the fourth quarter that included 2 sacks against Miami on Sunday, Mario Williams said on Wednesday he couldn’t have done it without the help of his teammates. Williams said
Running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller did not participate in practice on Wednesday, although Jackson said he would be “ready to go” Sunday, while Spiller said that he is “fine” physically with his ankle, but the decision would be Marrone’s. Jackson is motivated to beat a Super Bowl contender as a 13 point underdog.
“They’re a great team for a reason,” said Jackson. “They are coached well, play well, they have a great guy at quarterback. Any time you have those three things working for you, it’s going to be tough to beat a team like that. We like what we have going on here and the guys we have in this locker room. We feel like we can compete with anybody in this league. We relish being decided underdogs but that something that comes as part of the business. We have to go down there and change people’s minds about winning a football game.”
Other Notes:
- Aaron Williams was playing at safety on Wednesday, but when asked if that was the plan for this week, Marrone said “he has the ability to play both for us”. Marrone said on Monday that he thought there was no doubt that Gilmore looked much more comfortable against the Dolphins in his second week playing with the cast on his injured hand, so it will be interesting to see if more playing time at corner for Gilmore means some Williams at safety.
- Marrone said that he gave LB Manny Lawson (hamstring) a day of rest on Wednesday to give him a “greater probability”of playing this weekend. Lawson’s presence could be key to keeping Buffalo’s linebackers fresh against an uptempo Saints offense.
- When asked about DT Marcel Dareus’ performance against Miami and this season, Marrone said Dareus is “playing really well”, and that he is a “special type of player” that can be moved around. If Dareus can provide pressure up the middle, it could force Brees to back into potential pressure from Mario Williams.
- WR Stevie Johnson said on Wednesday that there has been “no change” in QB Thaddeus Lewis from when he was brought to now as the starter.
Saints Photo courtesy New Orleans Saints
Bills Photos by Ed Runyon and Derek Zeller
