The verdict is in: Brandon Marshall is not a bad guy.
Now the Broncos can only hope their 25-year-old receiver is willing to give Josh McDaniels the same chance to acquit himself of charges he’s unqualified to be an NFL coach.
And that’s the real key to what happens next for the local NFL franchise.
As much as Broncomaniacs might want to scream that the orange-and- blue sky is falling, there is no quarterback controversy on this team. Take your pick. Kyle Orton and Chris Simms are competent pro signal-callers. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Denver offense, however, has five players with legitimate Pro Bowl potential:
1) Marshall
2) Ryan Clady
3) Knowshon Moreno
4) Casey Wiegmann
5) Eddie Royal
While any failures of this offense will surely get pinned on the quarterback and his rookie coach, whether the Broncos succeed in surpassing the point total produced by Denver a year ago will be largely dependent on their stars, starting with Marshall.
So while there’s no doubt that Orton put on a sorry exhibition in his preseason debut with the Broncos during a 17-16 loss to San Francisco, a game ball should be awarded to Harvey Steinberg, the attorney who masterfully defended Marshall in an Atlanta courtroom against two counts of misdemeanor battery.
After hearing the words “not guilty” from the jury foreman, Marshall happily declared he was excited for a fresh start with what he calls a new life.
I’m going to take B-Marsh at his word.
The fact that Marshall feels a $2.1 million annual salary insults his Pro Bowl talent is certainly not the fault of Orton or Simms.
If the receiver is genuinely angry at the Broncos for coercing him to play with a serious hip injury last season, Marshall should be glad his coach is no longer named Mike Shanahan.
Hey, we understand: It’s every man for himself in the Not For Long, where the only money that’s guaranteed is what you can grab today.
But now we find out if Marshall cares any darn more about his teammates than former quarterback Jay Cutler, who demanded to get off this team ASAP after he perceived McDaniels did him down and dirty.
Even those who believe Cutler’s trade demand was totally justifiable must admit he acted entirely selfishly, with disregard to how the quarterback’s action would impact Brandon Stokley or Ryan Harris, teammates who caught his passes or protected his backside.
Pro football can be a nasty business driven by the bottom line. So here’s betting that getting a new collective bargaining agreement that puts more dough in his pocket is a higher priority for Broncos owner Pat Bowlen than handing Marshall a bigger, fatter contract.
McDaniels has wisely let Marshall take his own sweet time during training camp to nurse injuries and take care of legal business.
In return, the best way for Marshall to prove he’s a healthy NFL player of mind and body fully deserving of getting paid in Denver or elsewhere is by getting back on the field and making mediocre quarterbacks such as Orton and Simms look good.
Sure, Marshall could make a statement by refusing to give a good-faith effort to the Broncos as a matter of principle.
Or he can enhance his worth by scoring touchdowns for Denver. B-Marsh is no dummy. The choice is obvious.
The verdict is in: Marshall is not a bad guy.
When a jury of four women and two men granted B-Marsh his freedom, the defendant flashed a smile while wearing an orange-and-blue tie in the courtroom.
I’ll take that as a sign Marshall is now ready to be a great teammate whose No. 1 priority is winning games for the Broncos.
Why?
This is America. Innocent until proven guilty. Right?
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
