Doug Marrone Named Jaguars’ Interim Coach; Gus Bradley Praises Owner, GM

Doug Marrone, the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ assistant head coach/offensive line coach, will take over as interim coach in the wake of head coach Gus Bradley’s firing, the team announced Monday.

Doug Marrone Named Jaguars’ Interim Coach; Gus Bradley Praises Owner, GM

The Jaguars (2-12) fired Bradley (14-48 career record) following Sunday’s 21-20 loss to the Houston Texans. That marked Jacksonville’s ninth consecutive loss, and two games now remain in the regular season.

Marrone, 52, joined Jacksonville in January 2015 after two seasons as the head coach in Buffalo, where he led the Bills to a 15-17 record before opting out of his contract due to uncertainty over possible organizational changes.

Marrone coached the Bills to a 9-7 record in 2014, which to date is their only winning record since 2004.

Bradley hired Marrone in 2015 to replace offensive line coach George Yarno, who left the team after being diagnosed with cancer.

Believed to be a popular head-coaching candidate at the time, Marrone was passed over for several open positions, most notably the New York Jets, who ended up hiring Todd Bowles. 

Last offseason, Marrone was spotted attempting to sing along to famous rap songs during the Jaguars’ training camp, as seen in this video:

Marrone has also been a head coach at the collegiate level, going 25-25 at Syracuse from 2009 to 2012.

Given all this experience, it seems logical that general manager Dave Caldwell handed Marrone the reigns to help salvage the Jaguars’ disappointing season. Caldwell later told the press that Marrone is a candidate for the permanent job, “regardless of what happens in the next few weeks.”

Bradley, for his part, said he still considers Jaguars owner Shad Khan a friend and called him “phenomenal.” Bradley also expressed his confidence that the next head coach would do well despite the lackluster season.

“I think you’re coming into a situation where this is a hungry, chip-on-the-shoulder team, so if a coach was looking at this you’d say, [it’s a] pretty good situation,” Bradley said.

The Jaguars have not won a game at EverBank Field since Dec. 13, 2015.

“The record, what took place, I take full responsibility for it,” Bradley said. “I have no excuses. I have no misgivings. … I understand the NFL is a business and it’s results-orientated and we didn’t get it done.

“As far as being given the opportunity, [Khan] provided everything that we needed and so did Dave.”

Several players expressed their sadness about the news regarding Bradley’s firing, and took to social media to show their sentiments. Nose tackle Roy Miller was one of those, and he said again Monday morning that he wasn’t happy.

“I think everybody knows the head coach always gets the blame, but he’s not the only one that made mistakes,” Miller said. “In the end that’s where we’re at. Everyone is trying to find a reason, an excuse. We’ve been trying to do that all year. It pisses me off because as a player you have a lot of responsibility. You hate to see the head man take it all.”

The Jaguars next host the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.

ORCHARD PARK, NY – NOVEMBER 27: Assistant head coach Doug Marrone of the Jacksonville Jaguars talks to his players on the bench during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on November 27, 2016 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)