Brandon Marshall: Reunion with Jay Cutler Exactly What Troubled Star Needs
Published by Eric Ball on March 13, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears made the first big splash in the new league year. Boy, was it a good one.
The Bears will be trading for wide receiver Brandon Marshall in exchange for sending two picks to the Miami Dolphins, as first reported by Jay Glazer of FOX Sports:
Major scoopage! The Chicago Bears have agreed to terms of a trade w Miami for pro bowl WR Brandon Marshall in exchange for 2 third-rounders.
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 13, 2012
One of the third-round picks will be for the 2012 draft and the other is in 2013, as confirmed by Pro Football Talk.
This is just what the doctor ordered for Marshall, who will be reunited with quarterback Jay Cutler and QB coach Jeremy Bates. He struggled with noodle-arm QBs like Chad Henne and Matt Moore in Miami, yet was still able to register his fifth straight 1,000-yard season in 2011.
His best years were from 2007-08, when Cutler was throwing him passes as teammates on the Denver Broncos. In those two seasons, Marshall averaged 1,295 yards and 6.5 TD grabs as one of the most feared receivers in the league.
Standing at 6’4’’ and 230 pounds, he excels with a QB like Cutler, who has the strength to throw him the deep ball and the touch to loft him a jump ball around the end zone. The two players have a great rapport together both on and off the field, which is very important for Marshall.
He has dealt with multiple personal issues in his career and needs a level-headed guy like Cutler to keep him in check. Marshall listens to Cutler—that’s half the battle with the outstanding talent.
Marshall is about to turn 28 and still has at least three more years in his prime. The Bears have had issues at receiver for seemingly years and last year’s pickup of Roy Williams turned out to be a bad idea.
Now they have a true No. 1 that is already familiar with the QB and has experience playing in a cold-weather city.
It’s extremely early, but the Bears are already looking like one of the big winners of the new league year.
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