After Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints, Brandon Marshall was not too happy with his quarterback or the Chicago Bears' offensive plan. The wide receiver complained about the lack of passes being thrown his way, not understanding the thought process of Jay Cutler. While many speculated there was brewing tension between the two, Cutler is downplaying the drama.
Marshall spoke up to the media after he recorded just four passes for 30 yards on Sunday. The receiver made sure everyone knew that he was All-Pro and can be a game changer. In the first two games of the season, he put up back-to-back 100 yard receiving games, but since then he has taken a backseat to Alshon Jeffery and company.
Cutler spoke with Marshall after the comments, attempting to get on the same page as his No. 1 wide receiver. He notes that Marshall is frustrated with the offense, as is he. However, he believes things will start to change and Marshall just needs to be patient.
"I talked to him today, and he's in a great place," Cutler said, via ESPN 1000's "Jay Cutler Show." "I'm excited for [Marshall] and what the future holds for him. He is frustrated. ... I'm frustrated. ... I think everyone is frustrated when you lose two games in a row like that. That being said, I've known him for a long time and know what kind of ultra-competitor that he is, and when you lose a game, any competitor will think, 'Hey, what if I'd done more and what if I had more touches? Could I have impacted the game more than I already did?' I just think he's kind of feeling that."
Marshall has spent most of the season getting double coverage from opponents, allowing Jeffery to become the star of the receiving corps. The second-year pro put up a franchise-high 10 catches on Sunday for 218 yards and one touchdown. The Bears have an important home game on Thursday night against the New York Giants and Cutler stressed that both Marshall and Jeffery need to be on the same page.
"I think a lot of this has gotten blown out of proportion a bit," Cutler said. "He's been working with us really well throughout the weeks, and whether he catches 14 balls or four balls, we expect Brandon to come to work and be our trigger man and lead that group of receivers. He's been All-Pro. ... He's been to Pro Bowls. ... He's caught balls. ... He's done everything under the sun. He wants to go to the playoffs. The only way for that to happen and for us to get to where we want to go is for Alshon, Earl [Bennett], Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett to help us get there."
Marshall said Jeffery's standout game was the only positive thing about the loss to the Saints. The receiver will likely face double-coverage for the remainder of the year. The Bears success is pending on how he handles it.