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"DAVIE, Fla. -- Two weeks ago, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall stood in front of his locker, surrounded by reporters and television cameras, and popped off about the NFL Network's criticism of his play in Miami's 31-23 loss to the New York Jets.
He targeted most of his venom at former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, expressing his doubts as to whether or not Sharpe was truly an elite pass-catcher and worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.
"I've got to turn on the film and see what he was able to do," were Marshall's exact words on Sept. 30. "I know he's done some good things, but from my understanding he's not a Hall-of-Fame player"
Now that he has had some time to gain a little perspective and to learn more about Sharpe as a player, Marshall has decided to man up and update his thoughts on the career of the NFL Network analyst.
"Like I told Michael Irvin on his radio show, I hate to do this but I have to retract my statement," said Marshall, who has caught at least 100 passes in each of the last three seasons and is on pace to do it again this season. "Sterling Sharpe is a beast. He was pretty good in his day, and if he would have had the opportunity to stay healthy he'd be a Hall-of-Famer, no doubt about it. The other guys (Mike Mayock and Solomon Wilcots), I'm not sure."
Part of Marshall's change of heart might have had something to do with the fact he shared an NFL pregame set on CBS with Sharpe's younger brother, former Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe, last Sunday during Miami's bye week. He said the show went smoothly, and that he and Shannon didn't even talk about the incident, but Marshall remained wary all the way until he took off his lapel microphone and walked off the set.
"I was kind of nervous at first because Shannon, he's so big and in shape still, that I thought he was going to put me in a headlock in between segments," Marshall said.
Should Marshall be invited onto the NFL Network net anytime soon, it'll be interesting to see how he and Sterling Sharpe exchange pleasantries."
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