crowebomber
04-04-2008, 02:56 PM
DENVER -- Brandon Marshall must choose a lane.
Marshall, he of the famed McDonald's bag slip (really?), either will become one of the NFL's most dominant offensive weapons or he'll be the league's next, complex wide receiver. He'll be acclaimed for his immense talent or derided for his off-field antics.
Either way, the third-year Denver Broncos player will become a household NFL name.
The Broncos' best chance for renewed success is the pairing of quarterback Jay Cutler and Marshall, a pass-catch pair that came into the league together two Aprils ago. Cutler knows Marshall is an integral part of his legacy, and perhaps that's why, in his first significant sign of being the team's longtime leader, the quarterback blasted Marshall for the receiver's latest embarrassing episode.
Cutler punctuated the lashing by saying that Marshall "isn't his favorite person right now."
Not everyone in Denver is as frank about Marshall's situation, but they all know Marshall's future is correlated to the team's future.
"Brandon has to look himself in the mirror and realize how special he can be," Denver owner Pat Bowlen said. "We believe in him and think he'll be fine."
Yet, Marshall has to prove it. He has to show he can be fine.
There's no question the 2006 fourth-round pick from Central Florida is secure on the field. Marshall, who turned 24 on Easter Sunday, burst onto the NFL scene last season and quickly became one of the fiercest weapons in the league as he caught a startling 102 catches in his first full season. Marshall joined Isaac Bruce (119) and Larry Fitzgerald (103) as second-year players to catch 100 balls.
[+] EnlargeAP Photo/David Zalubowski
Jay Cutler (6) and Brandon Marshall (15) could be the foundation of the Broncos' offense for years to come.
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Marshall makes Terrell Owens feel like he needs a few body-sculpting classes. Already, there isn't a nastier receiver in the league than Marshall with the ball in his hands. Being the first defender to face Marshall is an impossible task. He is a yardage-after-the-catch monster. Marshall breaks tackles like Floyd Mayweather Jr. breaks noses. It happens all the time.
Again, on the field, Marshall is aces. How long will he allow himself to be? Marshall must stop the scary, long list of off-field missteps before he fully allows himself to become a true NFL superstar.
With two years remaining on Marshall's contract, it is fully expected that the Broncos and his agent, Fletcher Smith, will sit down and talk about a lengthy, lucrative deal in the spring of 2009. Marshall has two more years on his contract and he is the type of a franchise player that teams don't hesitate to re-sign. He's a once-a-generation player.
Yet the Broncos have plenty of reason to pause. Can they trust Marshall will give himself a chance to make a run at a Hall of Fame career?
They hope so.
"He's a great player, we all know that," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "He knows he has some things to work on, and we are confident he will."
Inside the doors of the Broncos' facility, Marshall's future is a much-discussed subject. For much of last season, the organization went to great lengths to make sure Marshall was on the straight and narrow. Several people in the organization counseled him. Cutler took him under his wing, and the two often met with Shanahan to help keep Marshall focused.
Still, issues persist.
The latest Marshall misadventure occurred in Orlando on the day before his birthday, when he presumably put his arm through a glass entertainment center while wrestling with family members. Originally, Marshall's story was that he slipped on a McDonald's bag. Then it morphed into the entertainment center tale. Is the second story the truth?
The accident -- which will shelve Marshall until training camp because of damage to muscles and tendons as well as a vein, artery and nerve -- would be considered just bad luck if Marshall did not have other issues.
Since joining the Broncos, Marshall has been arrested for drunk driving, for which he could serve a short suspension this season if convicted; was arrested for a domestic-violence charge (charges were later dropped); was involved in a heated argument with an assistant coach the day after a game; and was alleged to have participated in a ruckus at a nightclub before teammate Darrent Williams was killed on Jan. 1, 2007.
This week, Shanahan said Marshall seems to have a "black cloud" hovering over him.
When Marshall was drafted, there were whispers that Denver was taking a risk on an immature talent. Yet Central Florida coach George O'Leary vouched for Marshall, deeming the player "a good kid" who gave him little trouble while starting both at receiver and in the secondary for the Knights.
Still, some scouts in the league labeled Marshall as "Baby T.O.," a nod to both his on- and off-field persona. When told of the nickname in his first NFL training camp, Marshall's eyes widened. He promised a reporter that he'd provide no trouble in Denver.
In his two years in Denver, Marshall has been far from a pariah. While he has a knack for finding trouble, Marshall can be very friendly and polite. In a vote at the end of the season to award the most media-friendly player on the team, which is named in Williams' honor, Marshall finished second behind veteran safety John Lynch.
Marshall is worth saving -- perhaps that's why Cutler took him to task this week. In an informal media gathering, Cutler said he was tired of Cutler's antics. Cutler acknowledged that Marshall's injury was the result of an accident, but said that it is "always something" with the wide receiver. Cutler, who worked out with Marshall in February in Atlanta, said he told his teammate that his chances in Denver might be running out.
In his only press gathering since the accident, Marshall called the latest miscue a "wake-up call." Cutler said he has heard it all before. Privately, many in the Denver organization were happy to see Cutler call out Marshall. It had to be done, they said. Cutler's words had to be embarrassing to Marshall.
Perhaps that is the wake-up call Marshall finally will heed. There's no doubt he needs to listen.
Marshall, he of the famed McDonald's bag slip (really?), either will become one of the NFL's most dominant offensive weapons or he'll be the league's next, complex wide receiver. He'll be acclaimed for his immense talent or derided for his off-field antics.
Either way, the third-year Denver Broncos player will become a household NFL name.
The Broncos' best chance for renewed success is the pairing of quarterback Jay Cutler and Marshall, a pass-catch pair that came into the league together two Aprils ago. Cutler knows Marshall is an integral part of his legacy, and perhaps that's why, in his first significant sign of being the team's longtime leader, the quarterback blasted Marshall for the receiver's latest embarrassing episode.
Cutler punctuated the lashing by saying that Marshall "isn't his favorite person right now."
Not everyone in Denver is as frank about Marshall's situation, but they all know Marshall's future is correlated to the team's future.
"Brandon has to look himself in the mirror and realize how special he can be," Denver owner Pat Bowlen said. "We believe in him and think he'll be fine."
Yet, Marshall has to prove it. He has to show he can be fine.
There's no question the 2006 fourth-round pick from Central Florida is secure on the field. Marshall, who turned 24 on Easter Sunday, burst onto the NFL scene last season and quickly became one of the fiercest weapons in the league as he caught a startling 102 catches in his first full season. Marshall joined Isaac Bruce (119) and Larry Fitzgerald (103) as second-year players to catch 100 balls.
[+] EnlargeAP Photo/David Zalubowski
Jay Cutler (6) and Brandon Marshall (15) could be the foundation of the Broncos' offense for years to come.
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Marshall makes Terrell Owens feel like he needs a few body-sculpting classes. Already, there isn't a nastier receiver in the league than Marshall with the ball in his hands. Being the first defender to face Marshall is an impossible task. He is a yardage-after-the-catch monster. Marshall breaks tackles like Floyd Mayweather Jr. breaks noses. It happens all the time.
Again, on the field, Marshall is aces. How long will he allow himself to be? Marshall must stop the scary, long list of off-field missteps before he fully allows himself to become a true NFL superstar.
With two years remaining on Marshall's contract, it is fully expected that the Broncos and his agent, Fletcher Smith, will sit down and talk about a lengthy, lucrative deal in the spring of 2009. Marshall has two more years on his contract and he is the type of a franchise player that teams don't hesitate to re-sign. He's a once-a-generation player.
Yet the Broncos have plenty of reason to pause. Can they trust Marshall will give himself a chance to make a run at a Hall of Fame career?
They hope so.
"He's a great player, we all know that," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "He knows he has some things to work on, and we are confident he will."
Inside the doors of the Broncos' facility, Marshall's future is a much-discussed subject. For much of last season, the organization went to great lengths to make sure Marshall was on the straight and narrow. Several people in the organization counseled him. Cutler took him under his wing, and the two often met with Shanahan to help keep Marshall focused.
Still, issues persist.
The latest Marshall misadventure occurred in Orlando on the day before his birthday, when he presumably put his arm through a glass entertainment center while wrestling with family members. Originally, Marshall's story was that he slipped on a McDonald's bag. Then it morphed into the entertainment center tale. Is the second story the truth?
The accident -- which will shelve Marshall until training camp because of damage to muscles and tendons as well as a vein, artery and nerve -- would be considered just bad luck if Marshall did not have other issues.
Since joining the Broncos, Marshall has been arrested for drunk driving, for which he could serve a short suspension this season if convicted; was arrested for a domestic-violence charge (charges were later dropped); was involved in a heated argument with an assistant coach the day after a game; and was alleged to have participated in a ruckus at a nightclub before teammate Darrent Williams was killed on Jan. 1, 2007.
This week, Shanahan said Marshall seems to have a "black cloud" hovering over him.
When Marshall was drafted, there were whispers that Denver was taking a risk on an immature talent. Yet Central Florida coach George O'Leary vouched for Marshall, deeming the player "a good kid" who gave him little trouble while starting both at receiver and in the secondary for the Knights.
Still, some scouts in the league labeled Marshall as "Baby T.O.," a nod to both his on- and off-field persona. When told of the nickname in his first NFL training camp, Marshall's eyes widened. He promised a reporter that he'd provide no trouble in Denver.
In his two years in Denver, Marshall has been far from a pariah. While he has a knack for finding trouble, Marshall can be very friendly and polite. In a vote at the end of the season to award the most media-friendly player on the team, which is named in Williams' honor, Marshall finished second behind veteran safety John Lynch.
Marshall is worth saving -- perhaps that's why Cutler took him to task this week. In an informal media gathering, Cutler said he was tired of Cutler's antics. Cutler acknowledged that Marshall's injury was the result of an accident, but said that it is "always something" with the wide receiver. Cutler, who worked out with Marshall in February in Atlanta, said he told his teammate that his chances in Denver might be running out.
In his only press gathering since the accident, Marshall called the latest miscue a "wake-up call." Cutler said he has heard it all before. Privately, many in the Denver organization were happy to see Cutler call out Marshall. It had to be done, they said. Cutler's words had to be embarrassing to Marshall.
Perhaps that is the wake-up call Marshall finally will heed. There's no doubt he needs to listen.