WR Brandon Marshall's injury scare against the Bills held him out of Monday's practice, but he didn't seem concerned.
"I feel pretty good," he said with a broad smile. "Anything better than having surgery is a blessing. I smile and I keep looking at that picture of the play and I'm so thankful to be able to still be in this locker room preparing with the guys. It's just a blessing. Going into year 11 I didn't want it to end that way so anything other than surgery is going to keep a smile on my face."
In the second quarter of Thursday's game, Marshall immediately grabbed his left knee after CB Stephon Gilmore tackled him in part by the facemask. Luckily, he returned the following drive and finished the day with 101 yards through the air. As far as his status for Sunday's game in Kansas City?
"Obviously that's Coach's decision and also the doctors," said Marshall, who said he didn't need an MRI. "I have to listen to them, but as far as me personally, I've always prided myself on being tough and being out there no matter what's going on. I'm going to try to be relentless in my rehab, in my prehab, especially with Quincy and Decker playing the way they're playing. If I take any time off I may not have a job."
The 6'4", 225-pounder was having a moment of déjà vu in the locker room following Monday's practice. In 2007, Marshall's second year as a pro, starting Broncos WR Rod Smith sustained an injury and Marshall was on deck. He stepped to the plate, cracked one over the fence and hasn't been on the bench since. While he is happy to see Eric Decker and Quincy Enunwa producing at their high levels, they're driving his motivation to get back on the field at full strength as soon as possible.
"I hear Quincy in the background saying, 'I'm taking your spot.' I hear Decker in the background saying, 'I'm the guy.' I can't take any time off especially with those guys playing lights out right now. I'm really like the third receiver when you look at their production and the way they're playing. It's awesome to see those guys playing at a high level. It feels good, comforting knowing that it's not all on me. I have to have guys around me."
