Brandon Marshall has truly become the face of the Bears franchise. Now he will get even more promotion this Friday when he is the subject of NFL Network’s “A Football Life.”
Here’s a scene:
BONUS SCENE – Brandon Marshall: A FOOBALL LIFE https://t.co/yZJ97PaheT @furmbiz @chicagobears @bmarshall @nflnetwork
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) September 16, 2014
Brandon Marshall: A Football Life premieres Friday, September 19 at 9:00 PM ET
Here’s a quote:
“I say football is my platform, not my purpose. How can I use my platform to fulfill my purpose? I want people to say that he fulfilled his purpose.” – Brandon Marshall
Among the topics discussed in the documentary are:
His relationship with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler in Chicago and Denver
His off-field issues in Denver and Miami
His time at McLean Hospital in May of 2011, being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and the work he is doing in the mental health field
Brandon Marshall: A Football Life includes interviews with the following people and more:
Brandon Marshall
Michi Nogami-Marshall – Brandon’s wife
Diane Marshall – Brandon’s mother
Jay Cutler – Bears & Broncos teammate
Matt Forte – Bears teammate
Martellus Bennett – Bears teammate
Mike Shanahan – Former Broncos head coach
Tony Sparano – Former Dolphins head coach
Ricky Williams – Dolphins teammate
Davone Bess – Dolphins teammate
Dr. John Gunderson – Professor of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital
Like I said, Brandon Marshall is high profile. He’s everywhere.
Only a select handful of NFL players are chosen for the Sunday Night Football opening sequence on NBC . Likewise for the ESPN Monday Night Football promo. Marshall made the cut for both. Obviously, he’s the only member of the Chicago Bears featured in these promos. He’s also made history as the first ever active NFL player to serve as a studio analyst for a network during the season. Marshall appearson Showtime’s Inside the NFL with Greg Gumbel, Ed Reed, Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms.
The NFL needs the Chicago Bears to be a big brand, and in order to market the team, you need a star. Since Brian Urlacher retired, the team has lacked that personality. Quarterback Jay Cutler should be the face of the franchise, especially so given that he’s the highest paid player in football this year. However, his on the field performances and his personality (best summated by London Fletcher here) disqualifies him from becoming that.
He does not have a lot of charisma; especially when compared to Brandon Marshall.
And B Marsh complements his charisma by getting it done on the field as well.
ESPN Monday Night Football Commentator Jon Gruden was on media conference call recently, and I asked him if the Bears have the best group of wide receivers in the NFL.
“Yes, I think they do. Arguably, you could make that case in a couple of other places. But Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall from a size standpoint, from an acrobatic standpoint, and from a route free standpoint, they are top flight receivers, said Gruden.”
To view the trailer for Brandon Marshall: A Football Life, visit:
https://on.nfl.com/1uPaWOJ
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partners with Fox Sports and Yahoo. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN2