Brandon Marshall Trade Saga

First Cutler, Now Marshall Wants Out Of Denver

The Denver Broncos Saga’s first chapter in the post-Shanahan era was that of Jay Cutler, a rising superstar in the NFL who had won people over with his farm boy charm and his canon for an arm (the Jonas Brothers haircut added a nice touch for the ladies). We all know how that chapter ended, because now the Denver Broncos’ betting faithful have Kyle Orton to rely on under center as opposed to a guy who has a legitimate chance at getting in to the Hall of Fame.

The second chapter will inevitably be known as the “Brandon Marshall Drama”, and even though it’s a story we’ve all read before, the cause for concern is far greater. Josh McDaniels, mired by his infinite stupidity and woeful regard for relationship management, stands to lose his best offensive weapon as Marshall has emerged requesting a trade.

Brandon Marshall is well known in NFL circles as one of the premier receivers in the league. He finished seventh in receiving yards with 1,265 yards and was third in receptions, catching 104 passes from Jay Cutler. In his first game of 2008 alone he caught 18 passes for 166 yards, showing just how fearsome he can be as a receiver. Noted as a guy with reliable hands, very good route-running, and a body that makes him remarkably painful to tackle, Marshall has all the attributes of a number-one guy.

So what the hell happened?

Well McDaniels waltzed in to Denver swinging his Belichick mantra of “my way or the highway” around, and lost the team immediately. His first personnel moves included shipping a few New England Patriots in, and then discussing trades with the team’s franchise quarterback.

But the Cutler saga and the Marshall drama revolve around two different things. With Cutler, it was about respect and trust. With Marshall, it’s simply about money. B-Marsh, as he’s known, had hip surgery and is requesting a pay raise so he can cover his medical trust issues. Simply put, this has less to do with McDaniels and more to do with the head case that is Brandon Marshall.

Is Marshall worth it? Absolutely. You find talents like his once in a blue moon. My concern, however, is that McDaniels has already lost the former-franchise player of Denver. His chances of talking the incumbent Marshall off the ledge have the same odds as Denver winning the Superbowl this year (Denver is +4000 to win Superbowl XLIV).

McDaniels is losing grip on a team that was just put in his hand. He’s already lost Cutler and replaced him with Kyle Orton. Is he ready to lose Marshall and replace him with Brandon Lloyd? If McDaniels wants to be a head coach after this season, then he needs to re-write this chapter’s ending and save Brandon Marshall.