Brandon Marshal has become a detriment to the Miami Dolphins. No matter how good his intentions may be, no matter how much potential he may possess, no matter how well he may have played in the past, Marshall is not good for the Miami Dolphins.
Marshall cannot be so unaware of his position on the field he runs out of bounds, when there is nothing in front of him but the endzone. He cannot call himself an elite receiver when he allows a catchable pass to slip through his hands in the endzone. He cannot be the monster he claims when a defensive back forces him off his route and jumps him for a pick 6 from the endzone. He cannot be a go-to receiver when he allows a smaller man to establish position and repeatedly knock the ball away in the endzone.
Marshall told the press he was going to play with reckless abandon and not make halftime. Instead, Marshall took the Dolphins out of the game, not by his passion, not by his play being so exceptional it forced the Jets to fight, he took the Dolphins out of the game by not living up to the ridiculous expectations his compulsive personality set for himself. It was clear the Dolphin game plan was to feed the beast and the coaches should be ashamed of themselves.
What do the rest of the players on the team think when the coaching staff designs a game plan exclusively around a man who claims he will abandon them before the first half is over? What do the players think when the GM signs this borderline personality to a mega-contract? The Dolphins ignored Devon Bess who has established himself as one of the best 3rd down receivers in the NFL. The Dolphins ignored Anthony Fasano who has been finding openings in the seams. The Dolphins ignored Brian Hartline who may have the best hands on the team.
The Dolphins are playing like a diseased team and the cancer is wearing number 19. The coaching staff allowed Marshall to take over the head of a quarterback who was starting his first game with Miami. They placed the cancer in front of every other player on the squad and the disease spread to every corner of the field. The defense held up its bargain until it was clear there was no cure for the cancer on offense.
Marshall warranted a suspension when he said he would not make it till halftime. Waltzing out of bounds should have landed him on the bench the rest of the game. Removal is the only option when one man’s borderline personality takes over a team. The cost is irrelevant because Marshall is done with the Dolphins the moment another coach steps in the locker room.
The only way to regain some respect in the locker room is to cut Marshall. A trade may have been possible but the Dolphin’s GM could not see the blight staring at him and allowed the trade deadline to pass. Choosing to make a game plan around Marshall simply shows the ineptitude of the entire organization, from the GM who traded for him to the coach who staked his career on him.
Brandon Marshall is a cancer… Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland will find that out soon enough when they are looking for another job. Meanwhile, some of the most loyal fans in the NFL will continue dropping off, one after another…
