Former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall only played in five games for the New York Giants in 2017, but still doesn’t feel they were well-run.
Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall had a number of stops in the NFL, including ones with either local franchise. His two-year tenure with the New York Jets included his final Pro Bowl nod in 2015.
Marshall’s lone campaign with the New York Giants in 2017 wasn’t exactly the same story though, as he played in just five games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. The team then released him prior to the 2018 campaign.
But despite only spending a short time in the Giants facilities, Marshall got a good glimpse into how the organization is run. And according to the man itself, it wasn’t exactly a well-oiled machine.
“I did not [think the Giants were well-run],” Marshall told Colin Cowherd of The Herd on Fox Sports 1. “I think they’re great people, I think they’re a great organization, but I don’t think they’re disruptive enough. There are a few organizations like the Chicago Bears, the Giants, even the Pittsburgh Steelers, where it’s all about history. It’s about ‘who we were.’
“Now, the Pittsburgh Steelers are great because they win. They’re rich in tradition, they’re super successful with what they do, they don’t have a lot of turnaround, they have great leadership. But when you’re not winning — the Chicago Bears, the New York Giants — you have to change things. You have to be able to shift a little bit…they don’t want to change certain things, they want a certain guy, and I think that puts them in a box.”
Looking at how Big Blue has finished in recent years, it’s tough to really argue Marshall’s points. Some believe the Giants aren’t adapting to the modern-day NFL and it’s cost them. New York only won 12 games from 2017-19.
It’s changed a tad bit this offseason though, with the team hiring a young head coach in Joe Judge and undergoing a relatively strong 2020 NFL Draft. But off-field moves are rendered obsolete if games aren’t won, so we’ll see what happens this upcoming season.
In those five games with the Giants, Marshall caught just 18 balls for 154 yards and no touchdowns.
