And that could be a problem. Because word travels fast and you can't fool guys like Joe Thomas, who I'm sure is serious when he says he'll ask for a trade rather than stick around and play for a punchline.
Marrone, from some accounts, treated players as if they were back in college, which is exactly the wrong way to go about it in any sport. Players are skeptical of everyone who tries to coach them, but especially someone who dictates what kind of socks to wear in practice and how to dress in meetings.
Tom Coughlin was like that once. He made players keep their feet on the floor during meetings and prohibited assistant coaches from wearing sunglasses. As he got older and less strident, he won two Super Bowls with the Giants.
I have less hope for Marrone, the former Syracuse coach, given what some Bills have said about him per Mary Kay Cabot on Cleveland.com:
• Last year in training camp, when asked about player reaction to a New Year’s Eve text from Marrone saying he was opting out of his contract, Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said, “We celebrated harder.”
• Linebacker Preston Brown told The Buffalo News that Marrone was too “college-y” and “kind of controlled guys instead of letting us be grown men and do what we’ve got to do.”
Uh … next.
Wherever they play, Demolition need fans
Spoke with the Federal Hockey League commissioner this week and, if nothing else, he demonstrated a firm grasp of hockey's problem in Dayton.
Which is to say a firm grasp of the rather obvious.
“It’s a question of getting more fan support,” Don Kirnan said. “That’s what it boils down to.”
Not sure what level of extra support might be enough to keep yet another hockey team from folding its tent here, but Kirnan had an idea:
“If everybody could bring a friend, that would help a lot.”
I’m pretty sure he was serious.
Last season the Dayton Demonz couldn't make it work and went out of business, but that didn't stop the FHL from continuing to regard Dayton as a viable market. Hence the Demolition, who are returning to Hara Arena on Jan. 21 after a one-game hiatus at South Metro Sports, a Centerville recreational rink, necessitated by money woes.
“It’s not easy for pro hockey to make ends meet in that marketplace as it turns out,” Kirnan said. “We like the area. We like everything about it. But it’s been a struggle.”
Dayton is running out of leagues and levels. The Bombers played in the ECHL, which fed the AHL, which fed the NHL. That was a good level for a market like this. The Bombers then gave way to the Gems, who called the lesser-regarded Central Hockey League home for a while. Now it’s the six-team FHL, founded in 2009, which has already housed two Dayton teams.
Kirnan praised the efforts of Kathy Rupp, who ran the Gems when they occupied Hara.
“She did a great job,” he said. “She did everything right. But she lost a lot of money. It’s really hard to make it work.”
About the Author