Brandon Marshall Is The Terrell Owens Of This Generation

As his welcome with yet another team is rapidly being worn out, it’s safe to say that Brandon Marshall shares much in common with another enigmatic receiver.

Stop if you’ve heard the story before. A freakishly talented wide receiver who can dominate games almost at will. Good for at least 100 catches, 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns every year. Should be celebrated as one of the best of an era but instead continues to garner resentment and shame from media and fans abroad due to their questionable antics on and off the field. For the longest time the man who made that character famous was Terrell Owens.

Starting out as a humble kid in San Francisco, the prima donna personality soon began to evolve. Though the numbers grew, so did the attention-grabbing antics whether it was hiding a Sharpie in his sock to sign a football after a touchdown, doing the Christ pose on the star in Dallas or doing crunches in his driveway while the media asked him questions. T.O. became such a lightning rod for controversy and a distraction in the locker room that he played for several different teams throughout his career despite being a perennial Pro Bowler.

If there is any receiver of this current generation who exhibits almost the exact same career path, it has to be Brandon Marshall. The man has put up insane numbers for four different teams since 2006 and can be an absolute monster regardless of who the quarterback is. Yet his unstable personality has led to teams quickly souring on him. The Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears have each traded him following breakdowns between him and others on the roster or the coaching staff.

Now the New York Jets are getting a taste of that trademark loose cannon. The New York Daily News had it.

"“Revis didn’t allow a completion on his first four targets before Marshall embarrassed the perennial Pro Bowl cornerback on a slant-and-go double move that went for an 80-yard touchdown. Marshall, admittedly off his game after Revis’ blatant act of disrespect in 1-on-1s, took the jawing to another level by referencing Revis’ horrific performance against Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins last year.“There were some things that he was saying … and it went off the field a little bit,” Marshall said without delving into specifics.Marshall followed that play by catching another pass on Revis before the tension came to a head. Marshall ran across the field after the catch and circled back to Revis. The teammates exchanged words before the receiver took a swipe at Revis’ shoulder. Quincy Enunwa lifted Marshall up off the ground and removed him from the scene. Marshall and Revis didn’t match up again for the rest of practice.”"

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This situation comes shortly after Marshall was spotted punting a football into the stands during practice because he was frustrated with the execution of the offense. One wishes they could say it was surprising but these are things Marshall has done dating back all the way to his days in Denver. No matter how much he thinks his sending of positive messages, donating to charities, and dominating on the field might make up for it, the bottom line is every team has a breaking point. It can’t be a coincidence that, like Owens, teams have gotten worse the longer he’s been on them.

He may not be doing it on purpose, but that hardly matters. Brandon Marshall is his own worst enemy. Part of being a winner in the NFL is being able to control ones emotions when the competition is fiercest and when adversity is highest. Time and again he hasn’t. It’s why he can’t stick on a roster and why he likely will never win a Super Bowl.

Just like Owens.

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