There may or may not be more to the Brandon Marshall situation in Chicago. Marshall underwent arthroscopic hip surgery this winter, the third procedure performed on his hip. And it appears Brandon Marshall is not happy with way the Bears have handled his injured hip. He took a leave of absence until Sunday.
We’re told this four day leave of absence was planned beforehand.
Marshall told reporters on Tuesday he’s not as far along as he’d hoped he would be in his rehab.
“So yeah, I’m not where I want to be right now. It’s a little frustrating. Some people might think I need to be farther on than where I am, so it’s a little frustrating not being where I want to be right now and maybe being pushed a little bit,” Brandon Marshall was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The reason for Marshall’s leave? “personal reasons.”
You may remember the “personal reasons” catch-phrase with the Bears. When Brian Urlacher left training camp to have another treatment on his knee last summer, we got the “personal reasons” excuse.
ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden was asked his opinion on what’s going on with the Bears and Marshall. Chucky was asked how will the Bears do with Marc Trestman now at the helm, and if he had any concerns about the developing Brandon Marshall situation. Then the reporter followed up by simply saying what’s going on with him? (Brandon Marshall)
Gruden’s response:
“I have a lot of confidence that Marc Trestman will do an excellent job because I have worked with him in the past and I know how meticulous he is. Very impressed with (Jon) Bostic, the young linebacker they drafted out of Florida. I was always wondering who would replace the great Brian Urlacher, but it looks like they have some options with DJ Williams and Bostic.
“Mark Trestman will do an excellent job with Jay Cutler, and they desperately need Brandon Marshall to not only play but be healthy when he plays because he’s the most targeted wide receiver, I think, in football, and he’s Jay Cutler’s favorite go-to guy. That’ll be critical in how healthy he is. It’s going to have a lot to say with how good this offense is.”
Yes, Brandon Marshall was an overwhelming majority of the passing game last year; and extremely crucial in this offense.
If B Marsh comes back to have another 1,000 yard season, he’ll only the third WR in Bears history to put up a grand in back-to-back seasons (Curtis Conway and Marty Booker).
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An analyst for 95.7 The Fan, he also writes on Chicago sports media for Chicago Now. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)