If there’s one thing that continues to ring true time and time again is that winning is a cure-all in sports.
Take Brandon Marshall and the Denver Broncos for example.
Just over a month ago, Marshall was suspended for acting like a child during a training camp practice in which he punted balls instead of handing them to a ball boy, swatted down passes instead of catching them, and was an overall distraction to his teammates.
Fast forward to the scene following the Broncos’ exciting 17-10 win over the Cowboys on Sunday in which Marshall walked up to the podium during Josh McDaniels’ post game speech and embraced the first-year head coach and you wonder what the hell is going on in Denver.
“You never heard me say anything about him coaching or what he brings to the organization,” Marshall said.
“Our team loves him, we love him and I think he loves being part of this team,” added McDaniels.
Well, aren’t we the Brady Bunch all of a sudden.
The truth of the matter is that Marshall has been on his best behavior since the suspension. He hasn’t griped about his contract (he becomes a free agent at the end of the year) or his role in the offense. In fact, until he made the spectacular 51-yard touchdown catch and run late in the fourth quarter to help Denver win, he had a modest 3-catch, 40-yard day going.
But let’s get back to this winning thing. The Broncos are 4-0 and are playing with a ton of confidence, especially on defense where they’ve held opponents to less than a touchdown per game. If they continue to win, there’s no reason to think that Marshall and McDaniels won’t have more coom-by-ya moments during press conferences.
But what happens when Marshall and the Broncos start to face adversity? Will Marshall continue to be on his best behavior or will he start to speak out like he’s done so many times in the past? Is it crazy to think that if Denver rattles off four-straight losses that the oft-disgruntled receiver won’t start to openly complain about the organization again?
The Broncos are definitely the most intriguing mystery of 2009. Nobody knows quite what to think about them right now but one thing is for sure, if they keep winning all will be right in Denver.
