Brandon Marshall Makes Wager With Antonio Brown
By Erik Lambert
NFL players are some of the most competitive people on the planet, and wide receiver Brandon Marshall proved that with his latest little stunt.
The six-time Pro Bowler was at his best again in 2015. Despite playing for a brand new team in the New York Jets and starting the year with what was a backup quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick, he still managed 1,502 yards and a career-high 14 touchdowns. He’s so confident that he cannot only duplicate but exceed those numbers in 2016, that he decided to issue a direct challenge to fellow receiver Antonio Brown.
Also: Smart of Brandon Marshall to wager his Porsche that he'd have more receiving yards than Antonio Brown? Tune in at 12p, ESPN2!
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 28, 2016
Brandon Marshall talks that talk, bets his Porsche he'll outplay Antonio Brown (via bmarshall/Instagram)https://t.co/ZjvJcNqdJl
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 28, 2016
This is a rather bold maneuver by Marshall considering the absurd tear Brown has been on the past three years. He collected 136 catches for 1,834 yards last season, which gave rise to speculation whether he’d become the first receiver to ever crack 2,000 yards in 16 games. Many seem to think it’s inevitable. Apparently either Marshall thinks he can do it too or he believes Brown will have another good year but also one he can outperform.
The confidence is admirable and understood, but also might be a bit misguided. For starters, Brown is 28-years old and in the prime of his career. Marshall just turned 32. The edge usually goes to youth in a battle of superstars. Then there is the matter of quarterbacks. Brown has Ben Roethlisberger, a four-time Pro Bowler throwing it his way. Marshall has Ryan Fitzpatrick, a career journeyman who isn’t known for posting consistently good seasons.
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Barring injuries it certainly seems like the odds are stacked if favor of Brown, but then again Brandon Marshall is no stranger to overcome doubters. It should be fun to see if this wager gains traction as the season goes on. Perhaps the greatest hope of all is that they somehow settle the score in the playoffs this time.