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Media Conference Call Transcript: WR Brandon Marshall

Eric from BBI : Admin : 3/8/2017 5:55 pm
WR Brandon Marshall

March 8, 2017

Q: Brandon, what factors went into this choice? Was it that the Giants offered you the most money, New York a factor, or the record a factor? What brought you to the Giants?

A: Hey guys, can we do this, because I want to get to know you guys. Can you just introduce yourself before you ask me a question so I can start that process? To answer your question, no they definitely did not offer me the most money. It probably was the least amount of money. It was all about championships. To get straight to the point - it was all about a championship, they presented the best opportunity to be in a championship organization.

Q: What is it that you feel you can bring to the organization, or to the receivers room, that might have been missing before?

A: I just think that there is a lot of opportunity on the other side of Odell [Beckham Jr.], our young guy [Sterling] Shepard being in the slot, and also playing on the outside, and obviously every team tries to take out Odell. Just to help out the offense, the quarterback, to be able to keep defensive coordinators and the opposing defense honest. I think there is a lot of opportunity to definitely produce, given that Odell is on the other side, and I think that in our room, I have a wealth of experience to embed and I think that our young guys can pull through that organically. I don’t think it’s something that needs to be forced, or planned, but those guys when they need to, they’ll pull from me in an organic way.

Q: This also seems like a good fit for your life, your work in the media and doing “Inside the NFL”. Are you going to continue doing that? Are the Giants going to work with you on that Tuesday schedule there? How much was that a part of the decision?

A: Being on “Inside the NFL” was a great opportunity, I learned a lot, I grew a lot, and it’s definitely something that I want to do when I’m done playing ball. I still need to talk to Stephen Espinoza and Pete Radovich over at “Inside the NFL” and Sean McManus about what we’re going to do moving forward. I will say that I will not be doing a lot of media and television moving forward. Out of respect for the guys who have given me an opportunity, I want to talk with them because everything happened so fast. Those guys have been planning for this situation for some months now, so they’re in a great position. That’s also a team; and I just want to make sure our transition, whatever way we go, is good for them as well. But to answer your question, it will be really limited.

Q: You mentioned how things came together fast. Can you take us through the last week, when the Giants came on the radar, how those conversations went, and what led us to this point?

A: Yeah, everything happened really fast. I was obviously released from the Jets, I have never really been in free agency before, never ever been a free agent. No one told me that I was supposed to carry my phone, so on Sunday, I got a text from [Giants Senior VP and General Manager] Jerry Reese and I literally went the entire day not seeing his text and didn’t respond. There were other coaches and teams calling me and I woke up and went to church, went out to brunch with my family, jumped in the pool with my kids, and my agent was blowing up my phone like, ‘Dude where are you?’. Sunday was probably my first interaction with the Giants and I was extremely excited and happy that this was a possibility. From there, it was just a matter of when I could get in the building and once we had those conversations, I met with so many people in the building from ownership down to the janitors, and they just wanted to make sure that this was a great fit and it was. From there it was all about my agent, Jerry and [Giants Assistant General Manager] Kevin [Abrams] putting a contract together. That was the process, it moved pretty fast, and I’m happy that we got it done.

Q: Have you had a chance to talk to Eli [Manning] yet?

A: Yes, Eli was one of the first to hit me up. Not only was it Eli, but so many guys reached out to me, players. Eli is already on me about getting together in the beginning of April with a few of the other guys. We’re already planning and working on the schedule to get to work.

Q: From afar what has been your impression, we know you haven’t played with, perhaps a quarterback of that caliber in the past, what has been your impression? What is your level of excitement? Maybe catching that back shoulder fade or what Eli’s skills are?

A: I think one of the things that people outside the building, including myself, really don’t know is how hard he works in the classroom and his capacity in between his ears. That’s something I found out the last couple of days in getting to know the building, getting to know him and the people. He’s one of the best when it comes to preparation and understanding the game plan and understanding what the opposing team is going to throw at us. That’s the thing that I’m most excited about it, because that’s where you win games. Obviously, there’s a physical part to it; but the teams that really separate themselves are the teams that win before they even play the game. I can’t wait to just follow him and get to learn from him and get this job done.

Q: What’s your relationship like with Odell and how do you expect that to go? Have you had a chance to speak with yet?

A: I have had a great relationship with Odell for the past two years. Two years ago, we started building a relationship. I just love the guy to death. He’s the biggest star in the NFL, between Antonio Brown and Julio Jones, it’s a toss-up of who is the best receiver in the league and I’m excited about that. I love his passion, I love his approach to the game, and I’m just happy I can be on the other side of him to pull coverage and make his job easier. Like I said earlier, the type of guy Odell is, he’s a sponge, and he really wants to learn from different people and pull from different people. I’m sure that he’s going to use me when he needs to, and he’s going to pull from my experiences, both good and bad, and I’m excited to see him take it to another level. This kid isn’t even in his prime yet and he’s a monster. I can’t wait to be a part of this journey, this maturation process that he’s on.

Q: How did you get to know Odell?

A: It just happened really organically. It was just being in some of the same circles and having the opportunity to talk to him and again, like I said, the guy is a sponge. One of the first interactions I had with him was just him talking about football and the business of the NFL and really asking questions and trying to pull anything he can out of me, and from there we just stayed in contact. So even last year, being able to be a sounding board for him, and talk to him about some of the great things that he has experienced, and some of the challenging things that he went through last year. I was just happy to be there for him and I know that on the other end too, I am going to learn from this guy. This guy does things that no one else does and he approaches the game in his own way, and I am sure that there is going to be a lot that I learn from him and also some of the other receivers in our room too.

Q: There was a report out there that the Jets offered you a contract extension, but you wanted to test free agency instead. How difficult was that for you to turn that down?

A: It was extremely hard because we went into last year with high expectations and really believing that that was our moment and the wheels fell off, so it was disappointing for us to not get the job done. It was also disappointing because just like the Giants, that is an amazing organization and some amazing people. From [Director, Player Personnel Brian Heimerdinger] and (General Manager Mike McCagnan) and (Head Coach Todd Bowles) and (Head Athletic Trainer John Mellody) and [Bobby] and there are so many great people there and that is the thing that you miss, it is those relationships and Quincy and Robbie and Jalin, leaving that room behind -- that is a special room, a young, talented group and that is hard. Then you have some of the veterans. David Harris is still there and then you feel bad because it takes a strong veteran leadership group to keep things together and get things back on track, so it is like you are leaving those guys to fend for themselves, and that was the hard part. We all understand that this is a business and everything changes day to day in this business, so I know that they will turn it around and get things back on track because they have great leadership with some of the guys that I mentioned.

Q: We noticed that you changed your Twitter profile picture to a Super Bowl Trophy. Do you view this move as a ‘Super Bowl win or bust’ move?

A: It is all a process. We all have goals and that is what all players and coaches are trying to achieve every single year. I do want to accomplish that, we all do, but it is extremely hard. Just look at my journey. I have been in the league going on 12 years and I have never made the playoffs. That tells you how hard it is, and I have been with some great organizations and played with some great players. The Chicago Bears is a first class organization, Denver Broncos, I mean, think about that. Never making the playoffs is extremely hard, but I am dedicated to the process and the best way I can describe the way I approach it is being able to have a real shot at it and that is what I think I have here. So now, I think I can take that trophy down and maybe put up another picture up of the cold tub and the weight room and the classroom and so on and so forth because that is the process, and once you master that, then you will have the chance to get that. A funny story about that is that literally, when I got released, I went online and said, 'Okay, what is this process about for me? It is about a championship.' The best way to illustrate that and to remind myself of that, no matter how much money or the different situations thrown at me, it comes down to this. I just went to google and put in the Lombardi Trophy and thousands of pictures popped up and I literally just saw the trophy in an arm and said, 'Okay, this is the one that I want to put up.' Then like three days ago, one of the bloggers or the networks ended up searching and they found the full picture and it was a picture of a New York Giants player holding it up and I had no clue that that was what it was. So my agent is calling me saying, 'Brandon, what are you doing? We are supposed to be in stealth mode right now and you are posting this. This is not good.' I was like, 'Honestly, I had no clue, all I saw was an arm, but this is God because this is exactly where I want to be.' Then I pulled up the picture and the guy is a receiver and he is wearing number 15, so I had no clue that that picture was a Giants player, but that was pretty cool, so there you go.

Q: The Giants need a tight end. You and Martellus Bennett share an agent. Are you going to be doing any recruiting?

A: Well, I have been so focused on my process that I really haven't had an opportunity to recruit anyone. Obviously, I have been (inaudible) with the Jets and we were able to get something going. But, I think that Jerry Reese and the team have done a great job, so I don't think they will need me to do the recruiting. I don't know who they are going to go after.
Just  
BurlyMan : 3/8/2017 7:07 pm : link
incredible.
.  
arcarsenal : 3/8/2017 7:11 pm : link
How can you not love everything this guy is saying.

Awesome.
So excited about this signing.  
RDJR : 3/8/2017 7:24 pm : link
Welcome Brandon!
it  
antdog24 : 3/8/2017 7:25 pm : link
moved.
so excited  
Steve in South Jersey : 3/8/2017 7:30 pm : link
for what he brings to the team on an off the field. He has done great things outside of football. He is someone to make us all proud to have on the team.

He  
AcidTest : 3/8/2017 9:35 pm : link
took less money than any other team was offering to stay in NY, and have a chance to win a championship. The Jets may go back to Geno Smith. That's enough to scare Superman away.
He's a bright guy  
Joey in VA : 3/8/2017 10:04 pm : link
To see where he came from after his weirdness a few years ago is pretty cool. He owned what was going on and got help and it's really really clear how much of a better place he's in. He's been good on inside the NFL and as odd as it would have been to say a few years ago, I really respect and admire the guy for what he went through and how he conducts himself now. Very impressive.
RE: He's a bright guy  
Go Terps : 3/8/2017 10:22 pm : link
In comment 13384512 Joey in VA said:
Quote:
To see where he came from after his weirdness a few years ago is pretty cool. He owned what was going on and got help and it's really really clear how much of a better place he's in. He's been good on inside the NFL and as odd as it would have been to say a few years ago, I really respect and admire the guy for what he went through and how he conducts himself now. Very impressive.


Check out his interview with Peter King. Great insight on his condition, how he copies, etc.
My one concern is  
LCtheINTMachine : 3/9/2017 11:30 am : link
never being on a playoff team in a career that long.

Is it bad luck? Bad QBs? Something else.

Making the playoffs next season is no gimme. We gotta get to 10 wins again and give ourselves a chance.
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