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Trip a 'blessing,' but Marshall plan foiled for Broncos' Pro Bowl receiver
Published February 8, 2009 at 9:15 p.m.
Photo by Marco Garcia © AP
AFC wide receiver Brandon Marshall, of the Denver Broncos, drops a pass in the end zone while being covered by NFC cornerback Al Harris, of the Green Bay Packers, during the second quarter of the Pro Bowl on Sunday in Honolulu.
Turns out the only celebrating Brandon Marshall did in Hawaii surrounded his recent engagement.
The Broncos receiver, who at the Super Bowl promised theatrics should he score Sunday in the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, never did get the necessary six points needed to unleash his promised "big prop."
But it wasn't for a lack of trying.
Marshall had five catches for 44 yards in the AFC's 30-21 loss in the NFL's annual all-star game but he was targeted 12 times in total, including four times in the end zone.
On one of his best scoring opportunities, Marshall dropped a fourth-down slant pass from the 1-yard line in the second quarter. He caught a 5-yard fade pass from Broncos teammate Jay Cutler in the fourth quarter but couldn't get both feet inbounds.
And it was another receiver stealing the show - again.
Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald scored twice, from 46 and 2 yards, to secure the game's Most Valuable Player award and cap a huge postseason run.
"Seriously, man, even though we're out here to have fun, I was kind of disappointed in a couple drops," Marshall said by phone after the game. "But I haven't been doing too much to actually come in and be at my best."
Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning looked Marshall's way three times on the AFC's opening drive and eight times overall in the first half. Marshall caught a 20-yard screen pass on his team's first offensive play, then added an 8-yard curl and a 7-yard gain on a quick out on a late-second-quarter drive.
"Actually in practice, he wasn't throwing me the ball, so I was kind of nervous," Marshall said of Manning. "But when we got in the game, he was tossing it all over the place."
Manning made 12-of-17 passes. All five incompletions were intended for Marshall. Two of those passes came after the AFC moved to first-and-goal at the 3.
The first time, Green Bay cornerback Al Harris deftly anticipated an end-zone fade by jumping outside and cutting off Marshall's path. Then on fourth-and- goal at the 1, Harris guessed wrong, jumping outside again, and Marshall had a clear path on a quick slant inside.
The ball deflected off Marshall's hands and, with Harris on his back, he couldn't gather in the carom.
Things were less hectic for Marshall in the second half but no less eventful. He fumbled the exchange on an end around, then couldn't jam his second foot down on the play preceding Le'Ron McClain's go-ahead scoring run that then was answered by 13 straight NFC points.
But Marshall overall was awestruck by the experience. Aside from his engagement in paradise, he was able to rub elbows with NFL royalty and watch how they carry themselves on and off the field.
"The game, just the whole trip was a blessing," said Marshall, who'll now return to Orlando, Fla., to begin training for next season. "To not just be out here and play but to relax and be with the best around the league really shows you how fun it is to play football. We sometimes forget, but this is what it's all about, opportunities like this."
Cutler had chances to play hero in his one quarter of play.
He deferred to veteran Kerry Collins in the AFC's quarterback rotation, meaning he wouldn't enter until the final 15 minutes.
At the time, the AFC trailed by three points. And on his initial series, Cutler moved his team downfield 89 yards to McClain's go-ahead TD.
But after Fitzgerald's second touchdown gave the NFC the advantage again, two Cutler-led drives fizzled.
He was intercepted by Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers while Dallas' DeMarcus Ware grabbed his ankle and Minnesota's Jared Allen applied pressure in his face.
The AFC also went out on downs in the two-minute drill as the Giants' John Carney clinched the outcome with two field goals.
Cutler finished 7-for-15 for 48 yards while, according to NBC's telecast, struggling some to control his blood-sugar levels playing in 80-degree heat.
Marshall said it was special sharing Pro Bowl time with Cutler and, hopefully, is the beginning of many trips together to the game.
"It's just another step into a lot of things for us," he said. "And at the end of the day, we have to get back to Denver and start getting our team and organization going in the right direction."
Broncos center Casey Wiegmann entered the lineup on the final drive before halftime and played two more series before rotating with starting center Nick Mangold of the New York Jets in the second half.
Wiegmann played in four total series in his first Pro Bowl appearance after 13 pro seasons.
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