Doug Marrone...

come on down!

Or, more like, come on over. As in over from Syracuse.

About the only thing we really know about former Orangemen coach Doug Marrone is that he turned their laughingstock program around. In his four years at Syracuse he went 25-25 winning two Pinstripe Bowls in the process. In the previous four years they were 10-37.

We also know that his NFL experience was on the offensive side of the ball as Offensive Line coach for the NY Jets (2002-2005) and Offensive Coordinator for the New Orleans Saints (2006-2008.)

New Bills Team President Russ Brandon's first move in his new position was a bold one, yet is somehow familiar.

Bold in the fact that he didn't tap into and NFL retread coaching carousel or take a chance on the the "up and coming" NFL coordinator. Familiar in that Marrone is "offensive-minded" like his predecessor Chan Gailey and is a Syracuse alum, like Brandon.

The first thing that popped into the minds of many Buffalo fans was, probably, "Same old Bills, hiring on the cheap again." And that's true.

They made their token move for the "cream of the crop" in Oregon coach Chip Kelly, interviewed the retreads and up-and-comers and ended up with Marrone, who could be considered the lowest man on the coaching pole, and more than likely, the cheapest.

But, he also was one of only two candidates to actually come to the Bills with a strong interest in the job, the other being former Chicago Bears Head Coach, Lovie Smith.

The overall sentiment in Bills-land seems to be "ambivalent," which was the theme of WGR's Howard Simon.

Yet, one would think that the most important thing for the Bills moving forward was finding the right fit. And that's where former Marrone boss and Super Bowl winner, Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints, came into play.

Marrone went to Payton for advice during the interviewing process with Payton saying, "You've got to have a comfort level [with your GM and ownership]." And as Marrone was sifting through everything, Payton simply told him, "There's somebody you're going to meet in the process that you're going to work with and turn the program around. Any of these job openings, they all have weaknesses because they wouldn't be open if they didn't."

'Marrone wanted Buffalo as much as Buffalo wanted him,' said ESPN's Adam Schefter. 'In recent weeks, Marrone had done comprehensive film studies of each team he would be interviewing with --the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers and Bills--and each game the had played this past year, Schefter continued. 'He believed Buffalo had more talent tan any of those other teams. It factored into his final decision, as did his relationship with the new head man of the Bills (Brandon) who served on the advisory board for sports management at Syracuse.'

So that's the basis we have now.

Brandon and Marrone, as well as acting GM Buddy Nix and Bills AGM Doug Whaley, seem to have a comfort level with each other.

Next step?

Putting together his coaching staff.