Jacksonville Jaguars HC Doug Marrone facing a familiar foe in New Orleans Saints on Sunday: "For me, it is just an unbelievable amount of great memories."

Standing at a podium on Wednesday, Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) head coach Doug Marrone did not mince words about his team's next opponent, the New Orleans Saints (4-1).

"I just got a ton of respect for everything they have done down there, and a ton of gratitude for what they have done for me," Marrone said.

The respect and gratitude stems from two different stints Marrone had with the Saints as both a player and a coach. He spent a year with the Saints as an offensive lineman in 1989, where he played for a staff that included Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio and Jaguars defensive assistant Dom Capers.

And even more recently, Marrone spent 2006-2008 as the first offensive coordinator of the Sean Payton regime. He helped oversee the introduction of Drew Brees to the Saints offense and the work he did there helped him land a job as the head football coach at the University of Syracuse in 2019.

"For me, it is just an unbelievable amount of great memories," Marrone said Wednesday.

"I don't really have the time to look back on that, so I guess the next thing would be just a ton of respect. From (general manager) Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton, and the guys that are on the staff that I was there with and worked with, to the guys in the equipment room, to the trainers."

While Marrone will have to spend more time focusing on how he is going to beat the Saints than reminiscing on old memories, he does not shy away from what his time in New Orleans meant for his career. It was such an impact on him that he still stays in contact with people from that period, including Brees.

"It was a great experience. I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't have and spent that time down in New Orleans. From a standpoint of learning from Sean and everyone else and Mickey included, to a lot of great people I worked with with personnel," he said.

"There was a lot of good people around there and a lot of great players. Now, a lot of the players are gone and they replaced them with other great players. But Drew Brees and I have been close in communication, you know, yearly with each other."

It has been over a decade since Marrone patrolled the Saints sidelines so aside from Brees, Payton and a few others in the organization, he will mostly be seeing new faces on Sunday. But those new faces make up a dangerous team, one he can't get caught up in reminiscing about.

"I mean, when you look at the film, you’re seeing a team that is rolling pretty darn good right now. They have a lot of good football players and Teddy’s [Bridgewater] done a nice job going in there and filling in obviously. And granted, Drew Brees is a Hall of Fame player, but Teddy’s done a great job," Marrone said.

"But don’t ever lose sight of all those players that are around. The defense is playing really well, special teams they’re aggressive, and offensively there’s not a weakness on the team.”