Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall on Tuesday recanted comments he made about the team’s defensive coverage after the team’s loss to Miami on Sunday.
Marshall initially said the team’s defensive backs need to “tighten up” coverage after watching from the sideline as Miami’s Greg Camarillo caught 11 passes for 111 yards.
“I’m over there watching it from basically the outside in. Even though I’m on the team, I don’t know the defense and what they’re doing,” Marshall said Tuesday. “Probably some of my statements were incorrect.”
Defensive coordinator Bob Slowik said he would not pay attention to Marshall’s critique “unless he wants to come in and game plan.”
“We had a game plan that we thought was effective,” Slowik said. “(Camarillo) can catch 15 balls. He wasn’t the guy that was going to beat us. We were worried about the guy who could get the big chunks. If you keep them from getting big chunks, you’re going to be an effective defense.”
Marshall fires back.
While Marshall was contrite about his comments about the defense, he held nothing back when reacting to statements made by Miami linebacker Joey Porter on Sunday. Porter, the former Colorado State star who is leading the NFL with 11.5 sacks this season, called Marshall “soft” — one of the worst insults a player can launch at another.
Marshall returned the insult, and then some.
“He’s definitely one of those guys who, you know, all those muscles are popcorn muscles. He’s soft,” Marshall said. “We hear stories floating around the league all the time about him, you know, in night clubs dancing with his shirt off like a girl or on the playground getting beat up in California. He’s one of those guys that, you know, no matter how big he is can get knocked on his butt. He’s soft, he’s soft at heart and you can tell by the way he’s talking.”
Pittman to see spine specialist.
Running back Michael Pittman will see a spine specialist in California next week after multiple doctors diagnosed Pittman with a spinal cord injury.
The Broncos ended Pittman’s season Monday when they placed him on the injured reserve list for the first time in his 11-year career.
“It was very disappointing and I was emotionally very depressed, because I’ve never been on IR, never been inactive,” Pittman said.
Woodyard, Green trying out at linebacker.
Slowik said coaches are hoping to have “as little disruption as possible” at linebacker as they try to replace D.J. Williams.
Rookie Wesley Woodyard was a weakside linebacker in college at Kentucky and has been Williams’ backup since Jamie Winborn moved to the strong side to replace Boss Bailey. Woodyard should see significant playing time Thursday night.
Louis Green has played in 56 games in his five years in the NFL and is most comfortable on the strong side.
“We will take a look at those two guys and make a decision on which direction we are going to go,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.
Lindsay H. Jones and Mike Klis, The Denver Post
