Meet the New Orleans Saints coaches: Doug Marrone

Marrone is returning for another season with the Black & Gold

Jul 17, 2023 at 10:30 AM

In his second stint with the New Orleans Saints, Doug Marrone returned to New Orleans in 2022 after originally spending three seasons on the club's coaching staff from 2006-08 as offensive coordinator/offensive line coach. Marrone possesses 31 years of coaching experience, including 10 as a head coach, six in the NFL. This will be his 17th season coaching in the NFL.

In his first season back with the Saints in 2022, Marrone navigated an offensive line group that featured nine starting combinations and still produced three 100-yard rushing performances by Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara. Kamara led the team in rushing with 897 yards, while Hill ran for a career-high 575 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns. With the Saints offensive line group having only one lineup change over the first eight weeks of the season, New Orleans was fifth in the NFL in total offense (394.4 ypg.) and eighth in rushing yards per game (141.3).

Marrone returned to New Orleans after serving as the offensive line coach at the University of Alabama in 2021. Marrone tutored an offensive line unit that helped the Crimson Tide win the Southeastern Conference championship game and advance to the College Football Playoff final, anchored by left tackle Evan Neal, who in his first season as a starter at the position, was a consensus All-American and was the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.

Marrone came to Alabama after four-plus seasons as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars (2016-20). He guided the Jaguars to the 2017 AFC Championship game after finishing with a 10-6 regular season record in his first full season as head coach after going 1-1 in interim duties in 2016. His 2017 team was tied for the NFL's biggest win/loss improvement (plus-seven) among first-year head coaches and earned him AFC Coach of the Year recognition from the prestigious Kansas City Committee of 101.

From 2017-20, Marrone coached eight Jaguars to 11 Pro Bowl selections and five players to AP All-Pro selections. He coached the Jacksonville offensive line for two years prior to becoming head coach. His 2016 offensive line allowed 17 fewer sacks than the previous season while the 2015 unit helped former running back T.J. Yeldon become the first Jaguars rookie to surpass 1,000 yards from scrimmage since 2006.

Marrone also spent two years as the Buffalo Bills head coach from 2013-14, winning 15 games over two seasons, including a 9-7 record and a second-place finish in the AFC East in 2014. The 9-7 mark was the Bills' first winning record since 2004. He became only the third head coach in Bills history up to that date to win 15 games in his first two seasons. His 2013 Bills team led the AFC and finished second in the NFL in rushing (144.2 ypg.) while also leading the league in red zone scoring percentage (95.5 pct.).

Prior to joining the Bills, Marrone spent four seasons (2009-12) as the head coach at Syracuse, where he led the program to a 21-17 record in his final three seasons. He guided the Orange to an 8-5 mark in 2010 and 2012 with both seasons culminating with victories in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Marrone earned AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.

Marrone's first seven NFL seasons as an assistant coach (2002-08) culminated with his hiring at Syracuse based on his success in New Orleans from 2006-08. During Marrone's first Saints tenure, the Saints led the NFL in total offense twice (391.5 avg. in 2006; 410.7 avg. in 2008) and passing yards per game two times (281.4 avg. in 2006; 311.1 in 2008). The Saints' offensive line held their opponents to the fewest sacks allowed in the NFL in 2007 (16), second-lowest in 2008 (club-record 13) and tied for the fewest sacks in the NFL from 2006-08 with 52 despite leading the NFL with 1,868 passing attempts during that span. Quarterback Drew Brees captured the NFL passing title in 2006 (4,418 yards) and 2008 (5,069) and became just the second passer in NFL history to eclipse 5,000 passing yards.

Before his first stint in New Orleans, Marrone was the offensive line coach of the New York Jets from 2002-05 and the team made two postseason appearances (2002, 2004) and running back Curtis Martin led the NFL in rushing in 2004. Before arriving in New York, Marrone served as tight ends/tackles coach at the University of Tennessee in 2001. He spent the 2000 season at the University of Georgia as offensive line coach after spending the previous five seasons (1995-99) at Georgia Tech where he was part of three consecutive bowl appearances. He was director of football operations for the Yellow Jackets in 1995 before coaching the tight ends in 1996 and offensive line from 1997-99.

Marrone began his coaching career in 1992 at Cortland (N.Y.) State as tight ends coach before stints as the offensive line coach at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1993) and Northeastern University in 1994. A native of the Bronx, Marrone was a sixth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986 and played with the Miami Dolphins in 1987 and with the Saints in 1989. He also had stints with Pittsburgh, Dallas and Minnesota before closing his career with the London Monarchs of NFL Europe from 1991-92. Marrone was a three-year letterman at Syracuse. He returned to Syracuse and graduated in 1991 with a liberal arts degree.

PLAYING CAREER: Syracuse, 1982-85; Miami Dolphins, 1987; New Orleans Saints, 1989; London Monarchs (NFL Europe), 1991-92.

Doug Marrone Coaching Career

Table inside Article
Team	Position Held	Years
Cortland State (college)	Tight Ends Coach	1992
Coast Guard (college)	Offensive Line Coach	1993
Northeastern (college)	Offensive Line Coach	1994
Georgia Tech (college)	Tight Ends Coach	1996
Georgia Tech (college)	Offensive Line Coach	1997-99
Georgia (college)	Offensive Line Coach	2000
Tennessee (college)	Tight Ends Coach/Offensive Line Coach	2001
New York Jets	Offensive Line Coach	2002-05
New Orleans Saints	Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach	2006-08
Syracuse (college)	Head Coach	2009-12
Buffalo Bills	Head Coach	2013-14
Jacksonville Jaguars	Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach	2015-16
Jacksonville Jaguars	Interim Head Coach	2016
Jacksonville Jaguars	Head Coach	2017-20
Alabama (college)	Offensive Line Coach	2021
New Orleans Saints	Offensive Line Coach	2022-present

Photos: 2023 Saints Rookie Tour Part 2

New Orleans Saints rookies for the upcoming 2023 NFL season tour the city of New Orleans for the second time as they enjoy some down time ahead of Saints Training Camp.

New Orleans Saints

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New Orleans Saints rookies for the upcoming 2023 NFL season tour the city of New Orleans as they enjoy some down time ahead of Saints Training Camp.