Quarterback Blake Bortles said he had no idea why Marrone chose to go for two -- "I just work here," he said jokingly -- but defensive tackle Malik Jackson said he believes Marrone does have some hard feelings toward the Jets organization.
"He doesn't like those guys," Jackson said. "I don't know what they did to him, but he doesn't like them."
If that's the case, then it might stem from what happened at the end of the 2014 NFL season and the first month of 2015. Marrone had just finished his second season as coach of the Buffalo Bills when he exercised a clause in his contract and opted out of the final two seasons on Jan. 1, 2015.
Two days later he interviewed for the head-coaching job with the Jets, where he had spent four seasons (2002-05) as the offensive line coach. On the same day a story in the New York Daily News was critical of how Marrone conducted himself with the Bills. Various anonymous sources criticized the way he treated players, coaches, staffers and other people inside the organization. In addition, a former assistant coach under Marrone at Syracuse ripped him publicly on the radio.
Marrone did not get the Jets job. Instead it went to Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who is 21-31 in three-plus seasons.