Brandon Marshall: One of NFL’s all-time great WRs

For the last decade, Brandon Marshall has proven that he is one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play the game of football. He just set an NFL record with 6 seasons of at least 100 receptions…

A picture (with words) says a thousand…

Brandon Marshall is one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history, but a lot of us probably missed it.

I can still remember the 2006 NFL Draft, when the Denver Broncos were coming off of one of the best and most disappointing seasons in their recent history. Mike Shanahan was desperate to return to the Super Bowl and fell just short as Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers came into Denver and took the Broncos’ spot in the Super Bowl by way of a blowout victory.

It was said at the time that the Broncos simply needed an upgrade in the passing game to go along with Rod Smith, so they spent two picks in the second round on pass catchers back in 2006 — one in a trade for Packers receiver Javon Walker, and another for the athletic tight end Tony Scheffler.

Picks continued to fly by, and with three selections in the fourth round, at pick number 119 overall, the Broncos took a flier on a wide receiver out of Central Florida…

Marshall came to Denver with little to no expectations. He was a player that had some upside, but when you looked at what the draft pundits had to say at the time, Marshall was little more than an unknown. I remember reading a magazine at the time (yeah, we used to actually read those) and trying to find Marshall’s name in it. He was listed in an ESPN NFL Draft annual as one of their “Other Players to Watch”.

I’ll say.

Near the end of the 2006 season, the Broncos were falling apart. Jake Plummer was pulled from his starting job and Jay Cutler was thrown into the fire. Along with him came fellow 2006 draft mate Brandon Marshall, and the two shared an instant connection that would last well into their NFL careers, even on different teams.

Marshall went on to become a dominant receiver for the Denver Broncos, producing three seasons with at least 100 catches in Denver including two with Cutler, one with (mainly) Kyle Orton. As the Broncos transitioned through a major coaching change, Marshall continued to adapt to the NFL lifestyle, but had become a major distraction for the Broncos off the field. There was the infamous “McDonald’s bag” incident where Marshall had serious nerve damage on what he called a fall into an entertainment setup.

Amidst all the distractions, Marshall had become one of Denver’s most beloved athletes. He set an NFL record with 21 catches in a game as the Broncos were beaten by the Indianapolis Colts and — ironically — Peyton Manning. He was a regular at the Pro Bowl but there was nothing that seemed to indicate Marshall would last with the Broncos past his rookie contract.

When Josh McDaniels came to town, Marshall’s ticket out was solidified a year later. McDaniels saw an opportunity to continue to shape the roster to his own liking, and sent Marshall to the Miami Dolphins for two second round picks. He had two years of over 1,000 yards receiving with the Dolphins, but compared to expectations, it was a relatively underwhelming stay in South Beach for him, despite the fact that his streak of 1,000 yard seasons extended to five as his career moved to Miami.

The Dolphins, like the Broncos before them, shipped Marshall out, this time reuniting him in Chicago with Jay Cutler and the Bears.

Marshall’s connection with Cutler hadn’t been lost in their years apart, and he was an immediate superstar in the Windy City, catching 118 passes his first year and 100 the next. He racked up 23 touchdowns over that time, and proved that the seemingly declining Marshall in Miami was merely a player continuing to find his niche in this league.

In his third season with the Bears, Marshall was injured and played in just 13 games, catching 61 balls with eight touchdowns but just 721 yards, the lowest since his rookie season when he recorded 309 on 20 catches.

Once again viewed as a tradable commodity, Marshall was moved by the Bears in a salary dump to the New York Jets, who were a team in transition (to say the least) at the QB spot. Marshall, as he has seemingly everywhere, developed a strong rapport with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has been a revelation for the 10-5 Jets, and has eclipsed 100 catches for the 6th time in his NFL career, the most in NFL history.

His 13 touchdown catches this season are a career-high, and his yard per catch average of 13.6 is the most since his final season with the Miami Dolphins in 2011. His yards per game average of just over 91 is the most since his banner season with the Chicago Bears when he averaged close to 94 and caught 118 passes.

Basically, in his 10th year in the league, Brandon Marshall is playing the best football of his career and it’s translating to victories for the New York Jets, who just took down the New England Patriots and are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now.

I say all of this to highlight the fact that Marshall, who has 874 career receptions for 11,147 yards and 78 touchdowns. Only three active players in the NFL have more receiving touchdowns, and only five have more yards. Brandon Marshall hasn’t been an immovable object when it comes to his permanence on a roster, hasn’t spent his entire career with one team like Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald, but he’s been every bit as good and in some ways, better.

Brandon Marshall is one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game.

Deal with it.