The Brandon Marshall Saga

This won't be all that long, mainly because I really don't feel there's a whole lot to talk about. I'll go a little bit more into it, but the comments he made this past week were nothing to look too far into. However, in typical Chicago sports media fashion, they've been entirely over-analyzed.

First, what Marshall said, from ESPN.com and Chicagotribune.com:

“I had about 10 drops,” Marshall said in recalling last week’s win over Oakland. “I think the offense did well. For myself -- mentally, physical -- we need to pick it up a little more.”

“it’s [now about] getting a feel for [the new offense], and having more experience in the offense.”

 “I mean, we’ll see,” Marshall replied. “It’s still early. I’m still trying to figure out my role and my place in this offense, trying to get healthy. We’ll see where it takes us.”

“It’s more conditioning,” he said. “It’s one of those things where you may be rushed a little bit and some people might think I need to be further on than where I am. So it’s a little frustrating not being where I want to be right now and maybe being pushed a little bit. We’ll see.”

That's just about everything. To put it all into context, a couple of days earlier he had an embarrassing game against the Raiders that saw him drop 2 balls that hit him right in the hands. On another pass he had the ball tipped away on one that he usually reaches out and gets. However, I'll chalk that one up to good defense on him.

Now, seeing the things he said, what does this tell me? The hip is still bothering him, and he's frustrated with his most recent performance. It also tells me that he's still learning the offense a little bit, just like everyone else on the team.

The only thing that really worries me in there is that the hip is still bothering him. It isn't anything that's really shocking or anything, but it's not something you like to see either. Soreness and pain will always be there for a while after surgery. As the season goes along it will get better. Before anyone brings it up, this is not a potential Urlacher situation. The procedure that Marshall had on his hip was very minor compared to what Urlacher was going through last season. It's just that people need to understand that healing needs to take place.

As for the rest of it, I'm not bothered by him still figuring out his role on the offense. He knows what he has to do, but he only got to play in 2 preseason games. Of course he's still trying to figure out what his role will be. As long as he goes out there and does the right things, he'll be just fine. He's not in a different boat there than anyone else on the team.

The bottom line is that we were given some quotable lines from a receiver who was frustrated with how his hip recovery has been going and with a tough game he was coming off of. Of course, like with everything, the Chicago sports media is going to overblow everything. It's really no surprise. However, if you take a relaxed, logical and reasonable look at it, there is nothing to worry about. Everything will be just fine. Once the season is over Marshall will still probably have 80+ catches and his 1,200+ yards. If Bears fans are lucky, Alshon Jeffery won't be too far off.

Here are links to the articles that the above quotes come from:

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/82272/be-what-to-make-of-marshalls-comments

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-27/sports/chi-chicago-bears-brandon-marshall-20130827_1_brandon-marshall-last-season-marc-trestman