Tag: Brandon Marshall

Saints hater Brandon Marshall buries the hatchet with Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton confronted Brandon Marshall on the Draft-A-Thon charity stream, addressing his ESPN rant on the team.

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New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton made an appearance on the Draft-A-Thon broadcast, a separate video feed covering this year’s NFL draft dedicated to raising donations for coronavirus relief efforts.

However, his time on the show brought Payton into contact with Brandon Marshall; the one-time Saints wide receiver who ripped the team during an ESPN bit earlier this month.

“Alright, so I made some headlines recently,” Marshall said, referencing his heated comments about the imminent collapse of the Saints as a Super Bowl contender.

“I love you,” Payton interjected, grinning. “I love you.”

Taken aback, Marshall responded, “I love you too. Then you went on Twitter, and you called me out.”

Payton brushed off the incident as, “playing by Covid-19 rules,” in which jokes and hot takes are allowed in these strange times. But once things settle down, he’s expecting everyone to let up a little. See it for yourself:

Marshall’s main point in his ESPN rant was that the Saints wouldn’t be able to compete with Tom Brady, now that he’s landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s a challenge Payton is embracing.

“In all seriousness,” Payton said, “There’s only about ten or eleven relevant teams. You’re on a point where, not only Tom but also (Rob) Gronkowski, you know just the standard’s going to change. They’re really, really special players.”

One idea Payton had for addressing the looming matchup was to put it under the brightest spotlight. He asked NBC Sports sideline reporter Michele Tafoya to take his suggestion to the higher-ups at the network, and put both of the Saints’ games with the Buccaneers on “Sunday Night Football” in 2020. Wouldn’t that be something?

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Sean Payton, Saints players respond to Brandon Marshall’s ESPN tirade

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and players like Cameron Jordan reacted to Brandon Marshall’s fiery ranting on ESPN’s First Take show.

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Former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall made an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” morning show on Thursday, and he apparently brought an ax to grind. Marshall took aim at the New Orleans Saints in a lengthy rant, insisting that the team’s Super Bowl window slammed shut after the 2019 season.

Marshall followed that up by saying that the Saints aren’t built for success with players like Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and a defense loaded with Pro Bowlers. He also called out Saints coach Sean Payton, swearing that the NFL has figured out the league’s third-rated scoring offense.

Some of those players responded to Marshall’s chatter on social media, as did Payton himself. Payton replied to a video of Marshall’s claims with his own image of a “Zoltar” fortune teller machine, evidently laughing off the criticism:

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Ex-Saints wide receiver Brandon Marshall: ‘Their window is closed’

Pro Bowl WR Brandon Marshall only spent a month with the New Orleans back in 2018, and lit up his old team on ESPN’s First Take morning show

Brandon Marshall’s month-long stint with the New Orleans Saints a couple of years ago must have left a sour impression. Unable to outwork the likes of Keith Kirkwood and Tommylee Lewis in practice, he spent most of November 2018 wearing sweatpants on game days before the team cut him early in December. He never played another down in the NFL.

So now Marshall is trying to reinvent himself as a commentator, going on ESPN’s “First Take” to rain fire and brimstone down on the last team that gave him a shot.

“New Orleans, Sean Payton? Sean Payton continues to hurt his team,” Marshall said in a segment discussing Tom Brady’s chances of leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a division title.

He continued, “How do you have Drew Brees, Mike T, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram a couple years ago, you have a defense that goes from crap the first half of the season to one of the most elite defenses we’ve ever seen, and you lose in the playoffs?

“Two years, back to back? New Orleans is done.”

When the show’s hosts tried to steer Marshall back on track into focusing on regular season results, and the looming race for an NFC South crown between Brady and Brees, Marshall dug his heels in even further.

“Their window is closed, their window is closed,” Marshall insisted. “Their window is closed, I’m sorry. Did you see what happened to their defense last year? Do you see that everyone in the league has the book on New Orleans’ offense now? Did you see that? It’s over, it’s a wrap.”

The Saints offense ranked third-best in the NFL last year, averaging more than 28 points scored per game with Brees missing five weeks. They’ve also added three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in free agency, which Marshall scoffed at.

“Emmanuel Sanders is fifty years old,” Marshall retorted, “Emmanuel Sanders is two months away from standing right next to me.” Sanders, 33, is three years Marshall’s junior.

Maybe Marshall is bored in retirement. He could be trying to kick off a media career based off of hot takes and shallow analysis. Another possibility is that he may have felt that he didn’t get a fair shot to earn playing time back in 2018, which doesn’t pass the smell test considering how short-handed the Saints were at receiver in the wake of Dez Bryant’s career-ending injury.

Whatever the case, nothing Marshall said on ESPN Thursday morning holds up when you look at the numbers. Maybe he should do his research before going on air next time.

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Looking back at the Jay Cutler trade 11 years ago today

Let’s take a look at the trade that went down in 2009, and the career that QB Jay Cutler had as a Chicago Bear.

Eleven years ago today, the Chicago Bears traded for quarterback Jay Cutler. Let’s look back at the trade that went down in 2009, and the career that Cutler had with the Bears.

In early 2009, the Bears traded Kyle Orton, a pair of first-round picks and a third-round pick to the Denver Broncos for their hopeful franchise quarterback in Cutler.

By comparison, during Orton’s three seasons with the Bears, he had a record of 21-12, while Cutler had a record of 17-20 in his first three seasons in Denver.

Orton was a proven winner here in Chicago, and Cutler had a bit of an attitude and seemed like he didn’t get along with the coaches in Denver, so maybe the trade was a little questionable at the time.

In his first season in 2009, Cutler threw for 3,666 yards, 27 touchdowns and 26 interceptions, while starting all 16 games. Ouch. It wasn’t the first year in Chicago many hoped for Cutler. The Bears went 7-9 and ended up missing the playoffs, and the Broncos ended up going 8-8 and also missing the playoffs. So you could call it a draw for both teams in the first year of the trade.

In 2010, it seemed like Cutler was a completely different quarterback, as he led the Bears to an 11-5 record, and they ended up winning the NFC North. In 15 games, Cutler threw for 3,274 yards, 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. That was a 10 interception drop-off that he had in 2009, which was a huge improvement.

Then in 2011, Cutler suffered an injury that cut short what was playing out to be a magical season when he broke his thumb against the Chargers. In 10 games, he threw for 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions with a 7-3 record. Instead of a return trip to the playoffs, Chicago finished with an 8-8 record and were left wondering what could’ve been if Cutler had stayed healthy.

The Bears traded for Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall in 2012. Marshall and Cutler played together in Denver from 2006-2008, and they were reunited in Chicago.

Cutler ended up missing the ninth game in 2012 after getting hit hard during the Houston Texans game. The Bears ended up finishing 10-6 and still found a way to miss the playoffs. The 2012 season ended up being the last year for Lovie Smith as Bears head coach after nine years with the team, which included a Super Bowl appearance in 2006.

General manager Phil Emery quickly found a replacement for Smith, hiring offensive guru Marc Trestman in 2013. Trestman was a part of Steve Young and the 49ers’ success in the ’90s and he has won championships in the Canadian football league.

Cutler once again struggled with injury in 2013, where he only played in 11 games. He threw for 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Bears to a 5-6 record. Entering Week 17, the Bears and Packers matched up for the last game of the regular season, the Packers were 7-7-1 and the Bears had a record of 8-7. The Packers delivered a brutal 33-28 defeat, and the Bears missed the playoffs with an 8-8 record in Trestman’s first year as head coach.

In 2014, Cutler went 5-10 as the starter, he threw for 3,812 yards, 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. The Bears missed the playoffs with a 5-11 record. After only two seasons, Trestman would end up getting fired.

In 2015, changes were needed for this Bears’ team. They would find a new general manager in Ryan Pace, a new head coach in John Fox and Marshall and Martellus Bennet would leave the team.

In Cutler’s final two years with the Bears in 2015 and 2016, he started 20 games, throwing for 4,718 yards, 25 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The Bears ended up missing the playoffs in Cutler’s last two years, with records of 6-10 in 2015 and 3-13 in 2016.

During the 2017 offseason, the Bears held the third overall pick in the NFL Draft, and Bears’ fans know how that turned out as Pace would trade up from the third overall pick to the second overall pick to draft Mitchell Trubisky. Still a questionable move to this day on why Pace traded so many future picks just to move up one spot.

Even before drafting Trubisky, Cutler’s career as a Bear came to an end. He spent eight seasons in Chicago, leading them to a 51-51 record as starter, throwing for 154 touchdowns and 109 interceptions. But during those eight years, the Bears only made the playoffs once.

Seeing Cutler play with guys like Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Devin Hester, and Johhny Knox, to name a few, was exciting.

Cutler was by far one of my favorite Bears. When the Bears traded for Cutler, how did you feel? Did you like the trade? What was your favorite moment?

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Former Jets assistant Karl Dorrell named University of Colorado head coach

Karl Dorrell, who coached the Jets wide receivers from 2015-18 was officially announced as the next head coach of Colorado on Sunday.

The University of Colorado officially hire former Jets assistant coach Karl Dorrell as its next head coach on Sunday.

Dorrell will get a five-year, $18 million deal, which is pending approval from Colorado’s Board of Regents, according to a statement released by the school. He will succeed Mel Tucker, who left Colorado  to replace Mark Dantonio at Michigan State. Dantonio resigned a day before National Signing Day.

Dorrell has ties to the Jets, as he coached the team’s wide receivers from 2015-18 as a member of Todd Bowles’ staff. In 2015, Dorrell oversaw a wide receiver room that included the elite duo of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Marshall and Decker both had 1,000-yard seasons, combining for 26 touchdowns and 189 catches.

Dorrell is a former University of Colorado assistant, too. He was the program’s wide receivers coach in 1992 and 1993 and returned to be the offensive coordinator from 1995-98. Now, Dorrell is making his third and presumably final stop in Boulder.

He returns to the Pac-12 after being the head coach at UCLA from 2003-07. There, Dorrell compiled a 35-27 record in five seasons. His teams went to four bowl games.

As a coach, Dorrell has also made college stops at UCF, Northern Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and Vanderbilt. In his most recent college coaching gig as Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator, Dorrell was fired after just one season, which lead him back to the NFL.

Most recently, Dorrell was the Dolphins assistant head coach and wide receivers coach. He was hired by Brian Flores after the Jets elected to part ways with Bowles and his entire staff.

The top 5 players to finish their career with the Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have employed many NFL legends in their final moments in the league. Here is a ranking of the top-five.

The Seattle Seahawks, perhaps more than any other franchise, have become the final landing spot for a myriad of the game’s greatest players.

The team’s recent acquisition of Greg Olsen, as well as last year’s Josh Gordon experiment, potentially added two more NFL greats to a long list of players who play out their final games in the Emerald City.

I decided to rank the elite NFL players who called it quits while in Seattle. This list does not include lifelong Seahawks, like Steve Largent and Walter Jones, or even Marshawn Lynch – who might have played his final down last season (although with Beast mode, you can never be sure).

Instead, this list will focus on players who spent one year (or in many cases, less than a year) in Seattle to shut the door on their extensive – often Hall of Fame worthy – careers.

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Gang Green’s best of the 2010s: A look at the Jets’ all-decade team

The Jets Wire names the Jets 2010’s all-decade team with New York’s franchise-worst 10-year stretch ending with a 7-9 finish.

The Jets’ decade started with an AFC Championship appearance, but since then they’ve endured one of the worst stretches in franchise history.

New York has only had one season since in which it was over .500 and failed to return to the playoffs. The Jets have now gone nine consecutive seasons without a playoff berth and a record four straight losing seasons after faring 10-6 in 2015.

To finish off the decade, the Jets went 6-2 after a 1-7 finish, but they still have yet to play meaningful football beyond the first week of January. It seems Gang Green has its quarterback of the future, but does it have enough to start off the next decade with a playoff trip?

Decisions for the future are coming. For now, let’s take a look at the Jets’ 2010s all-decade team:

Offense

East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker (87) and New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) celebrate Marshall’s touchdown during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Patriots 26-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

QB Mark Sanchez: Sanchez was consistently average during his time in New York, but that’s enough to be the team’s best quarterback of the decade. He was the only one to lead Gang Green to the playoffs in this decade. During his time as New York’s signal-caller, Sanchez went 33-29, a much more impressive record than what Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh McCown. The hope is that Sam Darnold will do more to earn the nod 10 years from now.

RB Chris Ivory: Acquired via trade in one of John Idzik’s first moves as New York’s general manager, Ivory had a rather productive three-year tenure in green and white. He ran for over 800 yards in all three seasons, including going over 1,000 yards in 2015.

WR Brandon Marshall: Marshall spent just two seasons with New York, but his 2015 was enough to garner a mention on this list. Marshall set the team record for catches and yards and tied Don Maynard for touchdowns. In 2015, Marshall had 109 catches for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns.

WR Eric Decker: Paired with Marshall, the Jets had one of the most dynamic passing attacks in the league. He could never establish himself as a No. 1 target, but Decker put up those numbers opposite of Marshall. In 2015, Decker had 80 receptions for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns.

WR Santonio Holmes: While Holmes’ Jets career ended on a sour note, he is still largely responsible for helping New York reach its second AFC Championship Game in as many seasons. While his statistics don’t tell the whole story because of his four-game suspension to the begin the season, Holmes was as clutch as can be when it counted.

TE Dustin Keller: One of the more productive tight ends in the history of the franchise, the Jets have been unable to replicate Keller’s success since he departed New York. He finished his six-year tenure with the Jets catching 241 passes for 2,876 yards and 17 scores.

OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson: Ferguson was a staple on the Jets offensive line. He was the glue that kept the left side together and New York never had to worry about it quarterback’s blindside when he was on the field.

OG James Carpenter: Carpenter was the best the Jets had to offer at left guard during the decade. He was a reliable fixture brought in by Idzik and started every single game for New York from 2015-17.

C Nick Mangold: An All-Pro in 2010, Mangold would appear in five of his seven Pro Bowl appearances during the 2010s. The Jets are still itching to find a competent center as his replacement.

OG Brandon Moore: Moore is more famous for Mark Sanchez running into his behind, but he is the best the Jets had at right guard from 2010 on.

RT Damien Woody: While Woody has now spent more time as an ESPN personality than with Gang Green this decade, he provided the most stability at a position that has been a thorn in the Jets’ side.

Honorable Mentions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Bilal Powell, RB Shonn Greene, WR Robby Anderson, OG Brian Winters, OT Kelvin Beachum.

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Ranking the top 20 Bears games of the decade

On the eve of a new decade, we’re counting down the Bears’ best games of this past decade — including some real blasts from the past.

Between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019, the Chicago Bears played 164 games, including three playoff games, compiling a record of 78-86. Surprising playoff runs in 2010 and 2018 were sandwiched around lengthy stretches of mediocrity from 2013-2017, and fans were treated to a below-average product for much of the decade.

Still, there were quite a few bright spots for the NFL’s charter franchise during the last 10 years, including memorable games that provided thrilling victories. As a disappointing 2019 season concludes, let’s look back on some of the better games and moments the ’10s had to offer.

To kick off the next decade as we enter 2020, here are my top 20 Bears games from the 2010s.

20. 2019, Week 14, Cowboys at Bears

Bears 31 – Cowboys 24: Easily the best game of an otherwise disappointing season, the Bears offense came alive in primetime against the Cowboys, with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky accounting for all four touchdowns with his arm and legs in arguably his best game as a Bear. On defense, despite not creating a turnover, the unit frustrated the Cowboys offense all evening with QB pressures and excellent play from their secondary. The matchup was a pseudo-playoff game, with the Bears keeping their hopes alive for one more week in a complete-team win.

19. 2018, Week 8, Bears at Bills

Bears 41 – Bills 9: While the Buffalo Bills weren’t a powerhouse in 2018, the Bears defense still made their offense look completely inept in a blowout. Forcing four turnovers, including three interceptions from quarterback Nathan Peterman, the Bears scored twice on defense thanks to outside linebacker Leonard Floyd’s pick six and safety Eddie Jackson’s fumble recovery, and limited the Bills’ offense to just 264 yards. The reason this game isn’t higher on the list is due to the Bears offensive performance, as they gained just 190 yards.

 

18. 2011, Week 1, Falcons at Bears

Bears 30 – Falcons 12: No, this wasn’t the Bears-Falcons matchup that saw the debut of quarterback Mike Glennon, this was the first game following the Bears heartbreaking loss to the Packers in the NFC Championship game. Led by quarterback Jay Cutler, who threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, the Bears won convincingly against the reigning NFC South champions and held the Falcon offense to just six points. This game also featured an impressive performance from Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who had an interception and a fumble recovery for a score. The defense had a total of three takeaways and started the 2011 season with a bang.

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Ex-Giant Brandon Marshall rips Darrelle Revis, Sheldon Richardson

Former New York Giants WR Brandon Marshall ripped his ex-Jets teammates, Darrelle Revis and Sheldon Richardson, for their 2015 failures.

Former New York Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall is still sour over how the 2015 season concluded for his then-New York Jets, imploding in Week 17 against the Buffalo Bills and subsequently missing the playoffs.

Four years later and Marshall has not let go of that frustration, and he’s got cornerback cornerback Darrelle Revis and Sheldon Richardson to thank for that.

“Being brutally honest … you had guys like Darrelle Revis, who just was stealing from us and didn’t show up, didn’t get off the bus, and I was disappointed,” Marshall said on the New York Post’s “Gang’s All Here” podcast.

“But that’s Darrelle Revis, that’s Sheldon Richardson … the big guys that we were counting on, they didn’t show up … being brutally honest. That whole year on that defensive side, man … if those guys were who we thought they were, we probably would have went on to just crush the playoffs.”

Instead, the Jets finished with a 10-6 record and just missed out on the playoffs due to their Week 17 loss and a win by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That season, Revis was in his second stint with the team, having signed a deal for $16 million after spending some time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots, earning a Super Bowl ring in the process. He appeared in just 14 games that season and was a shell of his former self.

In that Week 17 game, he surrendered 11 receptions and 136 yards to then-Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins, while Richardson recorded six tackles.

Marshall, meanwhile, caught eight passes for 126 yards in the game. In his 13 seasons, he never once made the NFL Playoffs.

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Former Jets WR Brandon Marshall calls out Darrelle Revis, Sheldon Richardson for roles in 2015 collapse

Former Jets WR Brandon Marshall accuses Darrelle Revis, Sheldon Richardson of stealing money during infamous 2015 collapse in Buffalo.

The Jets 2019 season finale ends in Buffalo, the same place where Brandon Marshall’s playoff hopes died four years ago.

Marshall, one of the better wide receivers of his generation, played with seven teams from 2006-18 and never appeared in the playoffs. Prior to the 2015 season, Marshall was traded to the Jets as a new regime sought its No. 1 wide receiver. He finished the season with 109 receptions on 174 targets for 1,502 yards and14 touchdowns.

Marshall’s best chance at postseason play came in his first season with Gang Green. The Jets stood at 10-5 after beating the New England Patriots in a walk-off overtime thriller the week before. All that was needed was a win over the Bills in Week 17 and New York would be in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.

The Jets lost to Buffalo and missed the postseason. Marshall felt like he was robbed of a career first and he’s still angered about the events that transpired in the Jets’ Week 17 collapse in Buffalo. Never one to hold back, Marshall took shots at former teammates over the most important game of his career.

“Being brutally honest … you had guys like Darrelle Revis, who just was stealing from us and didn’t show up, didn’t get off the bus, and I was disappointed,” Marshall said on the latest episode of the New York Post’s “Gang’s All Here” podcast.

“But that’s Darrelle Revis, that’s Sheldon Richardson … the big guys that we were counting on, they didn’t show up … being brutally honest. That whole year on that defensive side, man … if those guys were who we thought they were, we probably would have went on to just crush the playoffs.”

The Jets had a simple task. Win and they clinched a Wild Card berth. Unfortunately for Marshall, the team crumbled under pressure. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three backbreaking interceptions as Rex Ryan got the last laugh in the Bills 22-17 Week 17 upset. Marshall caught eight passes for 126 yards and a score in the game, but it wasn’t enough.

Revis reunited with the team who drafted him when he signed a lucrative contract upwards of $16 million per year in March of 2015. He proved to be a shell of his former self and no longer posed as shutdown threat that he did when he first donned the green and white.

In that Week 17 game, Revis was tasked with covering Sammy Watkins, who wound up catching 11 passes for 136 yards in winning fashion. In the trenches, Richardson six total tackles and two TFLs.

Marshall and Richardson have a long-standing feud that boiled over in the Jets locker room following a 24-3 loss to the Chiefs during the 2016 season, in which Fitzpatrick threw six interceptions.

Since then, Marshall has decided to take the high-road in what he described as a “one-sided feud.” However, he could no longer bite his tongue regarding postseason play. Marshall’s 13-year career never went beyond the first week of January.

In his eyes, he has some former teammates to blame for that.