Whatever fate awaits Brandon Marshall, there are signs he has grown.
Maturation is evident on the Dove Valley fields, where the Broncos conduct their twice-daily training camp workouts. Aches and pains aren’t keeping Marshall away from practice, as was the case a year ago. He is on time. He has seemed quieter than usual. He still has his charming, boyish, smile. He just hasn’t displayed it as often.
No doubt, it has been a more subdued Brandon Marshall. About all the Broncos wide receiver has exhibited with greater regularity are flashes of unstoppable dominance.
“Very impressive,” Broncos cornerback Dre Bly said. “His focus has been great. He’s not letting any of that stuff affect him. I tell people that Brandon’s not a bad guy. He’s just been in the right place at the wrong time. Hopefully, the commissioner will give him another chance and not suspend him and he can be a threat for this team.”
Can improved on-field professionalism translate into off-field reform? Since leaving the NFL commissioner’s office in New York nearly two weeks ago, Marshall has been living with an inescapable sense of impending doom.
Marshall was involved in numerous police-related incidents during a 12-month period that included three arrests but zero convictions. The commissioner, Roger Goodell, has proved he doesn’t need a conviction to rule a player has violated the league’s personal conduct policy.
Based on Goodell’s past rulings, there would not be shock if Marshall was suspended two to four games.
The Broncos make the case that Marshall should not be suspended. By rights, a player can only be fined, not suspended, for his first DUI arrest, which Marshall had last October. As for Marshall’s domestic violence arrest March 6 in Atlanta, no formal charges have been filed nearly five months later.
Nevertheless, Goodell soon will notify Marshall of his decision. Marshall then will have the right to appeal. The uncertainty regarding Marshall’s early-season status, however, has seemingly sharpened his resolve at training camp. Almost every day now, Marshall does something spectacular — he beat Bly on a deep route before hauling in a Jay Cutler touchdown pass Wednesday. And each time Marshall demonstrates his awe-inspiring athleticism, he reminds the Broncos of what they may lose.
“He is a big piece of this puzzle,” said cornerback Champ Bailey, the star of the defense. “If he does have to miss some time, it’s going to hurt us. Hopefully, people will step up.”
