Brandon Marshall doesn’t just scare opponents. He scares his teammates and coaches, too.
Here the Broncos, a team desperate to avoid a four-game losing streak, had just scored to take the lead in the final minute-plus at Cleveland, and Marshall wants to make a political statement in the end zone that would have cost the team a 15-yard penalty.
In case you missed it, Brandon Stokley came sprinting toward Marshall, telling him not to display a back-and-white glove that Marshall was going to don as a statement of his support for President-elect Barack Obama.
And the most troubling part of all was that, afterward, Marshall said he wasn’t concerned about being fined. Excuse me? Where was his concern for his team? A 15-yard penalty in that situation could have given the Browns great field position after the ensuing kickoff.
Three years into the league, you wonder if Marshall is ever going to get it. That it’s about the team, not him. The truth is, he’s showing all the signs of being a prima donna wide receiver in the mold of Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson.
Maybe it’s too much to ask of a 21st-century athlete, being a great player AND a team player.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
