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Published on 08/22/2009 at Sat Aug 22 06:00.
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SPEAK UP: Is Marshall a Problem?

Posted Sat Aug 22nd by

Marshall

Brandon Marshall, like a few other players, will not be playing Saturday night in Seattle. Marshall, unlike those players, is perfectly healthy.

Are you concerned? I’ve given you my point of view, but now I want to hear from you. Were Marshall’s comments after practice out of line? Do you see his participation on the scout team as some form of rebellion from Head Coach Josh McDaniels? Do you trust the player and coach when they say his scout team reps are part of his learning process, or are they just giving the company line?

Finally, if you believe Marshall has become a distraction and is displaying conduct detrimental to the team, what do you think the Broncos should do about it, if anything? Trade him? Fine him? CUT him? Or is this all overblown? We want to hear from you.

Take the poll and dish it out in the comments.

Is Brandon Marshall a problem?

View Results

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  • IraqNavyCMC

    Maybe it is a form of punishment being on the scout team but remember this is a whole new system with different routes since we don’t have a QB with a gun for an arm. I agree on the comments a couple of days ago that stated that this whole issue is being driven by the media.

    Now let’s hope that the media lets it go so the team can focus on football and not soap operas!

    GO BRONCOS (From Iraq)

  • Pat

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/240528-take-your-pick-brandon-marshall-or-eddie-royal
    Get rid of this women beater. Eddie Royal is more talented anyway. We dont need b-marsh

  • http://www.broncotalk.net Jonathan Douglas

    Pat, the thing is I’m selfish… I want Royal AND B-Marsh. :)

  • http://bandit Dan Myers

    Anyone that says the scout team is punishment does not know football. If you are NOT a 1st then the scout team is part of the weekly practice.
    I am really twixed about trading him. He can play but he is not a player. The team is excited about the direction Coach McDaniels has them in and they participate in ALL aspects of the new training. YES even the lap running.
    Right now Denver has top 10 WR’s, with Marshall they are top 5. So it is not a big drop. Give me McKinley and Swift right now over Marshall.
    Trade options could be starter 3-4 DL and a 3rd. I do not think Denver wants another 1st.

  • MiamiMike

    Please correct me if I am wrong.

    We traded our #1 draft pick for 2010 which leaves us with Chicago’s #1 draft pick. So we are now hoping Chicago totally bombs so we might get a high pick.
    At this point based on schedule alone we are not going to have a solid season. 44 new players new head coach. new Defensive coach. New defensive scheme which is hard to transition to in itself. We just have to much to overcome this year. Why not trade Marshall to a team that (IF POSSIBLE) is in the same boat as us. A team that will not have a winning season. Just maybe we can get a first round pick for 2010 higher up than what Chicago’s will be.

    With Oklahoma and Texas quarterbacks coming out in the draft and Just maybe Crabtree deciding to hold out this year we will have a chance to take 1 step back this year to get 2 steps ahead next year. Just to have the chance to get 1 of the 2 quarterbacks in next years draft would help and we still have the second 1st round pick to use on a defensive tackle. I know it’s wishful thinking but it’s a thought.

  • Awesome, Austin

    Problem is no first round player is worth bankrupting your team…more money for just one player means more crappy players overall which causes you to have 5 great players on a minimum required 22 good players. First rounds (unless very low) destroy your team not build it.

  • http://www.broncosforums.com BroncosForums

    I fell somewhere between no and yes, but we have the leverage.

    To be honest, right now, Marshall isn’t my major concern. Well, he is, but let me explain.

    Based on what little information that makes its way out of Dove Valley, there seems to be a common thread between this situation and Cutlers. A player becomes upset, maybe even asks for a trade, and rather than dealing with the situation like every other NFL head coach and front offices does annually, our head coach/front office appears to get into a pissing contest with the player.

    In the case of Jay, it was a refusal to say, “Jay’s our guy, we aren’t trading him.” Eventually, that was almost said, but after long silence, followed by a statement from the PR guy, followed by McDaniels restating the exact sentence the PR guy said the day before. When McDaniels finally was willing to tell the press “Jay’s our Quarterback”, he had to add a “but, anyone on the team can be traded if it helps the team.”

    That “but” is a given in the NFL, the ONLY reason for a head coach to say that is to put the player in his place — show who is boss — or, possibly force the situation to the blowing point.

    In the case of Marshall, he practices with the 2nd and even some with the first unit on Sunday and Monday, but then his agent visits the Broncos and reportedly asks for an extension/renegotiation and when told no, reportedly asks for a trade.

    The VERY next practice after the meeting with his agent, Marshall is moved from the 2nd unit to the PUNT scout team, running as a gunner. Come on, this is our #1 receiver. Then, he is moved to safety on the scout team, running Seattle’s defensive plays, and finally moved to WR on the scout team and remains there for the rest of the week.

    Does anyone really believe that your star wide receiver who is returning from an injury, one of only a handful of receivers to EVER have back-to-back 100 yard seasons, will recover and learn fastest on the scout team — as a scout safety and gunner on the scout punt team.

    Now, don’t get me wrong, most of what I have heard about this training camp has me VERY impressed with McDaniels, but I do think his youth and inexperience is showing, when he appears to get into pissing contests with his star players, forcing them to bend to their will, where more experienced coaches tend to handle things a bit better — realizing they have all the power, they don’t have to state it or prove it.

    Having said all of that, I seem to be in the minority among fans. I know that on http://www.BroncosForums.com/ most fans have moved solidly into the camp that believes that Marshall was moved to the scout team because he isn’t putting in the effort to learn the playbook, therefore, putting him on the 2nd unit, would slow down the development of the rest of the players. I’m not quite able to buy into that theory.

  • OC Bronco

    Clearly he is being punished or he would otherwise make the trip. He is 1 of the top WRs in the game, a true difference maker, and he is running w scout team. B Marsh started hanging w the D in drills so Coach stuck him w scout team. Although the media is blowing it up, there is certainly a story here and it ain’t small.

    His trade value is too low. Everyone needs to understand that. In other words, deal w the drama and soon enough it will work itself out and B Marsh will be back on the field playing like the BEAST he is. He is a restricted free agent after next year which means what? We pay market value or let him go but the organization has all the control outside of what Brandon does on his personal time which is the whole problem in the first place.

    Bottom line I like McDaniel’s approach and I am in the minority that think B Marsh is going to turn his personal life around. As for the business, we can not let this guy get away. Our offense has a chance to really be great with him once we gel. I love Eddie Royal as well but he doesn’t have the physical gifts of Marshall but is an excellent compliment to him. Those 2 are dangerous on the field at the same time.

  • Pete

    This is my take on it… It is many layers deep, like an Ogre. haha.
    A) This is overblown. Yes, he is disgruntled, but he’s practicing, and he isn’t really saying anything “bad”. The media is spinning his words to make it a bigger issue than it really is.
    B) He has only had what, 5 practices before game day. Do you remember who else on this team only had 5 practices before game day, and what the end result was? In case you forgot, the person I’m talking about is Knowshon Moreno. He practiced 5 times, then played in a game and GOT INJURED! Why, oh why, would we “repeat history” with Marshall? I fully support him not playing this weekend. It lessens his chances of injury.
    C) We all know that reading a playbook is TOTALLY DIFFERENT than going through the reps to learn the plays. So him “being nowhere close” isn’t all that disturbing. The reason he is on the scout team is because they tell you the plays and show you how to do them before each play. It’s a form of learning the plays, not a punishment.
    D) Like Moreno (4th string on depth chart), Marshall will enter the season as the clear cut number 1. He just needs to catch up.
    E) Next week is the big game. Why risk anyone being hurt? Does anyone here honestly think that McDaniels won’t treat next weeks gams as the preseason version of the super bowl? He’s gonna want to stick it to the Bears and show the fans/media that he knew what he was doing with whats-his-name. Moreno will probably play, and Marshall will definately play. He’s gonna make sure that nothing happens to anyone leading up to that game. And then he’s gonna open the gates of hell on the Bears.

    GO BRONCOS!!!!

  • http://www.broncosforums.com BroncosForums

    OC Bronco, one correction. Based on what I have read, Marshall started hanging with the defense and ‘disengaged’ from the offense ONLY after he was relegated 100% to the scout team (gunner, safety and WR).

  • Pete

    A word to some of the guys commening here…

    To BroncosForums: – Marshall practiced a few times with the 1st team on sunday. Then monday was on the scout team, then monday after practice is when his agent went to the Broncos. Your timeline is off. He was already on the scout team BEFORE his agent went to the front office. It wasn’t a reactionary thing. McDaniels saw that he wasn’t ready to “run with the 1’s” after sunday, so 1st thing monday, he was with the scout team learning the plays.

    Also, QB’s are different animals than everyone else playing football. How you treat a QB is completely different than how you treat a WR or CB or RB etc… If you have a disgruntled QB, your whole team will suffer, and your season will be over before it begins. If you have a disgruntled WR, ohh well, you can still win with or without him. You usually bow down to the QB’s wishes, NOT a WR’s wishes (see the Bengals)

    To OC Broncos: – I don’t believe he is being punished. Like McDaniels said when Marshall skipped minicamp, “he wouldn’t be out here playing anyways, so it’s no big deal to not have him just standing around on the sidelines”. This is just another version of that. Marshall is injured, but not in football shape, and he doesn’t know the plays well enough to play. This isn’t playground offensive football. It is complicated and takes precision and timing. If Marshall isn’t ready with that, then he will hurt the team rather than help the team, regardless of his physical skills.
    Remember, Dawkins and Lloyd aren’t on the trip either. Don’t argue that they are injured, and that’s why. Because usually injured players make the trip. McDaniels probably told them all that if you aren’t ready to play, why make the trip if you don’t want to? Stay behind and rehab/study the playbook. That will do you more good than standing on the sidelines.

    I agree with you about liking how McDaniels handles everything. Also, if Marshall plays great this season, he WILL get his money next year. I don’t know why everyone says “he’ll miss out on the UNRESTRICTED free agency money. Why? Because he’s “restricted”? Ummm… All restricted means is that the Broncos have the right to match any offer. If a team wants him, they’ll throw top 5 WR money at him, just like in unrestricted free agency. The only difference is that the Broncos can say “we’ll match that offer Brandon, you aren’t going anywhere!”. Play your ass off this year Brandon, and you will get top 5 money wither with the Broncos, or from a different team, but either way, you’ll get your big payday!

    If you slack this year, nobody will give you a big contract, and you, like Plax, will have shot yourself in the foot. Only difference is one is figurative, and one really happened (ok, thigh, not foot, but you get the picture).

  • Isaiah

    Someone from the training staff should change Marshall’s diaper and give him a pacifier! If Marshall wants the BIG contract, then he should play hard and they will “Show him the money!”

  • Pete

    I mean that Marshall is “comming back from injury”, not injured.

  • http://www.broncosforums.com BroncosForums

    Pete, that may be accurate, but Denver Post reports that he practiced both Sunday and Monday on the 2nd unit, taking some first unit snaps.

    In addition, I have read camp reports on the Mane, from fans that attended the Monday (8/17) morning practice, and he wasn’t on the scout team yet.

    The first report I saw from any fan going to camp and reporting on the various forums, any reporter tweeting live from camp, or in articles, was that Marshall was running as a gunner on the scout punter team on 8/18.

  • Candide

    Brandon’s gone. The trade is clearly 99% done or he would have made the trip. My guess is the Jets will pay a 1st rounder and a 3rd rounder next year.

  • http://www.broncosforums.com BroncosForums

    Who’s next, Clady? Or, do we wait until after they go to a pro-bowl, so is Clady’s time to be traded next offseason….

  • milehighs

    Dont worry the broncos will be alright this year.With or with out Brandon Marshall on the team.We got a bad ass team you watch and see this year.Broncos go to the playoffs this year.
    It did take me a wile to get over Jay Cutler.

  • milehighs

    GO BRONCOS!

  • Vince_Marine

    In my honest opinion I think he is a problem. His smart ass remarks about him not even being close to learning the playbook were way out of line. He knows the playbook, but he is just saying that so he can cause problems hoping to force his way out of Denver. I say trade him for a 1st and 3rd or 4th round pick next year. I believe the receivers we have this year are good enough, especially in this offense. B-Marsh and Cutler are two peas in a pod. They don’t care about the team only about themselves!

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    All I know is the longer crap like this goes on, the weaker my resolve gets in defending BMarsh. He better be on the field next week, of that I’m damn sure.

    I wrote the big piece about defending Marshall after one day of scout team reps. He went back on the scout team the next day, which seemed silly, and this seems sillier. When is he going to put his words into action?

  • http://www.broncosforums.com BroncosForums

    Kyle, are you saying that Marshall is going on the scout team by choice? Dave Krieger and others are reporting that McDaniels have essentially exiled him there.

    Dave Krieger being interviewed on NFL Network

    http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-preseason/09000d5d8120cd73/Broncos-update

    NFLN: Can this rift (between Denver and Marshall) be mended?

    DK: It’s hard to say right now. It’s a game of chicken going on between the two sides. McDaniels move in the game of chicken is to put Marshall on the scout team and Marshalls reply is to say, “he’s right, I’m not ready, I’m not ready, I might never be ready”. There is a game of phycological warfare going back and forth between them. The Broncos can allow another player to force them to trade him, as Jay Cutler did, or others will do the same.

    NFLN: If they choose not to trade him, then is choosing to put him on the scou team and not playing him, really in the Broncos best interest?

    DK: No, we’re in preseason, so it doesn’t matter yet. It seems to be new Coach Josh McDaniels trying to stake out his territory and authority and trying to make Brandon Marshall bend to his will. Marshall is saying, I have my off field problems behind me, I was the third leading receiver in the NFL last year with 104 catches, and if you are going to put me on the second team, I am going to respond like a second teamer.

  • http://www.broncosforums.com BroncosForums

    Sorry, a couple typos in my ‘transcript’ of the interview. That of course should be “broncos can’t allow” another player to force a rounda, and I have a few other typos in there.

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    Krieger wasn’t reporting, he was giving his opinion. It’s an intriguing one, but don’t buy into it as fact. He didn’t hear that from anybody, that’s just the conclusion he came to.

  • http://www.broncosforums.com BroncosForums

    Well reporting and giving opinions is a fine line these days, and one that is blurred quite often. If we leave it to only direct quotes from the organization is reporting, then none of us really have no idea what is going on.

    What we do know is that the chain of events are:

    Marshall practices for a few days and then pulls a hamstring and misses about two weeks.

    Marshall comes back and plays mostly with the second unit, but takes some snaps with the first unit — this happens on Sunday and Monday morning.

    Marhsall’s agent meets with the Broncos front office and reportedly asks for a renegotiation/extension and when told no, again asks that Marshall is traded.

    At the next practice, Marshall is running as a gunner on the scout punt team, and from that point forward only sees time at scout safety and scout WR.

    No where in anything I have seen reported, has anyone made the case that Marshall walked over and picked up a scout jersey and chose to be on the scout team all week. It’s possible, but you are the first person I have seen make that case.

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    No, I don’t think Marshall is rebelling by being on the scout team. But he hasn’t seemed too eager to get off it, either.

    I support McDaniels, but if there’s a cause-and-effect thing going on with Marshall’s trade request and his scout team duties, I’ll be pissed. It better be purely playbook-related.

    But no one knows what is going on. We’ll all know next week, when he either sees the field or doesn’t and there are no excuses. In the meantime I’m holding my breath.

  • http://www.broncosforums.com BroncosForums

    I can completely agree with your last paragraph. None of us really knows what is going on, and I am also holding my breath as we wait to find out.

  • kerry

    who cares? the guy wants out so dump him. i mean McDaniels is such a genius right so we wont need Marshall. its about the system now! we dont need Pro Bowlers, we need career backups and free agent castoffs to be a great team! have NONE of you been paying attention?!?!?! DUH! its the system now where 7 yard passes and no talent D-linemen are welcome! if you suck and cant make it on any other team, ome play for the Broncos where bums, losers and castoffs are welcome.

  • MiamiMike

    Kerry ,I am with you in frustration but the actual mess we are in is not from McDaniels. Many people are just given into the fact this team is a mess ONLY because we lost Cutler and might end up without Marshall.

    Yes it hurt giving up Cutler. Our issues are far deeper than Cutler not being here. Even if we had him this year we are in such a mess on defense it would have been a repeat year where Cutler throws for 4,000 yards and we still have a losing record because this defense would have had no chance stopping Dallas, Steelers, Giants, Philly, Patriots, Chargers Ravens. Shanahan would still have the same defensive set up with no depth. We are a team in transition because we will have to aquire the players to run this 3-4. This is not done in one year. Shanahan and his great wisdom left us zero depth on defense and no system to accommodate the players we have.
    This will take more than 1 draft to make the switch and have depth. This should have been fixed 3 years ago. Yes we lost Cutler and maybe Marshall but what magnify s this is we still have no defense.
    It took years to get to this point and it took poor decision making in the quality of players we have. Shanahan was a great offensive coach but he was terrible as a general Manager and on the defensive side of the ball. his weakness as a G.M. cost him his job.

    It is only now that he is visiting the Steelers and other teams to learn more about the 3-4. To bad we did not have a G.M. years ago to make sure this was done then. Bowlen should never allowed him to handle the judging and scouting of player talent. We would be in better shape now

  • anthony33

    Kyle,
    If it was just the current situation I would think they could work through it. He is a hell of a reciever and while I hope it all works out, I don’t see it.

    Unfortunately, as we have all witnessed, it’s just one thing after another with him. I’ve said this before, he is what he is and you can’t change his basic DNA at this point in his life. I now really think the best thing that could have happened to him would have been to be convicted last week, do some serious jail time and miss the entire season. That may have been the only hope of waking this pompous, arrogant ass up. See Plaxico.

  • postalmoose

    I have said this before fellas, Bmarsh is the problem period. You can bitch about JoshMac, Bowlen, or anyone else but Bmarsh is it. He is a crybaby and a whiner and he will be a problem child all year. He is now finding reasons to act out like a little kid. None of them real, like the whole pr episode. I can’t understand why people think this is all the coaches fault. Bmarsh has had numerous run ins with the law and twice this year when he was given a reprieve first by Goodell and then the courts his first action is to go back to the Broncos and ask for more money. He doesn’t trust the Broncos? Why should the Broncos trust him? Sign him to a big deal and then watch him get suspended. I say hold him until you get a trade offer later in the season when some team needs him desperately or suspend him for the year(like Tampa did another notorious baby, Keyshawn) wait until next years draft. You know we saw this behavior with TO and no one liked that. But I hear no one laying the lumber on BMarsh like they did TO. He is the problem and this TEAM won’t miss his empty 100 catches at all!

  • Nicole

    He’s a problem only if you let it be one. You can’t have a team full of clean players because all of them do things. If you don’t want him-fine but don’t think another team doesn’t because silence can be golden. This is business and if he wants to push the envelope-fine. DENVER STARTED IT! so guess what? it’ll continue for some time.

    Being angry at him will die down because you will have plenty of time on your hands to ponder the past in about a year. Things will look alot different and opinions will change on certain players because you will learn what others have already learned-YOU WON’T CARE HOW THEY LEFT BECAUSE ALL YOU’LL KNOW IS THEY’RE GONE AND HELPING ANOTHER TEAM WIN GAMES.

    Lay the anger and pride aside and look at the entire picture-a team came for Jay and evnetually they’ll come for him too. This is business and if a player can help them win-okay. You have one opinion of these players, but the outside has a different view of them: people named called Jay-SO! He’s a franchise qb. You don’t want Marshall-OKAY! someone will come for him eventually because that’t how it works. Burress literally kept a job until the end because he is talented-the Giants weren’t going to cut him BEFORE the title was won because they needed his skills.

    That’s how it works in sports: they don’t need them to have perfect attitudes or get along with fans-JUST PRODUCE! If people need that much something is wrong.

    Hate them or not, you needed them.