The first-year Denver coach dealt with Brandon Marshall the same way Bill Belichick might have, by suspending him indefinitely for insubordination.
During the portion of Thursday's practice that was open to the media, the discontented receiver was seen walking while the rest of the team ran, punting the ball instead of handing it to the ball boy and swatting away a pass that was thrown at him.
Marshall insists that his antics weren't intended to force a trade, but now, that doesn't matter. He won't be playing, at least for the rest of the preseason. McDaniels and the Broncos are expected to reassess the situation on Sept. 5.
During an interview with ESPN on Thursday night, Marshall said some of the practice footage was manipulated to make him look bad, but he did admit that his frustration led him to act inappropriately.
"I think everybody knows there's a lot of stuff built up there," he said, "and me handling it that way wasn't good. I'm not trying to be a distraction to the team. Unfortunately, [on Thursday] I kind of let my frustration get the best of me."
The 25-year-old has been anything but easy to work with this year: He did not play in Sunday's game against the Seahawks because he didn't know the playbook. He missed Denver's first game because he was on trial for a misdemeanor battery charge, of which he was acquitted. He asked for a trade earlier this year and has not been accommodated thus far.
Maybe this is the kick he needs to get himself back on track.
