Marshall reflects fondly on his time with Bears
It’s no surprise that Seahawks receiver Brandon Marshall is juggling emotions as he returns to Chicago for the first time since the Bears traded him after three mostly turbulent seasons. A player whose game is fueled by passion, pride and sometimes anger is trying to make this just another road trip.
‘‘Chicago’s a great place,’’ Marshall told Seattle-area reporters. ‘‘Here [in Seattle], we talk a lot about [how] every game is just another game. That’s something I’ve bought into. In the past, I may have gone into a game like this and maybe have been a little more hyped. But it’s just another game.’’ For the most part, anyway. ‘‘I’ve still got friends on that team,’’ said Marshall, who played for the Bears in 2012-14. ‘‘Still have a lot of friends, and even our foundation is headquartered out of Chicago. So a lot of ties to Chicago. It was a dream job for me. It was sad to go, but now I’m here, and I’m going to take advantage of the opportunity.’’
In Marshall’s first season with the Bears, he set franchise records with 118 receptions and 1,508 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. The Bears went 10-6 but missed the playoffs.
Eager to prove himself after arriving in Chicago with a history of off-the-field legal issues, Marshall was on his best behavior in his only season playing for coach Lovie Smith and with linebacker Brian Urlacher in 2012.
‘‘Brian Urlacher was a guy that brought everyone together,’’ Marshall said. ‘‘Sometimes you go into a locker room and there are classes: guys that are paid a lot of money, Pro Bowl guys, scoutteam guys, guys that just got to the team. Brian and all those guys did a great job of making everyone feel welcome and like they’re just as important as the next guy. He’s a special guy.’’
Marshall always has had a tough time balancing his immense physical talent with his emotions and what it takes to be a good teammate and a winner. But he learned some valuable life lessons in Chicago.
‘‘When you’re winning, you can do certain things, say certain things,’’ Marshall said. ‘‘When you’re losing, sometimes you’ve got to chill out a little bit. I never did; I just stayed the same. So [there were] a lot of lessons I learned there.
‘‘As far as the teammate thing, guys are watching you every single day. How do you respond to when you’re injured? How do you respond to criticism? How do you respond to hard coaching? I had to figure it out because our locker room kind of fell apart [in 2014], deteriorated, and it started with us, the leaders.
“So I just sat back and reflected for those couple of months before I went to the Jets, wrote all that stuff down and tried to carry that stuff with me. Things that I will hold forever, and I use those things in my parenting now and with my foundation and business.’’