Bills hire Maronne to replace Gailey

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

— It’s official: Doug Marrone is the Buffalo Bills’ new coach.

The franchise released the announcement via text message Monday, and a news conference at the team’s facility followed.

Hired after going 25-25 in four seasons at Syracuse, Marrone agreed to the contract Sunday. The 48-year-old from the Bronx takes over a week after Chan Gailey was fired following three consecutive losing seasons.

Marrone becomes the Bills’ fifth coach in 12 years, and inherits a franchise that newly promoted team President Russ Brandon described as having a “tarnished” reputation.

“We went through an exhaustive and exhilarating search in hiring the right man to build the future and culture of a winning franchise,” Brandon said, noting that the Bills and Marrone met as many as five times over the past week. “And we believe we just did that.”

Buffalo’s 13-season playoff drought is the NFL’s longest active streak, and the team has not had a winning record since 2004, when it finished 9-7.

Marrone, who also interviewed with the Cleveland Browns last week, said his first choice was Buffalo in noting the numerous ties he’s had to New York. Aside from coaching the Orange, Marrone was an offensive lineman at Syracuse in the 1980s.

“I had said that the Syracuse job was my dream job, and I meant what I said, and having had the opportunity to restore the great tradition of Syracuse football a reality,” Marrone said. “Today, I’m experiencing another dream come true. ... I’ve chosen to be here. I can’t tell you how excited I am.”

Marrone is described as a no-nonsense disciplinarian. He has seven seasons of NFL coaching experience as an assistant. That includes serving as the New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator from 2006-08. He also spent 2002-05 as the New York Jets offensive line coach.

In New Orleans, Marrone’s arrival coincided with the Saints signing star quarterback Drew Brees. Though Coach Sean Payton called the plays, Marrone helped oversee an offense that led the NFL in yards in 2006 and 2008. In 2007, the Saints set a league record with 440 completions.

At Syracuse, Marrone enjoyed two 8-5 seasons - this year and in 2010 - and won two Pinstripe Bowls, including last month’s 38-14 victory over West Virginia. Behind Marrone’s newly installed up-tempo offense, the Orange closed last season by winning six of their final seven games.REDSKINS Griffin to have more tests

ASHBURN, Va. - Robert Griffin III will get more tests on his injured right knee after an MRI proved inconclusive because of a previous anterior cruciate ligament tear.

Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said Monday that the rookie quarterback will travel Tuesday to see orthopedist James Andrews for more examinations.

Griffin tore his ACL while playing at Baylor in 2009, and Shanahan said sometimes an old injury can cloud the results of an magnetic resonance imaging.

If Griffin has torn the ACL again, he would likely require a rehabilitation period of nine to 12 months, putting his status for next season in jeopardy.

Griffin reinjured his knee twice in Sunday’s playoff loss to Seattle.

COWBOYS RB coach fired

IRVING, Texas - Dallas Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete won’t return following the worst 16-game rushing season in team history.

The move, reported Monday on the team’s website, comes after Dallas finished next-to-last in the NFL with 1,265 yards on the ground and averaged only 3.6 yards per carry. Starter DeMarco Murray missed six games with a sprained foot and was still the leading rusher with 663 yards.

Peete just finished his sixth season with the Cowboys after nine years in Oakland.

The Cowboys never had a 1,000-yard rusher under Peete but did finish seventh in the league in rushing in 2007.

Dallas also might be moving on without backup Felix Jones (Arkansas Razorbacks), who is a free agent after finishing with 402 yards in an injury-plagued season.

COLTS Arians still hospitalized

INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians remained in a Baltimore hospital Monday, a day after he was missed the team’s playoff loss to the Ravens.

On Twitter, team owner Jim Irsay wrote that Arians was feeling better and that the team hoped Arians could return home later Monday.

“Every test that they ran on Bruce, and obviously they put him through a battery of tests, A to Z as they would do any of us, all have been negative,” Coach Chuck Pagano said. “So he’s doing well. Whatever he’s dealing with, they would have let him come home early this morning, but whatever he’s dealing with affected his blood pressure and they’re not going to release him until they get the blood pressure under control, which they will.”

Arians was admitted to a Baltimore hospital Sunday with an undisclosed illness, leaving quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen to call the plays in the 24-9 season-ending loss to the Ravens.

After Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia in September, Arians became the interim coach and guided the Colts to a 9-3 mark. That tied the NFL record for most victories after a midseason coaching change.

Sports, Pages 19 on 01/08/2013