It’s not unusual to find yourself somewhat dazed and confused, struggling to make sense of things with a bit of a headache on New Years, but it usually comes after some heavy drinking on New Year’s Eve, not the hours leading up to the ball drop before you’ve had a single drink. Be that as it may, it’s where many Bills fans found themselves on Wednesday as 2014 and the crazy Bills year came to an end.

By the time I arrived at my New Years Eve destination my phone had blown up with the news that Doug Marrone had opted out of the final 2 years of his contract as head coach of the Buffalo Bills. I knew it was possible Marrone would exercise the clause put into his contract to keep him from joining the Browns two seasons ago and to give him some security if a change in ownership came to pass, but I doubted that he would jump ship.

Why would a guy walk away from his first NFL head coaching job, especially after leading it to its best season in a decade and having a solid group of players upon which to build in the near future? Buffalo has been treading water for years, but most agree they are a team on the upswing, especially now that ownership has been settled and the team won’t be a candidate for relocation. Since acquiring the team mid-season the Pegulas appeared to be happy to stand pat, survey the state of the organization and then plan for the future. It is believed that the team will bring in a set of outside eyes with football acumen to help guide the organization as it rebuilds. Despite the organizational rot the Peguals are hardly set to take a slash and burn approach to reviving the organization.

When the Bills walked off the field in Foxboro after a week 17 I was unsure whether we would see Marrone as coach again and I was hoping we wouldn’t see Kyle Orton under center again. I expected any splits, however, to be initiated by the Bills. Instead, the Bills find themselves jilted by two people who said they no longer wished to be a part of the organization.

Normally being scorned hurts – Bills fans have certainly had their share of rejection and are sometimes hypersensitive to it. In this case I don’t feel hurt, just dazed and confused – what the Hell just happened? I can’t say I’m upset by either departure – I think each provides upside.

I find the whole situation analogous to a relationship that falls apart, probably for the better. It’s like being with a girl that you like, but you’re not crazy about – are you going to stay together or breakup? Is there a point to staying together or would you be better apart? Before you can make a move she comes and tells you she’s leaving you – OK, that’ll work, but what a strange way to breakup.

So the Bills are now free to evaluate all of their options. Marrone wasn’t necessarily a bad coach, but he was far from being a genius. When he came onboard in 2013 the organization pitched him as a college coach who had turned around a college program and would bring innovation to a stagnant organization. To say that Marrone didn’t help turn the organization towards a brighter future would be unfair to his tenure, but he certainly fell short in the innovative football mind department.

From 2013 to 2014 the Bills’ record got better, but the team regressed in many ways. Most notably, the offensive line went from being solid in 2013, to average in early 2014 to a liability at the end of the season. Considering Marrone’s specialty is the offensive line his oversight of a unit that went backwards is a damning mark on his record. Jim Schwartz ran the defense and produced a top 5 unit, Marrone and Buddy Hackett were responsible for the offense and the play calling and the unit was terrible – multiple games without a touchdown, really? For these reasons I wasn’t sure Marrone would be back in 2015, yet the thought of finding a 5th head coach in 7 years and breaking continuity didn’t really bother me.

Orton’s departure, while surprising, did the Bills a big favor. The Bills are no longer obligated to pay an ineffective quarterback $5 million next season, nor can they be tempted to start him as quarterback. Orton may have given the Bills the best chance to win this season, but that’s more an indictment of the sorry state of quarterback talent on the team than an endorsement of his quarterback skills. The Bills absolutely need an upgrade at quarterback next season – they don’t need Tom Brady throwing the ball, but they need someone average or better than average. Orton is a below average quarterback and given his lengthy history, he’s not going to suddenly blossom into something better – you know what you’d get next season and it’s not what the Bills need. E.J. Manuel has a chance to be average or better (although it may be a long shot) and he’ll be in the mix, but the organization has to try and do something even if their options are bleak (see my column from last week).

Why Marrone left is a bit of a head scratcher. He reportedly wanted an extension for himself and his assistant coaches and the Peguals were not willing to give into the demands of a coach who has a 15-17 record (and rightly so). He complained about the media in Buffalo, but may well end up as the next head coach of the New York Jets (hey Doug, ever rode the subway in NYC? Just about everyone is reading a tabloid that features a back cover with sports stories – if you’re picture’s on the back cover it’s usually a very bad thing unless you’re hoisting some sort of championship trophy. If you think the spotlight is bright in Buffalo you ain’t seen nothin’ yet).

I suppose I can’t blame a guy for walking away from an organization looking to bring in a new and unknown football boss and pocketing $4 million in the process, especially if I was going to get another head coaching gig, but Marrone seemed pretty classless in how he went about it. Marrone liked to stress commitment and just days ago told Bills fans that they were stuck with him as head coach, and then he suddenly quits. Not only did Marrone quit, he didn’t even tell his players – they received a group text after the move had been announced saying he was gone but they could still contact him if needed (“hey baby, your friends probably told you that our relationship is over, but call me sometime if you want”). If you believe inside media reports, Marrone’s final play on his way out was to badmouth the Bills organization to Bill Polian, causing him to declare that he is not interested in rejoining the Bills as football czar.

In the end I think Marrone’s departure is a net positive for the Bills. With a new football czar set to come in and help set a new direction in the organization it’s nice that they can make a fresh start with a new coaching staff. Marrone’s questionable and seemingly petty behavior simply reinforces my feelings that I’m glad he’s gone. It’s New Years and my head still feels scrambled – I’m having a hard time believing how the average girl, the one who just proved she was crazy, called off the relationship and is now seemingly be sought after by several others. The next thing you’re going to tell me is that there’s an NFL coach who made it to 3 conference championship games who was fired and chased back to the college ranks – man, I must have really had too much to drink.