The Brandon Marshall Saga Could Devastate Denver
July 16th, 2009 by GregDietzA couple weeks ago, I wrote about Brandon Marshall and tossed around the idea of whether or not he would still be in Denver for the 2009 season and branded new head coach Josh McDaniels for the horrible job he has done in the personnel management department since touching down in the Mile High city. Denver fans and fantasy owners received some good (although not great) news last night.
While at the taping of the ESPY awards, Marshall told reporters that he will be at training camp later this month. This is usually a great sign, but Marshall didn’t say he was going in order build chemistry with his new quarterback, Kyle Orton, or with any of the other newcomers either. Instead, it’s all about the Benjamins in his eyes.
Marshall said, “Right now I’m obligated, I’m under contract…it’s $14,000 a day if I miss. I’m not stupid. So I will be there.” Pro Football Talk reports that “it’s more like $17,000 per day for a training-camp holdout…and he’d also owe the remaining 75 percent of his 2009 signing-bonus allocation of $100,000 or so.”
Clearly the talented wide receiver’s head is not in the right place if all he can think about is the money. I think we’re all aware of the fact that he approached management last month and asked to be the next guy traded out of Denver after quarterback Jay Cutler got his wish and was sent packing to Chicago.
This is a tough card for the Broncos front office and McDaniels to be dealt. While they surely do not want a stubborn Marshall in the locker room causing drama, it’s hard to fathom the idea of trading him. Denver was supposed to have one of the best groups of wide receivers in the league this year with Marshall lining up next to emerging second year player Eddie Royal and one of the best slot receivers in football in Brandon Stokley. If Marshall is taken out of the equation, that not only changes the dynamic of the receiving corps, but the entire offense.
I think that many of us scratched our heads when we saw that McDaniels immediately named Orton the starter of the squad, but if fans could be comforted at all, it was in knowing that he had Marshall amongst others to throw to. If/when Marshall is sent out, the next best receiver on the team is Jabar Gaffney and behind him is Chad Jackson who has never become the receiver that he was in his time at the University of Florida. All of a sudden, a team that made up for their lack of a pristine gunslinger with their receivers would be questioned as an offensive unit. Royal benefited from Marshall receiving double teams, Stokley thrived while three guys were forced to cover the outside receivers, and the running game did well for itself with so much focus on the Broncos passing attack.
If this were to happen, Royal would now be receiving a double team, defenders wouldn’t have to worry about Gaffney or Jackson significantly damaging them, which in turn would put more pressure on Stokley and the running attack as well. With two new backs headlining the depth chart in former Eagle Correll Buckhalter and rookie Knowshon Moreno, it could spell big trouble for Denver’s offense.
Clearly what happens with Marshall will not just affect owners of the disgruntled wide receiver, but will also have an impact on owners of all of the aforementioned players, especially Royal (who was flying up draft boards this year) and Orton. Just as much as you need to think long and hard before drafting Marshall, you need to monitor this situation closely if you are about to head into a draft. At this point, Marshall is too big of a risk and I skip over him as well as Royal and Orton. I know it’s always fun to have fantasy drafts ASAP, but if you can draft your league after training camp, this issue (along with many others around the league) could be dealt with and you can feel much more confident in making certain selections. Until then, nearly all of Denver’s offensive players are a risky selection for any fantasy owner.
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Tags: Brandon Marshall, Broncos, Eddie Royal, Greg Dietz, Kyle Orton
July 16th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
If he stays in Denver, as long as he’s healthy he should probably put up numbers, but your right, he’s certainly not your sure thing, Marvin Harrison 5 years ago type of pick. I wonder how the ground game for Denver will do without Shanahan’s brilliant coaching behind the play calling. Buckhalter was effective in a Philly offense to spell Westbrook, but he wasn’t exactly incredible in the games that he wasn’t healthy enough to play in. While on the topic of running game, I predict Dallas to have the best running attack this year with the two styles of Barber and a healthy Jones. What do you think of Fred Taylor in New England? Is he worth looking into?
July 21st, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I agree that Denver’s running game might take a step back. While Shanahan was able to make 1000 yard rushers out of Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, and countless others, Buckhalter and rookie Knowshon Moreno will not benefit from his coaching. I have read good reports out of Denver thus far about Moreno’s skills out of the backfield (especially catching the ball) but sometimes it’s hard to sort out the fluff stories from the real thing.
I think that Dallas will be very dangerous as long as Felix Jones can stay healthy. Plus, Tashard Choice is their third back and he is no slouch either. Barber is one of the best backs in football and highly underrated. He is starting to get his due respect, but I think he is the best back in the NFC East (just because Westbrook is too oft-injured and Portis whines too much).
Fred Taylor will have a role that will parallel the one that Corey Dillon took on in New England. Dillon needed a place to go to finish out his career and he teamed up with Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk to produce a three headed running attack that might not have been the most flashy, but it was consistent and got the job done on a weekly basis. Taylor steps into the same situation as Dillon, except the team also has Sammy Morris to take goal-line carries. None of these four backs will flourish from a fantasy standpoint unless a couple of them go down, so while Taylor might not be a bonafide target in a fantasy draft, it will definitely be fun to watch him ride off into the sunset in Foxboro.