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Why Jets' Brandon Marshall wants to get away from football more than usual this offseason
Print Email Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on January 11, 2016 at 11:45 AM, updated January 11, 2016 at 12:20 PM
Exactly one week has passed since the Jets gathered their belongings in their Florham Park locker room and packed up for the offseason.
A 10-6 record in coach Todd Bowles' first season wasn't enough to get the Jets into the playoffs. And perhaps that reality stung even more Saturday night, when the Jets watched the Bengals melt down against the Steelers.
PLUS: How Jets' Buster Skrine prepared for free agency riches by interning on Wall Street
Had the Jets won in Buffalo on Jan. 3, they would've played the Bengals, and the Steelers would've sat home.
Instead, as the NFL playoffs move on without the Jets, their players are progressing into their offseason recuperation and training routines. For star wide receiver Brandon Marshall, that means getting away from football, to regroup.
Marshall, who turns 32 in March, just finished his 10th NFL season. He is wary of diving too quickly into a grinding offseason workout regimen, lest he burn out.
"For the last couple years, I felt like I needed some time to rejuvenate a little bit," said Marshall, who was traded from the Bears to the Jets after last season. "I'm going to take as much time as I need to. I've been in the league for 10 years, and I kind of need some time to just rejuvenate, so I can be available mentally for the long haul next year. It's such a long season.
"I can be here [every offseason day at the Jets' facility], but I don't want to burn out. So I'm going to take as much time as I need to this offseason and prepare and rejuvenate, so I'm there for our team come Week 16 and in the playoffs and Super Bowl next year. Because right now, I'm kind of a little burned out."
The season continues for these guys.
Marshall said he has "never" taken an extended offseason break like this.
"I've never done it in the past," he said. "I've spoken to a few people here and they understand. They get it. Things can change, but at this moment, that's how I feel. I felt that way for the last couple years. But I've always been in unique situations, whether it's new coaches, new general managers, where you have to be around."
Marshall called the NFL "the most manic-depressive environment to play in." While he wants to play for a long time still, he needs to manage his body and mind.
"Physically, I feel like I can play forever," he said. "Mentally, with so much failure, you try to keep picking yourself up, and sometimes it's harder than others. But you have to do it. So I'm going to take as much time as I need to pick myself up, and get back healthy mentally.
"I've always felt like I can play, with modern medicine and the things that we have access to, 20 years. Because my game has never been built on speed. It's always been built on my knowledge of the game and my natural gift, and that's my size. It comes down to how much passion I have left in the tank."
And how much does he have left?
"I'll be able to answer that when I get back here," he said.
Marshall just finished maybe his best NFL season. His 1,502 receiving yards were six shy of his career high. His 109 catches were nine off his career best. And his 14 touchdown catches eclipsed his previous high by two.
"I think that we have something special here, and I thought that we had the formula to make a run at it," Marshall said of the playoffs, echoing what cornerback Darrelle Revis said near the end of the season. "We have the nucleus, the core to build something great. Who would've thought coming in that we would be a top 10 offense? That was surprising to a lot of us in this locker room and in this building. We'll see how next year goes."
Largely because of Marshall, the Jets finished this season 10th in yards, 11th in points, third in red zone offense, and 14th in Football Outsiders' offensive DVOA.
Print Email Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on January 11, 2016 at 11:45 AM, updated January 11, 2016 at 12:20 PM
Exactly one week has passed since the Jets gathered their belongings in their Florham Park locker room and packed up for the offseason.
A 10-6 record in coach Todd Bowles' first season wasn't enough to get the Jets into the playoffs. And perhaps that reality stung even more Saturday night, when the Jets watched the Bengals melt down against the Steelers.
PLUS: How Jets' Buster Skrine prepared for free agency riches by interning on Wall Street
Had the Jets won in Buffalo on Jan. 3, they would've played the Bengals, and the Steelers would've sat home.
Instead, as the NFL playoffs move on without the Jets, their players are progressing into their offseason recuperation and training routines. For star wide receiver Brandon Marshall, that means getting away from football, to regroup.
Marshall, who turns 32 in March, just finished his 10th NFL season. He is wary of diving too quickly into a grinding offseason workout regimen, lest he burn out.
"For the last couple years, I felt like I needed some time to rejuvenate a little bit," said Marshall, who was traded from the Bears to the Jets after last season. "I'm going to take as much time as I need to. I've been in the league for 10 years, and I kind of need some time to just rejuvenate, so I can be available mentally for the long haul next year. It's such a long season.
"I can be here [every offseason day at the Jets' facility], but I don't want to burn out. So I'm going to take as much time as I need to this offseason and prepare and rejuvenate, so I'm there for our team come Week 16 and in the playoffs and Super Bowl next year. Because right now, I'm kind of a little burned out."
The season continues for these guys.
Marshall said he has "never" taken an extended offseason break like this.
"I've never done it in the past," he said. "I've spoken to a few people here and they understand. They get it. Things can change, but at this moment, that's how I feel. I felt that way for the last couple years. But I've always been in unique situations, whether it's new coaches, new general managers, where you have to be around."
Marshall called the NFL "the most manic-depressive environment to play in." While he wants to play for a long time still, he needs to manage his body and mind.
"Physically, I feel like I can play forever," he said. "Mentally, with so much failure, you try to keep picking yourself up, and sometimes it's harder than others. But you have to do it. So I'm going to take as much time as I need to pick myself up, and get back healthy mentally.
"I've always felt like I can play, with modern medicine and the things that we have access to, 20 years. Because my game has never been built on speed. It's always been built on my knowledge of the game and my natural gift, and that's my size. It comes down to how much passion I have left in the tank."
And how much does he have left?
"I'll be able to answer that when I get back here," he said.
Marshall just finished maybe his best NFL season. His 1,502 receiving yards were six shy of his career high. His 109 catches were nine off his career best. And his 14 touchdown catches eclipsed his previous high by two.
"I think that we have something special here, and I thought that we had the formula to make a run at it," Marshall said of the playoffs, echoing what cornerback Darrelle Revis said near the end of the season. "We have the nucleus, the core to build something great. Who would've thought coming in that we would be a top 10 offense? That was surprising to a lot of us in this locker room and in this building. We'll see how next year goes."
Largely because of Marshall, the Jets finished this season 10th in yards, 11th in points, third in red zone offense, and 14th in Football Outsiders' offensive DVOA.
