What Brandon Marshall Could Mean For The Dolphins

Well, the Dolphins finally did it. They went out and made that bold move that everyone said they wouldn't make, and possibly brought in the best wide receiver in football (arguably), Brandon Marshall, in a blockbuster trade with the Denver Broncos. His off the field issues are well documented, and those that have read my previous posts know how I feel about that. Though I do not condone their behavior, I still believe it is none of our business. I watch sports to be entertained by their performances on the field. So with that in mind here are some interesting facts.

There is always debate over who makes who look good. Is it the quarterback? Is it the wide receiver? I believe you have to look at individual situations, and you will find that it works both ways. Such is the case with Peyton Manning, who makes any receiver look like an all-pro. Do you really believe that we would know who Pierre Garcon is if it wasn't for him? Marvin Harrison would never have had that career had he played with anyone else. Some receivers have left their Pro Bowl caliber quarterback, and failed miserably. Deion Branch leaves Tom Brady, never heard about him again. T.J. Houshmanzadeh leaves Carson Palmer, did you know he was even playing last year? I could go on, but there is the other side. Terrell Owens has had success with multiple quarterbacks, so did Jerry Rice, and to a certain degree, Randy Moss.

With all of this in mind I looked up some numbers over the past few days, and found a trend that could bode well for our prospects this season. Marshall has played for both types of quarterbacks. The prototypical one (Jay Cutler), with all the physical tools and attributes to deal it all over the field. As well as the so called "game manager" (Kyle Orton), who is more like a coach on the field, and is simply counted on not to make mistakes. Here's a look year by year, at the stats for Marshall, Cutler, and Orton.

2007:

(Marshall, and Cutler's first full season as starters.)

Marshall - 102 receptions, 1,325 yards, 7 touchdowns

Cutler - 63.6% completions, 20 touchdowns, 14 interceptions

2008:

(Orton's first full year as a starter)

Marshall - 104 receptions, 1,265 yards, 6 touchdowns

Cutler - 62.3% completions, 25 touchdowns, 18 interceptions

Orton - 58.5% completions, 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions

2009:

(Orton and Cutler are traded for each other, Orton now gets to throw to Marshall)

Marshall - 101 receptions, 1,120 yards, 10 touchdowns

Orton - 62.1% completions, 21 touchdowns, 12 interceptions

Cutler - 60.5% completions, 27 touchdowns, 26 interceptions

In their lone season without Marshall, Cutler's leading receiver was his tight end, (Greg Olsen - 60 receptions, 612 yards, 8 touchdowns), and Orton's was a runningback, (Matt Forte - 63 receptions, 477 yards, 4 touchdowns).

For a while, Cutler's tendency to throw interceptions was blamed on Marshall's poor route running. Yet when you look at his numbers, each year gets worse than before, and in his first year without him turns it over 26 times. On the flip side, Marshall scores the most touchdowns with Orton in their first year together. Coincidentally, Orton had his best year with Marshall. Keep in mind, there was also a coaching change in Denver from 2008 to 2009. The one consistent performer in all of these years is Marshall. Cutler has a gun, but makes too many poor decisions, Orton is very similar to Jay Fiedler (who really gets the shaft down here), and we all know what that's like. Not to knock Jay, or Orton, they both were good generals on the field, and did the more with less when they had to.

The bottom line is that Marshall is a game breaker. He's impossible for a corner to tackle one on one, and would be a challenge for most safeties to handle. He brings an explosive element that we have not had since Marino and the Marks brothers. He immediately makes everyone around him better by default. Can you imagine sure handed Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo, and Brian Hartline free to roam the field while they focus on Marshall? Oh, and defenses stacking 8 in the box is a thing of the past, leaving more room for the NFL's 2nd ranked rushing offense to gain some momentum. We will now know for sure what we have with Chad Henne as well. This has the potential to be an exciting offense.

It appears he's gonna be fun to hear from as well. Here's a clip of his press conference.




I'm not making any predictions, but this is gonna be fun.