LESSONS LEARNED
Marshall manages to find growth despite his on-field struggles
Brandon Marshall knows what story the numbers tell.
The Jets wide receiver is having a terrible year by his statistical standards. In the team’s first 10 games, he has just 43 catches for 601 yards and two touchdowns. By comparison, he had 62 catches for 800 yards and seven touchdowns through 10 games in 2015.
The 32-year-old Marshall is on pace for one of the least productive seasons of his 11-year career, but in his eyes this is not a lost season.
“From a production standpoint, [my] worst season ever and it hurts,” Marshall told The Post on Tuesday. “But from a maturity and growth standpoint, best season I’ve ever had.”
This 3-7 Jets season has been difficult on Marshall. He came into the year with high expectations after the team finished 10-6 and barely missed the playoffs last year. Marshall campaigned for the team to re-sign quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, thinking they would each reach the playoffs for the first time in their careers this season. Instead, Fitzpatrick has thrown an NFL-leading 13 interceptions, the team is going to miss the playoffs again and his receiving partner Eric Decker was lost for the season after three games.
But Marshall has not had any outbursts with the media or pointed fingers publicly. There was a lockerroom argument with Sheldon Richardson in Kansas City and a heated sideline exchange with Fitzpatrick in Miami, but nothing too serious. That goes against the reputation he developed in Denver, Miami and Chicago.
“We always hear that football teaches you life lessons,” Marshall said. “It matures you. It teaches you teamwork. It teaches you persever- ance. It teaches you how to deal with adversity. To be quite honest, I’ve never mastered the adversity part. There’s a few things I would love to have back. I wasn’t perfect this year. I grew so much in all this adversity. That was one of the things I’ve tried to master in the past six years and I’ve never conquered it. ... This year, I’m really proud of myself how I’ve grown in that area.”
Marshall said he has learned how to deal with people better. A big believer in positive thinking, Marshall has a shelf full of motivational books in his locker.
“My intentions have always been good from Day 1,” he said. “As you get older and you get wiser, you learn how to deal with things differently. For me, the way I’ve always dealt with things is always imposing my will. When you impose your will in certain situations, in certain environments, you can hurt relationships. This is a business where we talk about holding each other accountable. We talk about leading the way. In some environments, you have to be careful how you do that. I’m learning how to navigate myself through that much better.”
Marshall also has had to navigate through the negativity of this season. He has played 162 regular-season games without appearing in the playoffs, the most of any active NFL player. That streak looks like it will stretch into 2017. His production on the field has dipped. He is on pace to finish with 69 catches for 962 yards and three touchdowns, all which would be among his worst seasons.
There are some clear reasons for his struggles, but Marshall does not delve deep into them because he does not want to sound like he is making excuses. Poor quarterback play has hurt, but he has defended Fitzpatrick. A vicious tackle in Buffalo left him with a foot injury that has kept him in the trainer’s room all season, though Marshall says he is healthy. The biggest reason has been Decker’s absence allowing teams to roll coverage his way, but Marshall won’t take that out.
“I can’t use that as an excuse,” he said. “I’ve had seasons where I’ve had great receivers on the other side — Alshon Jeffrey, Eddie Royal — and I’ve had seasons where it’s just me. Every year is different. I know I feel good. I know I still can do it. The way I look at it is every year is totally different, man. You just have to roll with the punches. As far as production goes, there’s still six games left.”