Another day, another player for the Denver Broncos wants out. This time, alleged serial woman beater Brandon Marshall now desires to be traded.
"We'll pay for your cab fare," say the women of Denver.
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| An offensive coach by training, Josh McDaniels has offended the Broncos' top two offensive stars. (Getty Images) |
Marshall is Plaxico Burress West, minus the gunpowder in the leg. The woman-beating allegations against Plaxico Marshall are starting to pile so high, I'm beginning to wonder if Marshall asks his girlfriends to wear helmets.
But I digress.
What is it exactly that's making star players want to bolt the Broncos like they're the Bengals?
Jay Cutler is traded to Chicago for a can of Sprite and a tuna fish sandwich. Now Marshall wants the hell out. Next thing you know, John Elway is going to ask for a trade.
It's one thing when a supposed star in Cutler -- a puffed-up, overrated star -- requests a trade. That's solely one player making such a demand. But there's something strange occurring when a second star, a legitimate one in Marshall, wants to play elsewhere. That's a huge deal and it's indicative of a serious problem within an organization that was for years one of the better run in the league.
In the end Marshall might not be traded. He will likely calm down and the Broncos don't want to get rid of one of the top five wide receivers in football, despite the off-the-field chaos that often engulfs Marshall.
• Judge: Broncos even make Raiders look good | Marshall saying goodbyes
There's also a difference between Marshall and Cutler. The latter hated the new head coach. Marshall wants more cash.
Still, this has to be disturbing for Denver and owner Pat Bowlen, a league mainstay, who must wonder: What the hell is happening to my franchise?
Marshall's diva-ness goes beyond the normal wide receiver lunacy that seems to surround the position. Wide receivers are egotists. Roger that. We know this.
It's more than that. The Broncos were once a fairly solid model of consistency. Not perfect. Not ideal. But decent. Mike Shanahan was a dictator who sometimes thumbed his nose at Bowlen, but his star players weren't always looking for lifeboats.
The common thread here is Josh McDaniels. If you can't see that, you're grossly mistaken. Broncos players must despise him or totally don't get him. There's no other explanation.
• Report: Broncos will work to fulfill Marshall's request
Name another NFL team, hell another American pro franchise, where its two best offensive players wanted trades within a span of just a handful of months. You can't. In many ways what's happening in Denver is unprecedented. It'd be like Tom Brady and Randy Moss wanting out of New England within a short span.
This just doesn't happen. Cutler behaved poorly in his dealings with McDaniels, refusing to return a text message from the coach in a bit of grade school drama, but McDaniels didn't handle the situation well either. Now he has to deal with Plaxico Marshall.
It's no coincidence that McDaniels handles the offensive side of the football and now his offensive stars have and are revolting.
McDaniels apparently has the social skills of Eric Mangini.
Bowlen took a big risk in firing Shanahan. While Shanahan's career was never the same after Elway retired after the 1998 season (the Broncos had just one postseason win after Elway's departure) at least Shanahan didn't run off his top stars.
Marshall has reportedly packed up his locker and left, maybe for good. There could be a protracted training camp holdout as well. The good news is Marshall wasn't arrested for domestic violence between his walk from the team complex to his car.
There are small miracles in life, eh?
