When a New York Jets quarterback walks up to the line of scrimmage to touch Nick Mangold‘s backside, Brandon Marshall is always on the brain.
Much has been made of the magical season Ryan Fitzpatrick experienced in 2015.FitzMagic – as the kids cleverly nicknamed him – threw for a single-season franchise record 31 touchdowns. He also threw for 3,905 yards on 335 completions, both of which rank second in team history (behind Joe Namath and Brett Favre respectively).
So yeah, FitzMagic’s epic 2015 is still the hot topic on everybody’s mind, especially due to the fact he’s still lingering out there in free agent land.
For how extraordinary Fitz played, though, there was one guy on the New York Jets offense who edged him out.
Brandon Marshall didn’t just prove he was still one of the better weapons in the league during his first season in Florham Park, NJ, he proved he was still dominant. B-Marsh’s 109 grabs for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns earned him his sixth NFL Pro Bowl nod and restored every Jets fan’s faith that dangerous weapons can flourish in New Jersey.
Even as he enters his second season with Gang Green at the ripe old age of 32, nobody expects anything less than dominance. What most don’t truly understand his how dominant Marshall is.
Even when he’s not credited with a reception or a target, Marshall affects the play to a degree that isn’t visible on the surface. Any football mind can see it and Fitzpatrick was amazingly fortunate to feel it in 2015.
First and foremost, football isn’t difficult. Football strategy comes down to simple arithmetic. Those who identify matchups and involve numbers allow their own potential to be reached that much easier.
From here on out we’ll break down just how valuable Brandon Marshall is in each New York Jets offensive situation: