The Buffalo Bills announced that Doug Marrone exercised the option clause in his contract and resigned as the team’s head coach.
“We are disappointed that Coach Marrone will no longer be an important part of our organization,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “We thank him for all of his hard work and leadership during his tenure and wish him and his family the best with the next chapter in their lives.
“We will now begin the important process of conducting a thorough search for a new head coach as we continue to strive to reach our goal of returning to the playoffs and bringing a championship to Buffalo for our fans.”
Marrone had a three-day out clause in his contract, and the window was triggered by the sale of the team to the Pegula family.
Marrone led the Bills to a 9-7 record in his second season with the team and leaves with a 15-17 record overall. There are five other head coaching vacancies in the NFL that Marrone can now be considered for as well.
He was hired by the Bills after leading Syracuse to a 25-25 record from 2009-12.
Sullivan returns to Giants as QB coach
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning’s new position coach is his former position coach.
The New York Giants announced Wednesday that Mike Sullivan has been hired as the quarterbacks coach, a position he held in 2010 and 2011.
Sullivan, a member of coach Tom Coughlin’s original Giants staff, was the wide receivers coach from 2004 to 2009.
Sullivan was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator in 2012-13. After leaving the Bucs, he stayed in Tampa and worked this year as a consultant.
“It’s great to be back,” Sullivan said. “I can’t wait to get started.”
Sullivan replaces Danny Langsdorf, who left the Giants after one season to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska. Coughlin contacted Sullivan after Langsdorf’s departure.
“Mike Sullivan is a quality football coach and is an outstanding positional coach and did a great job for us as a receiver coach and as a quarterbacks coach,” Coughlin said. “He was the first thought that I had and we were fortunate in that the timing was right to get him back here. We’re very pleased to be able to bring him back home.”
After speaking with Coughlin, Sullivan had a lengthy phone conversation with offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, with whom he has never worked.
“I know of Ben and I know a lot of folks that speak highly of him, including some other people that I’ve worked with,” Sullivan said. “I’m just really excited to get back in the fold there and work with Eli [Manning].”
In the two seasons during Sullivan’s first tenure as quarterbacks coach, Manning completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 8,935 yards, 60 touchdowns, 41 interceptions and a passer rating of 89.2. He had career-high totals of 31 touchdown passes in 2010 and 4,933 yards the following season, when the Giants won their second Super Bowl with Manning as quarterback.
Steelers RB Bell taking it day by day
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who hasn’t been ruled out of Saturday night’s wild-card game despite a knee injury, said Wednesday he continues to take it day by day.
The Steelers are preparing for a home playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens and operating under the assumption Bell won’t be available due to his hyperextended knee.
“I just did little things in the training room, tried to test it a little bit, see how it was,” Bell said Wednesday. “I feel really good. I didn’t expect to be feeling this well this early. But I am, so I’m just going to take it day by day and see where it goes.
“It’s sore, obviously, from Sunday. I’m just going to continue to do what I can, try to progress it when I can, and if I can and see what I can do tomorrow. I rode the bike [today], I ran a little bit. That’s about it, little therapy things. I’m going to try to do more tomorrow.”
Bell didn’t want to estimate his potential availability for Saturday night’s game.
“I can’t put a percentage on it,” he said. “I just know, right now, if I had to practice, today I couldn’t practice. I don’t want to put any percentages on it. I’m not sure what the percentage is. When I feel good enough, I’m going to play.”
Bell was hurt by Cincinnati Bengals safety Reggie Nelson’s low open-field tackle in the third quarter last Sunday.
“It was a legal hit,” Bell said. “It’s football. It’s a dangerous sport. He got me down the way he could, so that’s that.”
Coach Mike Tomlin said the team will “leave the light on” for Bell, who reportedly could barely walk Monday at the Steelers’ practice facility.