Apparently, Dolphins’ Fans Still Admire Brandon Marshall
When a player is traded from one team to another, there generally is a sense of disdain towards the player from the team’s fan base in which he was traded from. The Bears are no stranger to this treatment. Starting quarterback Jay Cutler is hated in the city of Denver, and wide receiver Brandon Marshall apparently is not well-received in Miami. Remember, it was the Miami Dolphins who traded Marshall to the Bears last off-season.
Dec 16, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) reacts to scoring a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports
After Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, an emotional Marshall expressed how the Bears’ offense needed to be held accountable, even if that means jobs. Marshall went on to suggest that Bears’ recent string of poor performances is affecting him more than it probably should be. As I wrote earlier today, Marshall was completely right with the comments he made following the Bears’ loss to the Packers on Sunday. The Bears’ offense has struggled all season despite Marshall holding nothing back in the 14 games that the team has played this season. It stands to reason that Marshall, as much as anyone, is frustrated with the constant faults of the Bears’ offense this season. That is why Marshall’s comments were appreciated by the Chicago Bears fan base.
The one place where Marshall’s comments were not appreciated was in Miami. That’s right, apparently the 6 and 8 Miami Dolphins are lifeless to the extent where Dolphins’ bloggers have to inaccurately assess Marshall’s character. Brian Miller, a FanSided colleague of mine, writes for Phin Phanatic. Miller, instead of looking for solutions to why the Dolphins’ will once again miss the playoffs this season, took time out on Monday to criticize Marshall. It was Miller’s understanding of Marshall’s comments on Sunday that receiver was trying to put himself before the team.
"Marshall in a bit more toned down fashion that some of his previous stops still made certain that the team needed get it together and that “HE” couldn’t let it affect him. Because, it is starting to affect him…apparently way too much. For Marshall’s sake it’s hard to go out each week and produce the numbers that he does and still come up on the losing end of the games on Sunday, but Marshall also needs to realize that there are other players on the team that could take some of the pressure off. Phin Phanatic"
Clearly, Miller has selective hearing when it comes to the comments that Marshall makes. Had Miller been following the Bears and Marshall for the entire season, Miller would realize that Marshall has already suggested ways for the Bears to take the pressure off their top receiver. It was Marshall who, a couple weeks ago, publicly supported wide receiver Joe Anderson who was on the Bears’ practice squad at the time of that suggestion. The Bears activated Anderson from the practice squad last week and the receiver had an impressive showing on special teams against the Packers.
Miller’s baseless article losses whatever credibility it had when he attempts to give advice to Marshall.
"First it will be a shed tear as he walks away from the podium disgusted, then it will be locker-room bickering, and eventually he will workout on his own in the off-season like he has in the past. What Marshall should be saying is that Jay Cutler and the offensive coordinator need to find a way to use Marshall to draw coverage away from the other WR’s to give the QB and the team more options. Phin Phanatic"
That is when, while reading Miller’s article, that I realized that the Dolphins’ blogger clearly did not watch the Bears’ game against the Packers on Sunday. If he had, Miller would have realized that Marshall was used in the exact way he advised in trying to draw coverage away from other Bears’ receivers. It was Marshall’s suggestion to the Bears’ coaches that he be used to attract the attention of the Packers’ secondary in order to utilize wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Cutler’s primary target in Sunday’s game against the Packers was Jeffery, who had favorable one-on-one matchups because of the attention that Marshall was drawing. Though, it is not like the Bears’ receivers–with the exception of Marshall–have proven that they can take advantage of one-on-one matchups.
The problem with the journalism industry is that the new advancements in social media has enabled lazy reporting. Miller’s article on Marshall is a prime example of that. To conclude, Brian Miller, I ask you one question: “Who You Crapping?”