Tag: Brandon Marshall (Page 14 of 19)

      Ravens to revisit trade for Marshall?

      July 29, 2009 /

      A Yahoo Sports report suggests that the Ravens may revisit the idea of trading for Broncos’ disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

      This comes after the Ravens were unsuccessful in getting veteran Drew Bennett(notes) to return. Bennett passed a physical last week, but then complained about an old knee injury before deciding to not play.

      Bennett’s decision and Mason’s retirement earlier this month have left the Ravens in a lurch at wide receiver. The Ravens think Mason’s retirement was partly a ploy to help get more money from the team. (Mason had asked to renegotiate his deal earlier in the offseason.)

      The Ravens have declined to comment. However, team history would indicate they aren’t likely to make the deal. General manager Ozzie Newsome doesn’t like to give up high draft picks, could be concerned about Marshall’s history of off-field problems and likely wouldn’t want to pay the large contract Marshall is seeking.

      I have a hard time envisioning Newsome pulling the trigger on a trade for Marshall, but considering how thin the Ravens are at receiver I certainly wouldn’t rule the idea out.

      Even after losing defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, productive linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard to the Jets this offseason, Baltimore still has the makings of one of the better defenses in the league. They also have a solid running game and assuming he doesn’t fall victim to the dreaded sophomore slump, Joe Flacco should only improve in his second year as well.

      So with all of that in mind, Newsome may feel as though his team is only one missing piece away from making another run at the Super Bowl. Receiver is the obvious need and Marshall is a dynamic playmaker. But whether or not he’s worth the risk of acquiring (especially in exchange for high round draft picks) is a decision I don’t envy Newsome for having to make.

      NFL

      Do Broncos players have trust issues with McDaniels?

      July 17, 2009 /

      According to NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes, some Broncos players have trust issues with their new head coach Josh McDaniels.

      Jay Cutler isn’t the only player who has developed trust issues with first-year Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. A few other players have privately expressed concern, and the media has joined the chorus in feeling that McDaniels has a problem with honesty.

      Some would say this is no big deal, but trust is the cornerstone of this society. We need to be able to trust our government. Trust is essential to marriage and relationships. We need to be able to trust our children. We need to be able to trust our friends.

      As a former NFL player, I can tell you that trust is the foundation between the player and the coach. When players trust their coach, they play at another level. Unfortunately, truthfulness seems to be a character trait that Bill Belichick didn’t pass down to young McDaniels.

      Thanks for the life lesson Jamie – I’ll certainly store that information in my back pocket and break it out from time to time.

      As part of his blog entry, Dukes uses the Brandon Marshall situation as another example of how some of the players don’t trust McDaniels. And maybe secretly they don’t trust their new head coach – after all, he didn’t handle the situation with Cutler appropriately and he does seem to have that Belichick air of secrecy in the way he goes about things.

      But Dukes doesn’t tell us anything new here. He recaps the Cutler and Marshall situations and then uses the “I was a former player, so I should know” reasoning to state his opinion. And anyone that watches Dukes on the NFL Network knows that this guy brings nothing to the table as a journalist. So when he comes out with a story like this, it’s important to take it with a grain of salt.

      Again, I’m not saying that he’s wrong, but I question the fact that he was so general when he said that, “a few other players have privately expressed concern,” and then goes on to mention only the names everyone else already knows about. If other players did express concern to Dukes about McDaniels, he could have printed what they said without using their names. But instead, he used a blanket statement and moved on without providing much detail.

      NFL

      Broncos’ Marshall says he’ll be in camp

      July 16, 2009 /

      If you thought Brandon Marshall would give up $14,000 a day just because he’s a little ticked off at the Broncos well then you, my friend, are sadly mistaken. The disgruntled receiver said that he would be in attendance when the Broncos open training camp on July 27.

      “It’s $14,000 a day if I miss. So I will be there. I’m not stupid.”

      The last line in his comment is up for debate seeing as how he’s been in no less than eight off field incidents involving authorities since 2004, including situations involving domestic violence, DUIs and misdemeanor battery charges. He might not be stupid, but he’s a long ways away from being intelligent.

      That said, at least this ends the debate of whether or not Marshall will be in camp come the end of the month. While his reasons (money, money, money, money, money – MON-AY!) for being in camp are completely self-absorbed, so were his reasons for potentially holding out too. He’s upset that he’s still playing on his rookie contract and while he is underpaid given his production to this point in his career, who could blame Denver for not wanting to pony up for a guy who could wind up in jail at any given time during the day?

      Chances are, Marshall is going to make things messy for the Broncos in camp. He’ll openly bitch about his contract and his desire to be traded, and then the front office will have to decide whether or not to keep the distraction around, or try and trade him for some decent compensation. Either way, just because Marshall is reporting to camp, doesn’t mean that this situation has been resolved.

      NFL

      Mason to retire – will Ravens pursue Marshall or Boldin?

      July 14, 2009 /

      Ravens wideout Derrick Mason made an announcement on JockLife.com (a website owned by his agents) that he is set to retire from pro football.

      Mason is coming off shoulder surgery and never got the pay raise that he had requested earlier this offseason, although he claims that his main motivation for waiting to hang ‘em up is that he just isn’t “emotionally enthused” about playing anymore.

      With Mason retiring, the Ravens are now extremely thin at receiver, with Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams penciled in as the current starters. Considering they’re devoid of playmakers, it’s easy to speculate that the Ravens might pursue one of the two disgruntled receivers in Denver’s Brandon Marshall or Arizona’s Anquan Boldin.

      Even though he would be a definite upgrade over Mason (and any other Baltimore receiver for that matter), the Ravens might not pursue Marshall considering GM Ozzie Newsome and head coach John Harbaugh are opposed to adding players with character issues. And in the case of Marshall, they wouldn’t just be adding a player with character flaws, but they would also probably have to give up multiple prospects to acquire him (plus millions of dollars for a new contract).

      Boldin has a few years on Marshall, but he obviously has the talent Baltimore is seeking at receiver. But would the Ravens be willing to part with a first round pick to acquire him? Would they also be willing to shell out the $9 or $10 million that he’s seeking?

      Another thing to consider is that Marshall and Boldin might not even be available. Sure, their situations with their respective teams look bleak, but that doesn’t mean the Broncos and Cardinals aren’t hell bent on trying to resolve the issues and keep both players in house. But regardless, Mason’s retirement plans certainly bring up a compelling situation in Baltimore now.

      NFL

      Broncos willing to field calls for Marshall?

      July 2, 2009 /

      Despite a report earlier this week that stated they would stand firm and not deal the disgruntled receiver, Adam Schefter writes on his Twitter page that the Broncos are willing to field calls for Brandon Marshall.

      Though Denver does not want to trade Brandon Marshall, it will take calls. Won’t make them, but will take them. A 1 gets BM is my guess.

      Schefter is usually solid in his reporting, so there’s no reason not to buy into what he’s saying. But that said, is this really news worthy? Even if the Broncos do plan on taking a stand and not dealing Marshall, they still would benefit from picking up the phone and listening to any offers. It’s not like if the Ravens called and offered two first round picks (not that they would) that the Broncos wouldn’t entertain the thought.

      What will probably happen is that Denver will wait to see if Marshall reports to training camp in a few weeks. If he does, great – they can go about resolving the issue in-house. But if he doesn’t show, and there’s good reason to believe that he won’t, then the Broncos have to entertain the idea of trying to get something for him since he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2009 season. (Especially considering that it is getting more obvious that he wants out of Denver at any cost.)

      NFL

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