The Chicago Bears are coming off a frustrating loss to the New Orleans Saints where the offense only managed to put up 18 points in the game. There is plenty of blame to go around, but Brandon Marshall is tossing it all on the offense. The wide receiver constantly regards himself as one of the best in the game and when he was only targeted five times in the loss, he was unhappy. While maintaining faith in the coaching staff, Marshall believes quarterback Jay Cutler needs to look his way more.
"The frustration comes from when we're not winning and the offense isn't moving the ball. It has nothing to do [with] me. It's about I want to win," Marshall said, via ESPN.com. "I've got a nice contract. I've been to Pro Bowls. I've made All-Pro. I want to win. Sometimes, the formula may go to me. But sometimes, whatever is best for the team, that's what we need to do. So I'm always gonna be frustrated when our offense isn't No. 1 in the league. I'm always gonna be frustrated when we're losing. So yeah, I'm frustrated. We just lost two in a row."
Cutler threw 13 passes to Alshon Jeffery and six to Matt Forte. The four passes Marshall caught was one of his least productive games of the season. While Marshall notes that he need to do a better job of fighting off defenders and double coverage, he was upset about the game plan that took place. When reporters asked how he felt about Head Coach Marc Trestman's plan for him against New Orleans, he simply replied, "You've got to ask Coach Trestman that."
I've just got to hang my hat on [the idea] that we're doing what's best for the team. There's some times where I'm running some routes to pull the coverage," Marshall said.
While Marshall faced extra defenders most of the afternoon, Jeffery put up a franchise game. The young receiver caught 10 passes for a single-game record, putting up 218 yards in the loss. Marshall referred to Jeffery's performance as the only positive in the game.
"I've always said this guy could be the best to ever do it," Marshall said. "He's probably going to shatter all the Bears' records by the time he's done at the receiver position. That's one of the only positives from our offense today."
Marshall appeared to be used more as a decoy most of the game, allowing other receivers to get involved. He is unsure if that will work for the remainder of the season. While he has made suggestions for better ways to move the offense in the past, Marshall says now all he can do is trust Cutler and the coach.