Report: Tension between Bills coach Doug Marrone, team officials

Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone and several team officials engaged in a loud verbal altercation at a recent practice, according to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

Sources told La Canfora that there is tension between Marrone, who was hired in January 2013, and members of the team's front office. Marrone reportedly has not seen eye-to-eye with director of player personnel Jim Monos.

In addition, team officials reportedly have taken issue with how Marrone has used certain players, including 2014 second-round draft pick Cyrus Kouandijo and receiver Robert Woods.

In La Canfora's account of the incident, Marrone gets into a verbal altercation with several Bills officials: 

The incident began with Marrone, who sources said has had a strained relationship with director of player personnel Jim Monos from their time together in New Orleans, getting into a loud exchange with Monos in which the men were cursing at each other to the point where others noticed ("they were more or less MFing each other," is how one source put it). General manager Doug Whaley then intervened. The expletives continued and finally team president and acting owner Russ Brandon tried to defuse the situation by getting involved in an attempt to get all parties to "shut up," as one source put it. But that too escalated into more yelling and hollering, with Brandon and Marrone ultimately separated by their peers and Marrone, in earshot of players, making remarks along the lines of "go ahead and fire me," before order was restored and the team took the field for practice.

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Later reports disputed parts of the CBS Sports report, with one saying Monos was not present at the altercation, and another saying the "fire me" quote occurred at a different time and was followed by laughter. 

On Friday, Marrone reportedly laughed at the CBS Sports report and said he recommended Monos for his position.

Under Marrone, the Bills went 6-10 and finished in fourth place in the AFC East last season. The team is up for sale after former owner Ralph Wilson passed away in March.

Buffalo opens the season Sunday at Chicago.

- Chris Johnson