Yes To Brandon Marshall

To every fence there is a side.  Sometimes the grass looks greener, sometimes it doesn’t.  Sometimes your opinion on a subject on one side of a fence meets criticism from the other.  And sometimes, you just sit on top of the fence say to hell with it and take both sides.  Me, I really don’t care what side of the fence I’m on.  It’s my opinion so your either on the same side or your not.  Such is the case with Brandon Marshall.  I say yes.

I will be the first to admit that I wasn’t initially on board with bringing in a prima-donna to any position on the field.  Especially one that could curtail the development of a young QB like Chad Henne. Then I realized, Brandon Marshall is not Terrell Owens.  Brandon Marshall is far from Jerry Rice but he isn’t a locker-room cancer and in reality never has been.

I can go into his legal background but honestly you can read that list for yourself on Wikipedia.  Yes, he has had some issues but let’s face facts, some of those issues were not his fault, some of them were bad press, and some of them were young mistakes.  It’s his emotions that have gotten the better of him.  As was the case with Darrent Williams.

Marshall recently conceded in court that he blames himself for Williams’ death at the hands of Willie Clark (found guilty of 1st degree murder).  Marshall told the court that he was vocally abusive to Clark who later followed their limo and fired the shots into it that killed Williams.

And Marshall has been keeping that inside.

The other side of Brandon Marshall that the Dolphins would get is the one who took off to Atlanta 3 seasons ago with Jay Cutlerand Tony Scheffler to work on their own.  The 3 worked on timing routes and patterns and it showed the following season when all 3 had solid statistical seasons.

Last season Marshall was benched for the final game by head coach Josh McDaniels.  The reason was that Marshall didn’t practice because of a hamstring injury.  Before Marshall could get it treated, McDaniels had already publicly outed his WR.  Something that Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland would never do and have never done.  Bill Parcells?  Yeah, maybe.

Unlike Terrell Owens who is a major diva, Marshall has never complained about his QB or the lack of getting receptions.  He has complained about the teams play but never outed Cutler and in fact, Cutler has lobbied the Bears to bring him north.

In Miami, Marshall would be the star on offense, no question so it fits into any part of the “me” ego he possesses.  In addition, he will have a no-nonsense OC in Dan Henningwho does not tolerate the “diva” mentality.  He will have young Chad Henne to work with while also being guided by the very respected Chad Pennington.

Then of course there is Bill Parcells.  Parcells has zero tolerance for “diva” wide-receivers but he is also fair and understanding towards troubled players.  See Ricky Williams.  There is a place for Marshall on this team and I doubt he would be the distraction that many people fear.

There is the Southbeach issue that can be a seriously ill draw for young impressionable athletes and while Marshall is not a kid anymore, he still lacks the knowledge of self regulation.  But it’s something that he may have learned from with the Williams death.

All in all, the Dolphins have thrown away big sums of money to Gibril Wilson and Ernest Wilford and have gotten zero production out of either of them.  Their biggest need is WR and nothing they get in the draft would immediately contribute like Marshall can today.  And what exactly would he do for Ted Ginn and the rest of the receivers?  A point that Zach Thomas was quoted as making in one of Armando Salguero‘s blogs.

The point is Marshall comes with a history but in my opinion, it’s not loaded baggage.  He needs a new start in a new city away from the past that has dogged him.  In Miami, Marshall can be the go to guy that he wants to be and that Miami needs.  He can be flamboyant if he must and at the same time he will be surrounded by players and coaches that can deal with him.

Brandon Marshall is not Terrell Owens…he just has the same talent.  Marshall also has a history that these Dolphins love.  He is a hard worker who has played hurt almost every year in the league and has excelled.

Marshall could likely be had for a 2nd or a 3rd plus.  Not a bad investment for what people consider a risky individual.  What side of this fence are you on?