Brandon Marshall appears in the clear

[Spider-Dan]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/58572/brandon-marshall-appears-in-the-clear

We noted last week that Chicago Bears receiver Brandon Marshall, in his strongest language yet, denied any wrongdoing as part of a March incident outside a New York City nighclub. Marshall said an allegation that he punched a woman in the face is "a lie" and predicted he would be cleared by the New York City police department soon.

That could happen as early as this week, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Monday morning, Schefter reported that police have "struggled" to find evidence against Marshall and that it's "likely" the case will be closed with no formal charges filed.

In that scenario, it wouldn't seem likely that the NFL would discipline Marshall, either, which means he would be clear for a full 16-game season. Still, this episode should remind the Bears and their fans that Marshall is one misstep from significant time away from the team.

Will Marshall being cleared change anyone's opinion of the decision to trade him away for significantly less than what the Dolphins paid for him?

[Brian Fein]

nope. doesn't really change my opinion.  I liked having him on the team but I don't like his constant gross underperformance.  When Ted Ginn dropped balls all the time, people wanted him hung and stoned.  When Brandon Marshall does it, he gets a free pass?

[Phishfan]

I don't care about Brandon Marshall news anymore. I'm glad he is gone.

[MikeO]

No. Because in a few weeks/months it will be something else.

Another stabbing. Another arrest because he won't pay a taxi driver. Another domestic violence incident. Another incident where he punches a teammate  in the locker-room. Another interview where he throws the coaches/QB under the bus. It's always something. You can set your watch to it!

Then when the season starts you can set your watch to dropped touchdowns and dropped passes!

[EKnight]

I thought it was a dumb trade to start with. Drawing a comparison between Ginn and Marshall for their drops is nonsensical. Any TWO years Ginn had in Miami aren't as good as the season Marshall had last year. In Ginn, you're talking about a guy with 6 total CAREER receptions for TD's. I'm not saying trading Marshall, per se, was the dumb part of the trade. I'm saying only getting 2 third round picks was. For the record, I don't believe that GETTING stabbed or punching one of the DB's who came to practice drunk is something you look at and go- "oh, he's a troublemaker." Incidently, I don't recall him having bad things to say about Cutler, so I expect Miami may regret the trade when the two reunite, especially since they have $5.5 million dollars tied up in a player they have not found anything near a replacement for. -EK

[Spider-Dan]

nope. doesn't really change my opinion.  I liked having him on the team but I don't like his constant gross underperformance.  When Ted Ginn dropped balls all the time, people wanted him hung and stoned.  When Brandon Marshall does it, he gets a free pass?

No. Because in a few weeks/months it will be something else.

Another stabbing. Another arrest because he won't pay a taxi driver. Another domestic violence incident. Another incident where he punches a teammate  in the locker-room. Another interview where he throws the coaches/QB under the bus. It's always something. You can set your watch to it!

Then when the season starts you can set your watch to dropped touchdowns and dropped passes!

Here is my question for the both of you:

Was Brandon Marshall any different as a Dolphin than he was as a Bronco?

Was he a sure-handed touchdown-scoring machine in Denver?  Was he an upstanding pillar of the community when he got into an argument that ended up getting Darrent Williams killed?

Argue all you want about whether or not Miami should have gotten rid of him.  The bottom line is that the man who was willing to pay two second-round picks to get Marshall is the same man who could only get two third-round picks for him, fresh off of a Pro Bowl MVP.

And no, I don't accept the excuse that Parcells was "in charge" when the Marshall trade was made.  The Marshall trade was made two weeks before the 2010 draft; Ireland's excuse for the Pat White pick (a 2009 second-rounder) was that Parcells made the call on "that pick." This establishes two things:

1) By the time of the 2009 draft, Ireland was already handling the roster (otherwise, Parcells wouldn't have made the call on "that pick"; he would have made the call on all of the picks)
2) Ireland has no problem whatsoever passing the buck on decisions that were "not his fault" (and no such excuse has surfaced re: Marshall's acquisition)

Marshall is entirely on Ireland, coming and going.

[EKnight]

Spider- I made a similar argument the entire time he was in Miami. He was among the league leaders in dropped passes and only had one year of double digit TDs while he was there. I said over and over and over again that Miami got EXACTLY the same player on and off the field that they knew they were getting. Zero dropped passes and 15 TD's were unrealistic expectations for Marshall in Miami. I said it. No one listened. Don't know what to tell you there. -EK

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

The bottom line is that the man who was willing to pay two second-round picks to get Marshall is the same man who could only get two third-round picks for him, fresh off of a Pro Bowl MVP.

This seems to be an ongoing problem for the Dolphins - buy high, sell low. 

Dolphins picked Ginn too high and traded him for too little. 

[bsfins]

+1 to Brian,Phish,and MikeO....Nope,Not one Bit, He didn't want to be in Miami (he didn't want to be on a rebuilding team) The Dolphins didn't need the distraction,and attitudes.....

[EKnight]

+1 to Brian,Phish,and MikeO....Nope,Not one Bit, He didn't want to be in Miami (he didn't want to be on a rebuilding team) The Dolphins didn't need the distraction,and attitudes.....

I get that- and I'm not even disagreeing with it in any way- BUT...why did they trade for him then? It seems that trading FOR him was as bad as trading him away then. -EK

[MikeO]

Here is my question for the both of you:

Was Brandon Marshall any different as a Dolphin than he was as a Bronco?

Was he a sure-handed touchdown-scoring machine in Denver?  Was he an upstanding pillar of the community when he got into an argument that ended up getting Darrent Williams killed?

That's the problem!! He didn't change! He was making a stink in Denver about money. He finally got his big pay day from Miami and nothing changed. The off the field antics continued, the being a bad teammate continued, the badmouthing of teammates and coaches in the press continued, the arrests continued. Nothing changed! When he came to Miami he said it was a new chapter in his life, he had learned from past mistakes, he had matured....it was all BS and lies! 100% BS and lies!

Put the drops aside for a moment, I will put that on Irealnd/Parcells or whoever pulled the trigger on the trade. Overpaying for a WR who drops a lot of easy catch-able balls. But the other nonsense is all 100% on Marshall. Even when he got his big payday and was "happy" with his contract....his behavior didn't change. Nothing ever changes with him.

Once a scumbag, always a scumbag! And Brandon Marshall is a scumbag!

[bsfins]

I get that- and I'm not even disagreeing with it in any way- BUT...why did they trade for him then? It seems that trading FOR him was as bad as trading him away then. -EK

They didn't ask me, I didn't like the idea,at the time....Sell tickets,get some excitement from the fan base...I wasn't apart of that decision,nor was I in the room...(shrugs shoulders)

[mecadonzilla]

I thought the trade was garbage at the time, but it no longer really matters anymore.  Even if BM scores 20 TDs and gets 2,000 yards this season, it's all moot.  Ireland will be on the hook 110% for Philbin/Tannehill.  They're the guys he will get re-signed or fired for.

Nice to see BM might get off the hook for this one, but I imagine he'll find more trouble to get into somehow.

[Spider-Dan]

That's the problem!! He didn't change! He was making a stink in Denver about money. He finally got his big pay day from Miami and nothing changed. The off the field antics continued, the being a bad teammate continued, the badmouthing of teammates and coaches in the press continued, the arrests continued. Nothing changed! When he came to Miami he said it was a new chapter in his life, he had learned from past mistakes, he had matured....it was all BS and lies! 100% BS and lies!

Put the drops aside for a moment, I will put that on Irealnd/Parcells or whoever pulled the trigger on the trade. Overpaying for a WR who drops a lot of easy catch-able balls. But the other nonsense is all 100% on Marshall. Even when he got his big payday and was "happy" with his contract....his behavior didn't change. Nothing ever changes with him.

So here's the thing:

Ireland traded two seconds for a big, bruising, between-the-20s YAC receiver with questionable character.  And that's exactly what he got.  So how can you possibly justify trading away that player for two thirds?  Ireland is the former scout and the supposed master personnel evaluator.  Marshall's game is the same today as it was in Denver, so that's clearly no excuse for getting hosed two years later.  Are we seriously to believe that the difference between two seconds and two thirds is whether or not we take Marshall at his word that he will be a good boy?

Miami will get less production from the two thirds they traded for Marshall than they would have by keeping him.*  This year's third became Egnew and Cunningham, which makes the comparison all the easier.

*Based on the fact that Marshall had three years remaining on his contract, I feel confident in saying that if we simply take his production from the last two years combined and use that as his prospective production for the next three years (which I would categorize as an extremely conservative estimate), that will add up to more than the entire career production (in Miami) of the players that are drafted with the picks he was traded for.

[MikeO]

So here's the thing:

Ireland traded two seconds for a big, bruising, between-the-20s YAC receiver with questionable character.  And that's exactly what he got.  So how can you possibly justify trading away that player for two thirds?  Ireland is the former scout and the supposed master personnel evaluator.  Marshall's game is the same today as it was in Denver, so that's clearly no excuse for getting hosed two years later.  Are we seriously to believe that the difference between two seconds and two thirds is whether or not we take Marshall at his word that he will be a good boy?

Miami will get less production from the two thirds they traded for Marshall than they would have by keeping him.*  This year's third became Egnew and Cunningham, which makes the comparison all the easier.

*Based on the fact that Marshall had three years remaining on his contract, I feel confident in saying that if we simply take his production from the last two years combined and use that as his prospective production for the next three years (which I would categorize as an extremely conservative estimate), that will add up to more than the entire career production (in Miami) of the players that are drafted with the picks he was traded for.

Yep! Marshall can't be trusted. Yelling at QB's on the sideline. Throwing assistant coaches under the bus in the media. Punching teammates in the locker-room and off the field arrests and antics that are embarrassing and unprofessional.

Take "production" talk and throw it out the window. At what point do you just say, this guy is a piece of garbage and we don't want him around anymore?!  He gives the entire franchise a black eye with his antics off the field. And we can come in 3rd place or last place with or without him! 

He caused trouble in Denver. He caused trouble in Miami. And he is giving no signs of changing anytime soon. Miami needed him gone. This goes far beyond numbers and touchdowns. At some point a franchise must have a little self respect. You don't need a roster full of alter boys but you can't let a guy openly take a crap on coaches and teammates time after time while being in trouble non-stop off the field with police and such and just hide behind the fact he is the best WR we got, so we will let him get away it!

So we get less production without Marshall from his replacements. Can we NOT come in 3rd or 4th place without him? lol....because that's the team we had with him. A 3rd and 4th place team in our division.