SoCalBronco
12-29-2006, 03:46 AM
Marshall attracts his own posse
Veteran teammates see bright future as receiver improves
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News
December 28, 2006
ENGLEWOOD - Several veteran players were standing on the sideline at Dove Valley watching some practice snaps earlier this week when Brandon Marshall caught their collective eye.
The discussion immediately turned to how far the young receiver has come during the last several months.
"Just look at the difference in this guy," cornerback Champ Bailey said, regarding the tone of the conversation.
While many first-year players hit the so-called "rookie wall" at this point of the season, Marshall appears to be racing through it.
His timing couldn't be better during the Broncos' push for a postseason spot that culminates with Sunday's regular-season finale against the San Francisco 49ers at Invesco Field at Mile High (2:15 p.m., KDVR-Channel 31).
In the past six games, Marshall has 16 of the 18 catches he has made this season for 267 of 289 yards.
That statistical rise has come from greater opportunity. But he also has earned those chances and transformed himself into a player who can be trusted at critical times.
Marshall has made a toe-tapping sideline grab and run through a bevy of tacklers for an improbable long touchdown the past couple of games.
He also has shown glimpses that he still is an NFL neophyte with much to learn, such as an end-zone drop Sunday.
He also has made his mark among teammates by not having to constantly be reminded he has the ability to be a playmaker.
"I think the biggest thing younger players forget is it doesn't matter how big and strong you are, how physical they say you are or how dominant people say you can be. If you don't have the right attitude, you're not going to get better. You're not going to play hard," Bailey said. "You've got to have a nasty attitude about wanting to be the best at your position. And it seems like he has that right now."
Marshall turned heads early in training camp, but a right knee injury wrecked his preseason. It took him several weeks into the regular season to feel like himself again from a health standpoint.
By that time, -David Kircus essentially had moved into the third receiver role and Marshall was fighting a numbers game and emotions.
"I think whenever you come from a situation where you're taking 70 snaps a game, then taking 13 on special teams in college, and then you get drafted to a team where your playing time is limited, you get down on yourself," Marshall said. "But I just had to wait my turn and pay my dues."
Marshall got his first pro catch and touchdown Oct. 22 at Cleveland, but the real turning point - at least in the coaches' minds - might have come on a play that didn't count two weeks later because of a penalty.
Marshall made a leaping catch over two Steelers, grabbing the ball over the defenders' bodies. His aggressiveness was something Marshall hadn't demonstrated much to that point but since has shown frequently.
After getting shut out the next week, Marshall has gone six straight games with at least one reception. He has at least one catch for more than 10 yards in five contests.
A season-best 71-yard touchdown Dec. 3 featured Marshall racing through several Seahawks defenders on his way to the end zone, using the skills he honed as a former running back.
"All the little things he had to do to be a pro, he's starting to do," offensive coordinator Mike Heimer-dinger said. "Before that, he was just happy to be in the right spot."
Marshall admitted the more repetitions he has gotten, the better he feels. He not only has surpassed Kircus as the No. 3 receiver, he also has been used in base formations the past few games. That could bode well going into next season, when he's expected to compete for a starting job.
"This is what I've worked for since I was a little kid, this opportunity," Marshall said. "And either you can do it or you can't. Guys make plays in the NFL because they have talent and they're smart. And it's not a case of, 'Can you do it?' If you couldn't do it, you wouldn't be here.
"Sometimes a guy sneaks through and he winds up being a bust. But I'm a guy that's going to be here and consistently make plays. I'm going to have my downs where I have to pick it up, but that's part of the game."
Bailey pointed out the 6-foot-4, 222-pound Marshall long term "has the tools to be a Pro Bowl receiver" from a physical standpoint.
But the seven-time Pro Bowl selection added, "Let's see how he works on it."
Marshall, a fourth-round pick in April, is trying to get tips on the finer points of the game from starting wideouts Rod Smith and Javon Walker.
And he has promised his solid recent stretch merely is a jumping-off point in his career, not the finished product.
"These guys haven't seen nothing yet," he said. "Nothing at all."
rasizerl@RockyMountainNews.com
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5243233,00.html
Veteran teammates see bright future as receiver improves
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News
December 28, 2006
ENGLEWOOD - Several veteran players were standing on the sideline at Dove Valley watching some practice snaps earlier this week when Brandon Marshall caught their collective eye.
The discussion immediately turned to how far the young receiver has come during the last several months.
"Just look at the difference in this guy," cornerback Champ Bailey said, regarding the tone of the conversation.
While many first-year players hit the so-called "rookie wall" at this point of the season, Marshall appears to be racing through it.
His timing couldn't be better during the Broncos' push for a postseason spot that culminates with Sunday's regular-season finale against the San Francisco 49ers at Invesco Field at Mile High (2:15 p.m., KDVR-Channel 31).
In the past six games, Marshall has 16 of the 18 catches he has made this season for 267 of 289 yards.
That statistical rise has come from greater opportunity. But he also has earned those chances and transformed himself into a player who can be trusted at critical times.
Marshall has made a toe-tapping sideline grab and run through a bevy of tacklers for an improbable long touchdown the past couple of games.
He also has shown glimpses that he still is an NFL neophyte with much to learn, such as an end-zone drop Sunday.
He also has made his mark among teammates by not having to constantly be reminded he has the ability to be a playmaker.
"I think the biggest thing younger players forget is it doesn't matter how big and strong you are, how physical they say you are or how dominant people say you can be. If you don't have the right attitude, you're not going to get better. You're not going to play hard," Bailey said. "You've got to have a nasty attitude about wanting to be the best at your position. And it seems like he has that right now."
Marshall turned heads early in training camp, but a right knee injury wrecked his preseason. It took him several weeks into the regular season to feel like himself again from a health standpoint.
By that time, -David Kircus essentially had moved into the third receiver role and Marshall was fighting a numbers game and emotions.
"I think whenever you come from a situation where you're taking 70 snaps a game, then taking 13 on special teams in college, and then you get drafted to a team where your playing time is limited, you get down on yourself," Marshall said. "But I just had to wait my turn and pay my dues."
Marshall got his first pro catch and touchdown Oct. 22 at Cleveland, but the real turning point - at least in the coaches' minds - might have come on a play that didn't count two weeks later because of a penalty.
Marshall made a leaping catch over two Steelers, grabbing the ball over the defenders' bodies. His aggressiveness was something Marshall hadn't demonstrated much to that point but since has shown frequently.
After getting shut out the next week, Marshall has gone six straight games with at least one reception. He has at least one catch for more than 10 yards in five contests.
A season-best 71-yard touchdown Dec. 3 featured Marshall racing through several Seahawks defenders on his way to the end zone, using the skills he honed as a former running back.
"All the little things he had to do to be a pro, he's starting to do," offensive coordinator Mike Heimer-dinger said. "Before that, he was just happy to be in the right spot."
Marshall admitted the more repetitions he has gotten, the better he feels. He not only has surpassed Kircus as the No. 3 receiver, he also has been used in base formations the past few games. That could bode well going into next season, when he's expected to compete for a starting job.
"This is what I've worked for since I was a little kid, this opportunity," Marshall said. "And either you can do it or you can't. Guys make plays in the NFL because they have talent and they're smart. And it's not a case of, 'Can you do it?' If you couldn't do it, you wouldn't be here.
"Sometimes a guy sneaks through and he winds up being a bust. But I'm a guy that's going to be here and consistently make plays. I'm going to have my downs where I have to pick it up, but that's part of the game."
Bailey pointed out the 6-foot-4, 222-pound Marshall long term "has the tools to be a Pro Bowl receiver" from a physical standpoint.
But the seven-time Pro Bowl selection added, "Let's see how he works on it."
Marshall, a fourth-round pick in April, is trying to get tips on the finer points of the game from starting wideouts Rod Smith and Javon Walker.
And he has promised his solid recent stretch merely is a jumping-off point in his career, not the finished product.
"These guys haven't seen nothing yet," he said. "Nothing at all."
rasizerl@RockyMountainNews.com
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5243233,00.html