Thursday, August 22, 2013

Marrone hints at revenge after team pranking

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

The Buffalo Bills' offense capped off the end of training camp with a little prank on its faithful leader Wednesday, posterizing coach Doug Marrone on camera inside the St. John Fisher facility.

Marrone was able to laugh off the joke, but that doesn't mean there isn't some retaliation in the mix.

" I think for the most part he’s (Fred Jackson) made great decisions, except one," Marrone joked with reporters when asked about the veteran's presence in the locker room. "We all know about it, we just talked about it. That was a poor decision for everybody on offense, not just Fred.

"It was embarrassing. So I told those guys, ‘Well you better watch out’ because as the coach I started thinking a little bit about is the practice going to run long or are they going to run more? I like going through the locker room, I don’t like getting dunked on."

Evidence of the caper was caught on tape by Stevie Johnson and posted online via Vine. Fellow receiver T.J. Graham had a main role in the prank as well, holding the basket over Marrone's head while Jackson soared over him from behind. 

Retaliation aside, Marrone brought up the incident to illustrate the team building that's occurred over the offseason, particularly the role that veterans like Jackson and Johnson have taken in bringing the team closer in the locker room.

"If we can establish that closeness when we go back, obviously that helps and then when you get adversity, the senior leadership has to kick in," he said. "We as coaches can’t be around them the whole time."

The Bills are hoping their tight-knit offense can make some noise this weekend in what many tout as the most crucial game of the preseason, their third game against the Washington Redskins. With a day off Thursday, the team will hold a walkthrough practice Friday before heading to the District for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday. 

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