Old friends Marrone, Payton square off in opener
JACKSONVILLE — Doug Marrone has told the story many times, but he never gets tired of sharing it.
Twelve years ago, he was the offensive coordinator in New Orleans under first-year coach Sean Payton when the Saints returned to the Superdome for the first time following Hurricane Katrina.
It was a Monday night game in Week 3 against division rival Atlanta, and the place was rocking. Just before kickoff, Marrone looked into the crowd, and that’s when it hit him what an important moment it was for the city.
“There were three or four rows of people that were just crying in joy,” Marrone said. “It was almost like a rebirth, and the city took off. For me, it is always going to be special.”
Marrone will coach against Payton when the Jaguars host the Saints on Thursday in their preseason opener, a reunion of two men who have stayed friends long after they fixed a franchise and helped mend a city.
Both have had success. Marrone led the Jaguars to the AFC title game last year, and Payton won the Super Bowl with the Saints following the 2009 season.
But as Payton remembers it, little about those early days in New Orleans was easy. Beginning with putting together a coaching staff.
“The challenge at that time was we were shortly removed from Katrina, and trying to find coaches with families to come into the region was sometimes difficult,” Payton said. “That initial staff, a lot of
those guys came with promotions. We weren’t winning many jump balls, if you will, in the hiring process.” Marrone was one of those. Prior to taking the offensive coordinator job in New Orleans, Marrone spent the previous four seasons as the New York Jets’ offensive line coach. He and Payton had crossed paths at league events such as the NFL Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl, but Marrone’s interview was the first time they really got to know one another.
It turned out to be the start of a tight working relationship.
“I had a chance to interview him and felt really, really comfortable with his expertise and his ability to teach,” Payton said.
Said Marrone: “I learned a lot from Sean. Sean is probably one of the best communicators I have ever been around. Obviously, he is extremely intelligent. I thought it was interesting, initially when we came in there and put together a staff, I think we were the youngest staff in the league at that time.”
It was a young staff that quickly found success. The Saints had missed the playoffs the previous five years and were coming off a dismal 3-13 record when Payton arrived and brought Marrone to town. In 2006, they posted a 10-6 record and advanced to the NFC title game.
Marrone stayed with the Saints until he left to be the head coach at Syracuse for the 2009 season. That year, Payton led New Orleans to a Super Bowl victory over Indianapolis.
Helping fix the Saints pushed Marrone’s career forward. Being around to help New Orleans after Katrina is what has stuck with him in the years since.
“We actually went out in the community and tried to build the community,” Marrone said. “The thing is that we didn’t go out there and take a picture with a shovel with the team and have the media out there and say, ‘OK, we’re done’ and then got on buses and go back. We actually went to work. We were fixing houses and doing things like that.”
Twelve years later, Marrone and Payton each enter this season with high expectations. Both were division winners a year ago and return most of their top players.
Maybe the two coaches will talk about the upcoming year if they get a chance to speak prior to the game.
Or maybe they’ll remember back on what were defining moments in both of their lives.
“That initial staff was pretty special,” Payton said. “And Marrone is someone that I’ve stayed in close touch with throughout the years.”