Brandon Marshall: 'I Don't Like The Green Bay Packers'
(CBS) The Green Bay Packers are one of only two teams this season that have been able to slow down Brandon Marshall.
Apparently, they also got under his skin.
"I don't like the Green Bay Packers," the Bears wide receiver said Wednesday. "I'm not going to use the word hate, but I really dislike the Green Bay Packers and their players."
Marshall, who was held to just two catches for 24 yards Sept. 13 in Green Bay, isn't happy with the way some of the Packers' defensive backs talked after their 23-10 win over the Bears. The Packers used a zone-based two-man scheme for most of the game, yet Marshall thinks the players took the credit as if they stopped him one-on-one.
"I invite double and triple coverage, I just don't like the talk afterwards of how great a job the players did when it's not man-to-man coverage," Marshall said.
The wide receiver specifically singled out two Packers players.
"I heard exactly what, what's the corner? Tramon? I heard exactly what he was saying after the game," Marshall said. "Woodson, those guys, they do a lot of talking, so this is personal for me."
Marshall expressed excitement about Woodson returning from a collarbone injury, but Packers head coach Mike McCarthy later announced the safety won't play Sunday. But no matter who's playing for the Packers, Marshall doesn't want to hear them taking credit for stopping him when they were constantly helping each other out.
"(Defensive coordinator Dom) Capers is their player MVP," Marshall said. "For their players to be over there talking about how awesome of a job they do shutting down certain players, I don't respect that when two and three guys on you are (also) on other guys. Coach Capers did an amazing job of game-planning us and game-planning me. I didn't beat double and triple coverage or whatever they were throwing at us. I take it as a slap in my face when guys talk about my lack of ability to do something against them when they have help all over the place."
Marshall has made it obvious that he prefers press coverage and he challenged the Packers to try to stop him one-on-one.
"Looking forward to one-on-one coverage. Hopefully, those guys in games like this may go to their coaches and say, 'Let me have him. I want Brandon Marshall. I want to stop Brandon Marshall. Let me have him one on one, press coverage.' And let's see what happens,' Marshall said, adding: "I've never been shut out (in) one-on-one coverage in my life."
Of course that's a pretty big reason why the Packers won't deviate from their two-man scheme that stopped Marshall in September. The 49ers used a similar scheme Nov. 19 and also held Marshall to two catches. Since that game, however, Marshall has managed at least 10 catches in three straight contests.
The wide receiver called this week's game against the Packers "the biggest game of my career" and said he would "play like it's my last game."
"This is personal," Marshall said. "I respect the things they've accomplished. I respect where they're at. I'm always going to respect my opponent. But all that shaking hands stuff, it's not going to happen."
Well, Sunday should be fun.
