This season has already seen one player call out his coach for a lack of professional playing experience, with former Chiefs RB Larry Johnson slamming head coach Todd Haley after Kansas City’s crushing loss at home to San Diego in week seven.

Brandon Marshall took a page out of Johnson’s playbook today, referencing Denver head coach Josh McDaniels not having played in the NFL when discussing the Broncos’ strange decision to sit the star receiver headed into what should be their biggest game of the year.Marshall has had more than his share of trouble over the past year, with an arrest in the spring followed by a lengthy spat with McDaniels in training camp, but has put up huge numbers this season.

“Coach never played in the NFL. I’m going to handle this professionally.”

– Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall

Denver’s season is riding on their final game this weekend at home against division rival Kansas City, with a trip to the playoffs hinging on the Broncos winning and losses by Baltimore and New York. With that in mind, having their best offensive weapon on the bench instead of making plays on the field seems to be counter-intuitive in the sense that Denver should want their best players out their to guarantee a victory.

Marshall suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the week during practice, but was expected to play in spite of the pain. While it remains to be seen what the exact reason is for the Broncos holding Marshall out, it is likely that Denver pushed the receiver to play through the injury and Marshall disagreed, putting his career ahead of his team’s goals this season.

There is little denying Marshall’s ability on the field, and letting him leave via free agency or a trade would hurt Denver’s offense immensely. But this latest fight could set the stage for Marshall to depart the mile high city in the off-season, as the Broncos may decide to cash in and trade the talented receiver to another team for all important draft picks, instead of putting up with his antics any longer.

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