From a competitive standpoint

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This time, the player deserves the bulk of the blame.

I feel his pain, but I also think he’s clueless. If I were running the Broncos, would I give a lucrative extension to a guy coming off hip surgery who reportedly has been arrested or questioned by police 13 times (seven times for alleged domestic abuse) since 2004?
It’s also likely Marshall is frustrated over the team’s treatment of Cutler and its decision to trade the prolific passer for the weaker-armed Kyle Orton , which could negatively impact his numbers.
? From a competitive standpoint, having Marshall on your team is a risk, because he might not be available when you need him. Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Marshall for the first three games of the ’08 season for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy (it was later reduced to a single game on appeal), and the player’s next conviction – or even arrest – could lead to a much longer absence. In August, Marshall is scheduled to stand trial in Atlanta for two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery that stem from a March 2008 incident involving Watley,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and a conviction would likely trigger another suspension by the league.
Unlike Cutler, who chafed when the 31-year-old McDaniels unsuccessfully tried to trade for Matt Cassel and never made a sincere effort to address his quarterback’s feelings of alienation, Marshall isn’t getting a whole lot of sympathy from me.
Given that the Broncos have already done the unthinkable – and, for better or worse, put their organizational faith in McDaniels – appeasing Marshall and making a long-term commitment makes no sense. The upheaval has already occurred with Cutler’s departure; the franchise might as well get what it can for Marshall and try to regroup for the future.
Like Cutler, Marshall is likely to get his wish – assuming there are legitimate offers for a fourth-year receiver who has averaged 103 catches and 1,295 yards over the past two seasons.
When you think about the improbable chain of events that led to all of this turmoil, you realize what a crazy business the 21st century NFL has become. If the Chargers don’t recover an onside kick in Kansas City with 1:19 remaining in their Dec. 14 game – after the Chiefs’ top receiver, Dwayne Bowe , had the ball in his hands – Denver wins the AFC West.
The Pro Bowl wideout, upset about his contract and the Broncos’ treatment of a hip injury that required surgery in late March, seems to be following the Jay Cutler Highway out of town. He also appears to be taking a page from the departed franchise quarterback’s playbook: Disregard the authority of new coach Josh McDaniels, stay away from the facility and wait for owner Pat Bowlen to sign off on a trade. (Denver’s KOA radio reported Monday that Marshall asked to be dealt during a private meeting with Bowlen on Friday.)

There’s a strong possibility he won’t be coming back.
Instead, we have packed boxes, trade talks and another looming trip down the Jay Cutler Highway.
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My suspicion is that it will happen, and probably soon. And though I can see why such a move might infuriate Broncos fans, who would then have endured an offseason in which the team’s two best players were shipped out, at this point it’s probably the right call.
Tags: Marshall, NFL NEWS
In that scenario Shanahan and Cutler are almost certainly still with the team, and Marshall’s new deal is being worked out behind the scenes.
? Marshall’s claim that he never laid a hand on Watley wasn’t especially supported by the fact that on March 1 police were called to intervene in a disturbance between him and his current fiancée, Michi Leshase Nogami-Campbell. According to a police report, Marshall and Nogami-Campbell began kicking and punching one another outside his Atlanta condominium in the presence of officers. Each was arrested, but charges were dropped when Marshall and Nogami-Campbell refused to testify against one another.
We could get into a long discussion about the horrors of domestic violence and how culpable Marshall may or may not be in these specific cases. I heard what his ex-girlfriend,Chiefs rookie LB Sheffield released from hospital
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Rasheedah Watley, had to say on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” and I saw Marshall give his side of the story. I obviously can’t tell you what the absolute truth is, but I do know this:
This is not to say that Marshall isn’t underpaid relative to his peers – he absolutely is. As a former fourth-round draft pick, he made just $1.5 million in combined salary and signing bonus over his first three seasons; after an escalation based on his selection to last February’s Pro Bowl, he’s due to make $2.198 million in ’09, the final year of his contract. He’s also undoubtedly upset that, barring an extension of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players association in the next 12 months, the rules surrounding an uncapped year in 2010 would prevent him from cashing in on unrestricted free agency following this season.
If McDaniels had made things right with Cutler, it would be a different story. The Broncos, with Marshall and second-year wideout Eddie Royal and second-year left tackle Ryan Clady , would still be looking at a potentially elite passing attack for years to come, and there’d be a lot of value in keeping it intact.
The bottom line is that, if he wants a deal averaging $9 million a year anytime soon, Marshall is going to have to hope there’s another employer out there who’s willing to overlook his off-the-field issues and gamble. Further, that employer will likely have to part with at least a first-round draft pick to pry him for the Broncos.
If the Chargers wanted karmic restitution for the Ed Hochuli debacle, man, did they get a bountiful payback. When San Diego knocked Denver out of the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, it turned out that was only the beginning of the Broncos’ nightmare.
And, of course, they’ll continue to celebrate in Kansas City, Oakland and, especially, San Diego.
? Marshall isn’t the most reliable teammate. Back in March ’08,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Marshall suffered a severe gash to his right forearm after what he said was a playful wrestling incident with his brother that ended with the receiver’s arm smashing through a television set. He initially claimed he had suffered the injury after slipping on a McDonald’s wrapper, essentially lying to his employer. A little more than a week later Cutler, citing Marshall’s pending DUI charge (it was later dropped as part of a plea agreement), domestic violence issues and overall penchant for trouble – the wideout also reportedly helped instigate a confrontation in a club that preceded the shooting death of teammate Darrent Williams on Jan. 1, 2007 – said, “Yeah, he’s not my favorite person right now. I mean, I support him, but it’s always something with him right now. … He knows he’s running out of chances.” And that was one of Marshall’s friends talking.
Realistically, however, Bowlen – whether he realized it or not – set the dominos in motion after the ’08 season when he fired longtime coach and de facto front-office chief Mike Shanahan and brought in McDaniels. Bowlen was so impressed with the ex-Patriots offensive coordinator that he gave McDaniels the power to bring in a general manager (similarly untested Falcons personnel man Brian Xanders) and, eventually, sided with him over Cutler and dealt the disgruntled quarterback to the Bears.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 2:29 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
If you think the answer is yes, you must be a mile high.
Brandon Marshall walked out of the Denver Broncos’ training facility on Friday carrying packed boxes to his car, then pulled out of the parking lot and away from a mandatory minicamp.