Brandon Marshall Will Be in Camp

It is a topic that has been circulating in the back of every Broncos player’s and fan’s mind since Brandon Marshall left Dove Valley a month ago with a bunch of boxes after meeting with Pat Bowlen: Will Brandon Marshall remain a Bronco in 2009?

Since Marshall asked to be traded the Denver Broncos have held up a strong front.  From the team’s standpoint, he is under contract and they have no intention of trading him or re-signing him to a larger contract with all his legal problems looming.  

Marshall’s attempt to get a larger contract by demanding a trade has not worked on the Broncos, and with training camp just around the corner, you have to wonder how far Marshall is willing to take this.

The Denver Post’s Mike Klis reported earlier this week that the Broncos informed Brandon Marshall that as an injured player he will be expected to show up for training camp with the team’s rookies on July 27.

Yahoo! Sports’ Sean Jensen caught up with Brandon Marshall at the University of Minnesota while he was working out with fellow Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

When asked if he plans to report to training camp on time, Marshall said, “Well, I’m under contract with the Broncos.”

This looks like a good sign. Despite Marshall’s desire for a new contract and his issues with the Broncos medical staff, he still understands that he needs to honor his contract and report to camp.

When Marshall was asked about his situation possibly being a distraction to his teammates, he responded, “You don’t ever want to be that.”

So we can all hope that Marshall comes into camp and is able to talk with the organization and work things out, while training and working hard to learn the new offensive system Coach McDaniels has instituted in Denver.

Despite being away from Denver, Marshall has still been rehabbing from his injury and working out to try to get better at his craft. 

Marshall said, “At the end of the day, I’m going to be playing football, and, if I’m going to be out there, I got to be in the best shape I can be in.  All I can do is get up everyday and beat my body up, and that’s the truth.”

Marshall has even been challenging himself by working out with other NFL wide receivers, including Larry Fitzgerald, who many consider to be the NFL’s best wide receiver right now.

“The main thing I’m taking back to Orlando with me is that I’m 20 yards behind Fitzgerald.  [Working out here] showed me how far behind I am from the best.”

Marshall said he enjoyed sharing insights with receivers like Fitzgerald and the Green Bay Packers’ Greg Jennings.

(Hopefully he learned a little something about how to handle your business from Jennings, who is an elite receiver himself and was able to get a huge contract extension just by playing well, and not by causing a scene or involving the media.)

The highlight of Brandon’s week in Minnesota, though, was when he worked out with Jerry Rice. “I had never gotten the chance to meet the G.O.A.T. [Greatest of All Time] before,” Marshall said. “It’s inspiring, to see how old he is, and how he’s still got it.”

If Marshall got some insight from these great players about how to handle his business from here on out, then maybe Marshall will shut up, report to camp, do what he is paid to do, and let the contract take care of itself. 

If it weren’t for Brandon’s off-the-field legal issues, I’m sure he would have a long-term contract already.  Hard work pays off, and that is what he needs to do: work hard, keep his nose clean, and the money will come.

I know we haven’t heard the last of this situation, but one thing we can rest assured about is that Marshall will not try to holdout. He will report to camp.  After all, he is still under contract with the Broncos.

Comparing Offseasons: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos

Typically you can’t write an article like this. NFL teams do so many different things in an off-season that trying to find similarities between them is like comparing an i-phone to cave paintings.

Not so in this case.

Kansas City and Denver, though unique in their personnel and approaches to this off-season, have nonetheless striking similarities which should not go unnoticed, and are worth a little investigation.

Denver Broncos’ Offseason: Who Is To Blame?

When it comes down to it, the fans and the media hold the head coach responsible for the state of a team’s franchise.  I question whether or not this is a fair practice.

Though a head coach has governance over a myriad of things that influence the production and content of the team on the field, he does not wield the power over every decision that effects the organization.

I believe that you should give credit where credit is due and place blame where it belongs.

In the case of the Denver Broncos’ tumultuous offseason, I believe that the fans and especially the media have placed all of the blame for everything that has gone on squarely on coach McDaniels’s shoulders.

Though coach McDaniels is by no means innocent and was not uninvolved in many of the questionable decisions made this offseason, I believe that the credit for these decisions belongs to Pat Bowlen, not Josh McDaniels.

Pat Bowlen is the Owner, President, and CEO of the Denver Broncos.  He is the guy that signs the checks and the guy who puts the people in place to run the team.

When you talk about a man such as Pat Bowlen, the perhaps overused quote “the buck stops here” comes to mind.  He is the “decider” so to speak, and as such he deserves the credit and/or blame for his decisions.

As much as it pains me to add another article that details the events of the past few months (simply because it has been done to death), I feel it is necessary in order to point out who is responsible for each controversial offseason decision.

So here it goes:

After the Denver Broncos missed the playoffs for their third straight year with a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league, Bowlen decided it was time for a change.

It was Bowlen who made the decision to fire Mike Shanahan.

Whether Bowlen made a rash decision, sought bad council and was ill advised, or he made a calculated decision, which was a long time coming. However you see it, Bowlen was solely responsible for that decision.

Then, if we can believe the media and wish to take Jay Cutler at his word, Cutler had a meeting with Bowlen where he made known his disagreement with the decision to fire Shanahan and his concern about the future of the offense and namely the quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates.

Cutler reportedly left this meeting feeling that Bowlen had assured him that the offensive coaching unit would be kept in tact under the new head coach.  Bowlen does not recall this meeting and has made a statement that he may be experiencing some memory loss.

Pat Bowlen later decided to hire Josh McDaniels to be the new Head Coach of the Denver Broncos.

Whether Bowlen made a rash decision, sought bad council and was ill advised, or he made a calculated decision, which was a long time coming.  However you see it, Bowlen was solely responsible for that decision as well.

Josh McDaniels, having the full support of Pat Bowlen and the Denver Broncos’ organization proceeded to clean house and assemble the coaching staff of his own choosing. This included the firing of the aforementioned quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates.

Jay Cutler was reportedly upset about this because he felt that Bowlen had assured him that Bates would be retained. Feeling that Bowlen lied to him and the organization betrayed him, Cutler then reportedly asked the Denver Broncos to trade him.

Somewhere between the selecting of the Denver Broncos’ new coaching staff and the start of free agency, coach McDaniels sat down with Cutler and told him how excited he was to work with him and shared with him what their new offense was going to look like.

During this period, Pat Bowlen also made the decision to fire player personnel managers Jim and Jeff Goodman and to make Brian Xanders the General Manager of the Denver Broncos.

Whether Bowlen made a rash decision, sought bad council and was ill advised, or he made a calculated decision, which was a long time coming. However you see it, Bowlen was solely responsible for those decisions.

About 24 hours after free agency had opened up, the news media was a buzz with reports that there had been an attempt or at the very least ‘talks’ about the Denver Broncos trading away Jay Cutler in some sort of three-way trade in order to acquire Matt Cassel from New England.

Jay Cutler again felt lied to, this time by coach McDaniels and betrayed by the Denver Broncos’ organization and publicly demanded to be traded from the Denver Broncos.

Cutler and his agent Bus Cook met with coach McDaniels and GM Xanders at Dove Valley to try to clear the air and come together on what had transpired and how to move forward.

McDaniels reportedly left the meeting with a positive outlook that things would be resolved, while Cutler reportedly felt like McDaniels had confirmed that Cutler was not wanted in Denver.

After that meeting Cutler ceased to communicate with the Denver Broncos organization in any way, despite many attempts by the organization to reach him through several different communication venues.

When questioned by the media, McDaniels stated that Cutler was Denver’s quarterback, that he was still under contract and the organization expected him to keep his word and honor that contract.

I do not think McDaniels was trying to mislead or lie to the press. As far as he was concerned, Jay was still there quarterback.  McDaniels is not the GM or the owner, he is the head coach and as such did not have the power to make the decision to trade Jay Cutler.

McDaniels expressed a desire to once again reach out to Cutler, to try to talk things out and find a common ground. Cutler would not return McDaniels numerous attempts to contact him.

Bowlen had had about enough of this stalemate conflict and media warfare. He contacted Cutler’s agent Bus Cook and demanded that Cutler return his call. When Bowlen did not hear from Cutler in what he determined to be a reasonable amount of time, Bowlen made the most controversial decision of the offseason.

Pat Bowlen made the decision to trade Jay Cutler.

Let me repeat that, Pat Bowlen (not Josh McDaniels) made the decision to trade Jay Cutler.

Whether Bowlen made a rash decision, sought bad council and was ill advised, or he made a calculated decision, which was a long time coming. However you see it, Bowlen was solely responsible for those decisions.

It was not coach McDaniels’ decision to make, and he should not shoulder the blame for this decision. The decision was Pat Bowlen’s.

I am not saying that McDaniels did not play a part in making Cutler feel like he was unwanted in Denver. McDaniels is definitely guilty of that whether it was his intention or not, but Cutler wanted to break ties with Denver before he ever spoke with McDaniels.

Credit where credit is due: Bowlen was unhappy with how Cutler was acting and was unwilling to be patient and wait to see if Cutler would show up for the mandatory minicamp in early April.  Bowlen made the decision to trade Cutler and move on.

The Denver Broncos have also taken some heat for the players they acquired in the draft and the strategy that they applied in seeking those players out.  However you choose to view these acquisitions, the man responsible for the results of the Denver Broncos’ draft is Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels coordinated with his coaching staff, GM Brian Xanders and the player personnel department, but in the end he decided which players would best fit his team. And if there is heat to be taken for these draft picks, that heat is rightly directed at coach McDaniels.

That brings us to the current controversy that has landed in Dove Valley and captivated the media once again, Brandon Marshall.

Marshall has informed the Broncos organization that he does not trust the Broncos medical staff (because he felt they misdiagnosed his injury last season) and that he requires a new contract (one that reflects his high level of play over the past two years and will compensate him accordingly).

Marshall chose to express his resolve in having his new contract demands taken seriously by choosing not to attend the team’s most recent mandatory minicamp.

Marshall did come to Dove Valley and had a meeting with Pat Bowlen. Marshall was later seen leaving the Broncos complex after loading his car with packed boxes.

Marshall has also inferred through a comment on his web site that in this meeting he requested to be traded from the Denver Broncos and also inferred that Bowlen communicated to him that the Broncos would do their best to accommodate his request.

Now I feel the need to reiterate this point.  Marshall met with the owner Bowlen, the guy who writes the checks, the guy who would approve a contract extension, and not coach McDaniels who coaches the players.

And Marshall has expressed his displeasure with the Broncos medical staff and how much money he makes, not his relationship with coach McDaniels or the direction he is taking the team.

Coach McDaniels has taken a lot of flack from the media and from Denver Broncos fans.  He is not above reproach and he is not beyond scrutiny. McDaniels has made his share of mistakes as a rookie head coach, but he has taken the blame for things that were beyond his control and for the outcomes of decisions he did not make.

As a good employee, he has bore the criticism for Bowlen’s decisions and backed his boss’ moves, which may make him complicit in them but hardly means that he called the shots.

Just so we are straight here:

Bowlen decided to fire Shanahan.

Bowlen decided to hire McDaniels.

Bowlen decided to Trade Cutler.

McDaniels is responsible for the Draft picks.

Bowlen will ultimately decide what to do with Marshall.

 

Bowlen has taken the bull by the horns this offseason and has instituted a lot of change in the Denver Broncos’ organization, and it has really shaken a lot of people up.  More change may be on its way, but it is important to be honest about who has instituted these changes.

Credit where credit is due, and blame where it belongs.

Who Will Make the 2009 Denver Broncos’ Final Roster?

This past week’s cuts started me thinking about what the Denver Broncos active roster will look like and the gauntlet of competition that a football player will have to endure to make an NFL team.

The Broncos released five players Thursday including linebackers Boss Bailey and Louis Green, safety Herana-Dave Jones, running back Kestahn Moore and cornerback Rashod Moulton.

Though none of these cuts may have come as much of a surprise to any Broncos fan, they are nonetheless interesting because they begin to shape the 2009 Roster.

It was necessary to bring the roster size down to 80 because that is the maximum number of players an NFL team is allowed to bring to training camp. more cuts will follow in the coming months as each NFL team continues to whittle down their rosters as the dawn of a new season creeps ever closer.

Cuts can happen at any time during training camp when it becomes apparent to the coaches that a player is simply not able to keep up and compete with the others at his position.  There are also some set times where teams will be required to dump players from their rosters.

After the third preseason weekend the rosters are required to drop to 65 players or below and after the fourth and final preseason weekend all NFL teams are required to have an active roster of no more than 53 players as they head into the regular season. 

Each team is also allowed to form a practice squad, which may consist of no more than eight players.

That means that there are 19 more broncos on the current roster who will not even make Denver’s practice squad. 

After that there are eight more players who are on the bubble and will fall just short of making the roster and will have to settle for serving time with the team on the practice squad in hopes of improving their skills for another shot somewhere down the line.

53 of the current 80 players will make the active roster, but even then they will have to compete each week in order to make the 45 man game-day roster, which will no doubt change each week depending on the team’s game plan.

All of this does not even mention the competition between the players who make the roster to gain playing time on Sundays, let alone to secure a position as one of the 22 starting Denver Broncos.

With so much turnover in the off-season between coaches and players alike, there are few players who can rest assured that they will be one of those starters.  Even a Champ Bailey needs to work and both mentally and physically to adapt to scheme changes and prove his worthiness to his new set of coaches.

With all of this in mind, here are my predictions on where the current 80 players on the roster will end up going into the 2009 season.

Cut List

#   Name                Pos. Ht. Wt.  Age  Exp. College

60  Matt McChesney  G  6’4″  307   27  3rd  Colorado

72  Pat Murray          G  6’3″  310   24  1st  Truman State

61  Mitch Erickson     G  6’6″  290   23  2nd  S.Dakota St.

76  Tyler Polumbus    T  6’8″  310   23  2nd  Colorado

68  Stanley Bryant    T  6’5″  282   23   R    East Carolina

77  Brandon Gorin     T  6’6″  308   30   7th  Purdue

87  Jeb Putzier        TE 6’4″  256   30   7th  Boise State

82  David Grimes     WR 5’10” 177  22    R    Notre Dame

84  Brandon Lloyd   WR  6’0″  194  27  7th   Illinois

12  Matthew Willis  WR  6’0″  195  24   3rd   UCLA

11  Kenny McKinley  WR 6’0″  189  22    R    S. Carolina

17  Lucas Taylor      WR 6’0″  185   22   R    Tennessee

42  Ryan Torain        RB  6’1″  225  22  2nd  Arizona State

99  Mathias Askew    DT  6’5″  302 26  2nd  Michigan State

57  Mario Haggan     LB  6’3″  263  29   7th  Mississippi State

51  Lee Robinson      LB  6’3″  245  22    R   Alcorn State

37  Tony Carter       CB  5’9″  177  22    R   Florida State

39  Vernon Fox        S   5’10”  203  29  8th  Fresno State

4   Britton Colquitt    P   6’3″   205  24   R  Tennessee

 

Active Roster

Offense

#   Name                 Pos. Ht. Wt.  Age  Exp. College

62  Casey Wiegmann   C   6’2″  285  35  14th  Iowa

67  Kory Lichtensteiger  C  6’3″ 295  23  2nd  Bowling Green St.

73  Chris Kuper           G  6’4″  302  26  4th  North Dakota

50  Ben Hamilton       G/C 6’4″  290  31  9th  Minnesota

78  Ryan Clady          T  6’6″   325  22  2nd  Boise State

74  Ryan Harris         T  6’5″   300   24  3rd  Notre Dame

71  Clint Oldenburg   T  6’5″   300  25  2nd  Colorado State

89  Daniel Graham    TE  6’3″  257  30  8th  Colorado

88  Tony Scheffler   TE  6’5″  250  26  4th  Western Michigan

81 Richard Quinn     TE  6’4″  260  22   R   North Carolina

15 Brandon Marshall WR 6’4″  230  24  4th  Central Florida

19 Eddie Royal         WR 5’10” 182 22 2nd Virginia Tech

14 Brandon Stokley  WR  5’11” 192 32 11th S. Western-Louisiana

10 Jabar Gaffney     WR  6’1″  200  28  8th  Florida

16 Chad Jackson     WR  6’1″  215  24  4th  Florida

8   Kyle Orton          QB  6’4″  216  26 5th Purdue

2  Chris Simms         QB  6’4″  220  28 7th  Texas

3  Tom Bradstater    QB  6’5″  222  24  R  Fresno State

27 Knowshon Moreno RB  5’11” 205 21  R  Georgia

28 Correll Buckhalter  RB  6’0″  217  30 9th Nebraska

32 Lamont Jordan      RB 5’10” 230  30  9th Maryland

22 Peyton Hillis         FB 6’1″  250  23  2nd Arkansas

Active Roster

Defense

 

#   Name                 Pos.  Ht.  Wt.  Age  Exp. College

91 Ronnie Fields        DT  6’2″  315  27  5th  Mississippi State

79 Marcus Thomas    DT  6’3″  305  23  3rd  Florida

71 Chris Baker          DT  6’2″  326  21   R  Hampton

69 J’Vonne Parker      DT  6’4″  325  26  5th  Rutgers

90 Kenny Peterson     DL  6’3″  300  30  7th  Ohio State

98 Ryan McBean        DE  6’5″  290  24  3rd  Oklahoma State

65 Rulon Davis          DE  6’5″  281  25   R   California

64 Everette Pedescleaux  DE 6’6″  305  23  R   Northern Iowa

75 Carlton Powell       DT  6’3″  300  23  2nd  Virginia Tech

92 Elvis Dumerville    DE  5’11”  260  25  4th  Louisville

96 Tim Crowder        DE  6’4″  275  23  3rd  Texas

56  Robert Ayers    DE/LB 6’3″ 272 23    R   Tennessee

95 Darrell Reid       DL/LB 6’2″ 288 26   5th  Minnesota

55 D.J. Williams       LB   6’1″  240 26   6th  Miami (Fla.)

54 Andra Davis       LB   6’1″  250 30   8th  Florida

59 Wesley Woodyard LB 6’1″  230 22  2nd  Kentucky

46 Spencer Larsen  FB/LB 6’2″ 240 25 2nd Arizona

58 Nick Greisen       LB  6’1″ 250 29  8th  Wisconsin

24 Champ Bailey    CB  6’0″  192  30  11th  Georgia

21 Andre Goodman  CB 5’10” 190  30  8th  South Carolina

33 Alphonso Smith  CB  5’9″  193  23  R  Wake Forest

25 Joshua Bell        CB 5″11″ 177 24 2nd Baylor

26 Jack Williams      CB 5’9″  185 23  2nd Kent State

20 Brian Dawkins     S 6’0″  210  35  14th Clemson

23 Renaldo Hill        S  5’11” 205 30  9th Michigan State

31 Darcel McBath    S  6’0″  198  23  R  Texas Tech

36 Josh Barrett        S  6’2″  225 24  2nd Arizona State

30 Davis Bruton      S  6’2″  219 21    R   Notre Dame

 

Special Teams

#   Name                Pos.  Ht.  Wt.  Age  Exp. College

5 Matt Prater           K    5’10”  188  24   3rd  Central Florida

1 Brett Kern            P     6’3″    205  22  2nd  Toledo

66 Lonnie Paxton     LS    6’2″   260  31  10th  Sacramento State

 

Practice Squad

#   Name                 Pos.  Ht.  Wt.  Age  Exp. College

63  Blake Schlueter    C   6’3″   284   23    R     TCU

35 D.J. Johnson         CB  6’2″  200  23     R   Jackson State

94 Jarvis Moss           DE  6’6″ 265  24    3rd  Florida

93  Nic Clemons         DT  6’6″  300  29  3rd   Georgia

70  Seth Olsen           G  6’4″   306  23   R   Iowa

34 Darius Walker       RB  5’11”  205  23  3rd  Notre Dame

85 Marquez Branson   TE  6’3″  248  22   R    Central Arkansas

83 Nate Swift           WR  6’2″  195  23  R  Nebraska

I am sure that there will be plenty of disagreement on these predictions.  I made my picks based on my personal opinions of the player’s abilities and the experience these players have had in McDaniels system.  The list is open to debate, so let me know what you think.

B-MarshGate?: Discerning the Truth Through the Speculation

The Denver Broncos page here at Bleacher Report has been inundated as of late with a myriad of articles about Brandon Marshall.  As news gets slow in the off-season this story has made many writers experience a rubbernecking effect. 

 

It seems that no one can help themselves. Writers here at B/R just can’t look away and as a result editorials have run amok.

 

Many of these articles were written by hateful rivals who couldn’t pass up the chance to relish in the misfortune of the team they disdain. For them this was a welcome distraction from the issues of their own teams and a chance for some retribution for past attacks.

 

For others it was an exercise of arrogance.  It helped their self-esteem to write an article that would receive a lot of traffic. 

 

Unfortunately, all the reads in the world couldn’t change the fact that they spoke from a place of ignorance about the team, player and situation in question. These “writers” have speculated wildly and have muddied an already complicated situation. 

 

So let me simplify it for everyone by simply stating the facts:  

 

Brandon Marshall was drafted in the fourth round (119^th overall) of the 2006 NFL draft. Brandon has had a productive NFL Career.

 

Receiving Stats (Regular Season)
Year	Team	G	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	1st	Fum	Fum Lost	YAC	Trgt
2006	Denver Broncos	15	1	20	309	15.5	71	2	14	1	0	110	37
2007	Denver Broncos	16	16	102	1,325	13.0	68	7	70	3	1	505	170
2008	Denver Broncos	15	15	104	1,265	12.2	47	6	65	4	3	419	181
Totals		46	32	226	2,899	12.8	71	15	149	8	4	1,034	388

 

(Due to this production many consider Marshall to be one of the top ten wide receivers in the NFL.)

 

Brandon Marshall has only ever had Jay Cutler throwing him the ball in the NFL. Jay Cutler made more pass attempts to Brandon Marshall than any other receiver on his team during his time in Denver.

 

Brandon Marshall is in the final year of a four-year rookie contract where he is scheduled to make $2.198 million this season. Many NFL players renegotiate and seek contract extensions in the final year of their contracts.

 

Based on an NFL salary database compiled by USA Today last season; 58 receivers made more than $2.2 million last season. Brandon Marshall walked into Dove Valley headquarters the afternoon of Friday June 13^th  for a private meeting with team owner Pat Bowlen.

 

Marshall walked out a little more than an hour later carrying packed boxes to his car before driving away from the players’ parking lot. Marshall has complained about the Broncos’ medical staff, accusing them of not discovering the full extent of his hip problem last year.

 

Brandon Marshall has not yet participated in any off-season activities with the Denver Broncos in 2009. Marshall  has been arrested three times in the span of 12 months, twice for domestic disputes.

Marshall was suspended for three games at the start of the 2008 season.  The suspension was knocked down to one game after a Marshall appeal.

A Broncos player has not held out from training camp since receiver Ashley Lelie in 2006. Lelie eventually was traded to San Francisco, a move that helped clear playing time for a rookie named Brandon Marshall

 

Jay Cutler demanded to be traded this off-season, and was later traded to the Chicago Bears.

 

Brandon Marshall released the following statement on his personal website:

 

“To whom it may concern. Life is filled with change, and where I am in my life now change is probably best. It’s hard leaving an organization ran by one of the best owners in all of sports, and someone who’s been there for me through my ups and downs. The hardest thing was hearing Mr. B wish me luck in the future, but we both came to the conclusion that this is probably the best thing for me to grow on and off the field.”

 

When questioned about Marshall’s situation in light of the above statement Josh McDaniels responded “We look forward to having Brandon at training camp.”

 

These are the Facts of the Situation, and as such they are undisputed.

 

In the end this whole situation is about Money and Trust.

 

Should Marshall get paid?  Yes.

 

Despite Marshall’s legal issues, immaturity, injury and possible suspension he is still one of the best receivers in the game (In my personal opinion) and he warrants a contract that reflects his ability. 

 

Do the Denver Broncos have a right to protect their own interests? Yes.

 

Along with elite talent, Marshall brings with him a hailstorm of concerns that could be a major liability to the franchise.  For all the benefits the Broncos would garner from Marshall’s services they also get a player with a lot of question marks. 

 

He could be suspended for half a season, he might not be able to return to form after injury, or he may struggle to adapt to McDaniels’ new offensive system.

 

Marshall has also taken issue with the Broncos medical staff, who were either incompetent or were not completely honest with him about his injury.  Can this trust be mended with Marshall?  I don’t know.

 

Marshall has requested to be traded.  This could be merely a tactic in contract negotiations or it could be a legitimate desire to no longer play in Denver.

 

If this relationship can be mended with money, I believe that the Broncos should pay the man.  I understand that it is a gamble, you are taking the risk that in paying him he may under perform or get himself into further trouble that prevents him from playing, but in my estimation it is worth it to role the dice with Marshall. 

 

The Broncos can help protect themselves from Brandon’s troubles by structuring the contract with clauses that penalize Marshall for his misdeeds off the field while satiating his desire for a larger paycheck.  

 

If Marshall really wants out of Denver though, the Broncos need to get as much as they can for him.   If a player doesn’t want to be with your team you have three options:  you can keep him and make him play, make him sit, or let him go. 

 

If you keep him he can be a distraction and a cancer a la T.O.  If he plays he is playing for himself and not the team a la T.O.

 

If he sits, the organization is wasting their money on a player that adds no value to the team. If you let him go you may not get equal value for the player in return, but you allow your team to move on. 

 

Cincinnatiis not all the better for keeping Ochocinco instead of cutting him loose.  He has underperformed and his value has degraded over the past few years. 

 

The Eagles were better with T.O. than without him, yet everyone in Philly will tell you that letting him go was the right thing to do.

 

There is a way to manage this situation where all parties come to the table and leave satisfied.  As long as the communication lines stay open, Denver can keep Marshall while still protecting themselves and ensuring the balance of power stays with the franchise. 

 

Personally, I don’t buy the desire to be traded.  It is just a dance, a posturing for position in the game of contract negotiation.  Marshall is trying to gain the upper hand by saying he wants out, when he really just wants to get paid. 

 

The Broncos are not succumbing to the fear of loss Marshall is trying to create.  Denver knows they hold all the cards and they are going to play it cool. 

 

The story is not over yet and I’m sure the speculation will not end here.

B-MarshGate?: Discerning the Truth Through the Speculation

The Denver Broncos page here at Bleacher Report has been inundated as of late with a myriad of articles about Brandon Marshall.  As news gets slow in the off-season this story has made many writers experience a rubbernecking effect. 

 

It seems that no one can help themselves. Writers here at B/R just can’t look away and as a result editorials have run amok.

 

Many of these articles were written by hateful rivals who couldn’t pass up the chance to relish in the misfortune of the team they disdain. For them this was a welcome distraction from the issues of their own teams and a chance for some retribution for past attacks.

 

For others it was an exercise of arrogance.  It helped their self-esteem to write an article that would receive a lot of traffic. 

 

Unfortunately, all the reads in the world couldn’t change the fact that they spoke from a place of ignorance about the team, player and situation in question. These “writers” have speculated wildly and have muddied an already complicated situation. 

 

So let me simplify it for everyone by simply stating the facts:  

 

Brandon Marshall was drafted in the fourth round (119^th overall) of the 2006 NFL draft. Brandon has had a productive NFL Career.

 

Receiving Stats (Regular Season)
Year	Team	G	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	1st	Fum	Fum Lost	YAC	Trgt
2006	Denver Broncos	15	1	20	309	15.5	71	2	14	1	0	110	37
2007	Denver Broncos	16	16	102	1,325	13.0	68	7	70	3	1	505	170
2008	Denver Broncos	15	15	104	1,265	12.2	47	6	65	4	3	419	181
Totals		46	32	226	2,899	12.8	71	15	149	8	4	1,034	388

 

(Due to this production many consider Marshall to be one of the top ten wide receivers in the NFL.)

 

Brandon Marshall has only ever had Jay Cutler throwing him the ball in the NFL. Jay Cutler made more pass attempts to Brandon Marshall than any other receiver on his team during his time in Denver.

 

Brandon Marshall is in the final year of a four-year rookie contract where he is scheduled to make $2.198 million this season. Many NFL players renegotiate and seek contract extensions in the final year of their contracts.

 

Based on an NFL salary database compiled by USA Today last season; 58 receivers made more than $2.2 million last season. Brandon Marshall walked into Dove Valley headquarters the afternoon of Friday June 13^th  for a private meeting with team owner Pat Bowlen.

 

Marshall walked out a little more than an hour later carrying packed boxes to his car before driving away from the players’ parking lot. Marshall has complained about the Broncos’ medical staff, accusing them of not discovering the full extent of his hip problem last year.

 

Brandon Marshall has not yet participated in any off-season activities with the Denver Broncos in 2009. Marshall  has been arrested three times in the span of 12 months, twice for domestic disputes.

Marshall was suspended for three games at the start of the 2008 season.  The suspension was knocked down to one game after a Marshall appeal.

A Broncos player has not held out from training camp since receiver Ashley Lelie in 2006. Lelie eventually was traded to San Francisco, a move that helped clear playing time for a rookie named Brandon Marshall

 

Jay Cutler demanded to be traded this off-season, and was later traded to the Chicago Bears.

 

Brandon Marshall released the following statement on his personal website:

 

“To whom it may concern. Life is filled with change, and where I am in my life now change is probably best. It’s hard leaving an organization ran by one of the best owners in all of sports, and someone who’s been there for me through my ups and downs. The hardest thing was hearing Mr. B wish me luck in the future, but we both came to the conclusion that this is probably the best thing for me to grow on and off the field.”

 

When questioned about Marshall’s situation in light of the above statement Josh McDaniels responded “We look forward to having Brandon at training camp.”

 

These are the Facts of the Situation, and as such they are undisputed.

 

In the end this whole situation is about Money and Trust.

 

Should Marshall get paid?  Yes.

 

Despite Marshall’s legal issues, immaturity, injury and possible suspension he is still one of the best receivers in the game (In my personal opinion) and he warrants a contract that reflects his ability. 

 

Do the Denver Broncos have a right to protect their own interests? Yes.

 

Along with elite talent, Marshall brings with him a hailstorm of concerns that could be a major liability to the franchise.  For all the benefits the Broncos would garner from Marshall’s services they also get a player with a lot of question marks. 

 

He could be suspended for half a season, he might not be able to return to form after injury, or he may struggle to adapt to McDaniels’ new offensive system.

 

Marshall has also taken issue with the Broncos medical staff, who were either incompetent or were not completely honest with him about his injury.  Can this trust be mended with Marshall?  I don’t know.

 

Marshall has requested to be traded.  This could be merely a tactic in contract negotiations or it could be a legitimate desire to no longer play in Denver.

 

If this relationship can be mended with money, I believe that the Broncos should pay the man.  I understand that it is a gamble, you are taking the risk that in paying him he may under perform or get himself into further trouble that prevents him from playing, but in my estimation it is worth it to role the dice with Marshall. 

 

The Broncos can help protect themselves from Brandon’s troubles by structuring the contract with clauses that penalize Marshall for his misdeeds off the field while satiating his desire for a larger paycheck.  

 

If Marshall really wants out of Denver though, the Broncos need to get as much as they can for him.   If a player doesn’t want to be with your team you have three options:  you can keep him and make him play, make him sit, or let him go. 

 

If you keep him he can be a distraction and a cancer a la T.O.  If he plays he is playing for himself and not the team a la T.O.

 

If he sits, the organization is wasting their money on a player that adds no value to the team. If you let him go you may not get equal value for the player in return, but you allow your team to move on. 

 

Cincinnatiis not all the better for keeping Ochocinco instead of cutting him loose.  He has underperformed and his value has degraded over the past few years. 

 

The Eagles were better with T.O. than without him, yet everyone in Philly will tell you that letting him go was the right thing to do.

 

There is a way to manage this situation where all parties come to the table and leave satisfied.  As long as the communication lines stay open, Denver can keep Marshall while still protecting themselves and ensuring the balance of power stays with the franchise. 

 

Personally, I don’t buy the desire to be traded.  It is just a dance, a posturing for position in the game of contract negotiation.  Marshall is trying to gain the upper hand by saying he wants out, when he really just wants to get paid. 

 

The Broncos are not succumbing to the fear of loss Marshall is trying to create.  Denver knows they hold all the cards and they are going to play it cool. 

 

The story is not over yet and I’m sure the speculation will not end here.

Five Best Broncos (Current Roster)

There are 88 players currently on the Broncos roster. 45 of these players only joined the Broncos roster this off-season.

Between the new additions and the holdover players there are not many who have been tested and proven. There are only a few who represent the core of team with their exceptional play on the field.

I have identified five players who, in my opinion, stand above the rest with their exceptional talent and ability to dominate on the field at their respective positions.

NFL Decides Not to Discipline Marshall

NFL league officials have announced that Brandon Marshall is free to play the entire 2009 season.

League spokesman Greg Aiello told the AP that after reviewing the facts of the incident, which occurred March 1, 2009, the league notified Marshall that they decided against taking any disciplinary action.

The incident in question stemmed from an argument with his fiancee Michi Leshase Nogami-Campbell outside of his Atlanta condo.  Both Marshall and his fiancee were arrested, but charges of disorderly conduct were dropped the next day for lack of evidence.

Many speculated that Marshall could have been suspended up to eight games this season, due to his history of run-ins with the law.  Fortunately for the Broncos, this latest incident was not deemed worthy of such discipline.

The League did not come to this decision lightly.  All the facts of the situation were fully investigated with due diligence by the league.  Sufficient evidence was not found by the Atlanta Courts or by the NFL to warrant any action though.

Though one thing is for sure, Marshall needs to change all of his circumstances that have lead him to getting to the point where he is on the personal conduct watch list, if he wishes to continue his career in the NFL with Denver.  McDaniels doesn’t want selfish players who cause distractions.  He needs players focused on working hard and winning.

Marshall is not out of the weeds yet either.  He still has to stand trial in Atlanta next week for two counts of misdemeanor battery, charges that stem from a March 2008 domestic incident involving his former girlfriend Rasheedah Watley.   

Provided that Marshall does not have any further setbacks and he heals well from his recent hip surgery, he will be able to play the full season for the Denver Broncos.

Another Bronco Gets Cut

The Broncos announced that undrafted free agent linebacker Jeff Schweiger was waived on Friday, May 29th.

Schweiger saw time at defensive end for San Jose State as a senior, after spending his first three seasons at USC.

Schweiger, who joined the team on April 28th, spent just a month with the Broncos, but was unable to earn a roster spot.

Schweiger was the second player to be waived this week as J.J. Arrington was let go earlier this week due to nagging injury concerns.

Schweiger and Arrington are just a few, but many will follow in the coming weeks and months as the Broncos have over 80 players on their roster, and they can only keep 53 on the teams active roster and eight practice squad players. 

As the team tries to get better we will see more players bite the dust.  Players who can’t compete or were only added as insurance players will get handed their walking papers. And the Roster will continue to narrow even before training camp begins.

Let Schweiger’s departure be a warning to the rest of those players trying to make the team.  Bring it or go find a new job.

 

Denver Broncos Orange Jerseys

There are many NFL teams that have orange among their teams colors. It used to be when you would think about the color orange in the NFL, you would think Denver Broncos. I submit that it should be that way once again.

The Bears, the Bengals, the Browns, the Dolphins, and even the old school Buccaneers have had a measure of orange in their uniforms. These teams along with the Broncos have resigned orange to their secondary color. It really only gets showcased in their change of pace jerseys, worn only one or two games a year.

Gone are the days when orange is immediately associated with the Broncos. What happened to the Orange Crush?  What happened to the orange pride? 

To find the answer, lets take a look back.

The Broncos original uniforms were brown helmets, brown pants, white and mustard yellow jerseys with vertically striped socks. These uniforms were vilified by the public and the club eventually got rid of these jerseys two years after they debuted in 1960.

They celebrated the occasion by holding a public bonfire to burn the striped socks.

These uniforms will be revisited this year in honor of the AFL’s 50th anniversary for the following games:  Sunday, Oct. 11 New England Patriots (Boston Patriots) at Denver Broncos, and Monday, Oct. 19 Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers in prime time.

The Broncos changed their team colors to orange, blue, and white in 1962 and unveiled a new logo featuring a bucking horse.

In 1968, the Broncos debuted a design that became known as the “Orange Crush.” Their logo was redesigned so that the horse was coming out of a “D.” The helmets were changed to blue and thin blue stripes were put onto the sleeves.

Denver undated their logo and uniforms once again in 1997—a design that they continue to use to this day. The current logo is a profile of a horse’s head. The biggest change was that the Broncos changed their primary uniform color from Orange to Navy Blue.

The press and fans spoke out against the change from the signature color up until the Broncos won their first ever Super Bowl in the newly designed uniforms that same season.

The issue seemed to die there. 

Especially since head coach Mike Shanahan was not a big fan of the orange jerseys.  Joe Ellis, current chief operating officer of the Denver Broncos, has been pushing over the past few years for the Broncos to keep the current styling, but go back to orange as their primary uniform color.

Eilis is most likely a proponent of this change because he wants to sell more jerseys. Regardless of his reasoning, I agree with him.

The orange Jerseys were iconic. 

They separated the Broncos from the rest of the pack. During the glory days of the late 70’s and 80’s, they were called the “Orange Crush.”  They were feared and rightfully so. They even got deep into the playoffs, including several Super bowls dawning their orange colors with pride.

The orange Jerseys can be iconic once again. And what better time than now to make the switch. 

The Broncos have a new head coach, a new GM, a new 3-4 defense, just an overall new identity.  With all the changes, why not change the Broncos image back to the glorious orange jerseys?

Maybe I’m talking crazy, but I would love to see the orange restored to the Denver Broncos primary jersey color.

What do you think?

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