Chicago Bears: Brandon Marshall’s Hall of Fame candidacy shouldn’t be a debate
Former Chicago Bears receiver Brandon Marshall won’t be Hall of Fame eligible until 2023. However, when his name is considered, here is why there shouldn’t be much to debate.
For certain players, no matter how long their NFL careers last, one or two plays or sequences come to define their entire career. Jay Cutler, for example, comes to mind. It serves as a depressing irony that both the first and last games of his Chicago Bears career ended with game-deciding interceptions. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire. As it relates to Brandon Marshall, there’s one play that encapsulates his career in the orange-and-blue above all else.
The Bears are down 14-7 against the Vikings and are facing a big 3rd-and-2 from their 39-yard-line in the third quarter. Marshall already has 133 of his 1,502 yards on the season, and Chicago needs him to find another level.
Marshall sneaks into the soft spot in Minnesota’s zone, ready to use his 6-foot-5 frame and 33-inch wingspan to corral in his sixth catch of the day…
Interception. Overthrown ball. Harrison Smith to the house for a score.
And such was the theme. No matter how hard Brandon Marshall appeared to work, circumstances outside of his control seemed to play into his demise.
Football Reference averages out how the average Hall of Fame wide receiver’s numbers shake out by their career’s end. Consider this:
Average Hall of Fame WR (per Football Reference):
— 769 receptions
— 11,791 yards
— 92 TDs
— 6 Pro Bowl appearances
— 2 All-Pro selections
Brandon Marshall:
— 970 receptions (+201 vs. average)
— 12,351 yards (+560)
— 83 TDs (-9)
— 6 Pro Bowl appearances (0)
— 1 All-Pro selection (-1)
So you be the judge.
And where there were Joe Montana and Jerry Rice or Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, —Marshall caught passes from 15 different quarterbacks during his prime, none of which bound for the Hall of Fame. But that shouldn’t stop Marshall from receiving his bust in Canton someday, and here are three reasons why that should be the case.