The coaches excused his performance, blaming it on his shoulders — and not his ability. The excuse was valid: Lemar Marshall had undergone two shoulder surgeries in the offseason.
His performance suffered.
But the coaches publicly maintained their confidence.
Then they signed London Fletcher.
Now Marshall has gone from nice story the past three seasons to spare part. As of now, he’s out of a starting job, playing behind Rocky McIntosh on the outside, Fletcher in the middle and Marcus Washington on the strong side.
Marshall’s versatility has caused him to be a valuable backup rather than an adequate starter.
“He’s real important to us because he can play any of the three spots,” Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said. “He’s smart and highly competitive and he has a real place on the team. His versatility is what’s good for us.”
Marshall started on the weakside in 2004 when LaVar Arrington was sidelined with an injury. When Antonio Pierce left via free agency after that season, Marshall shifted to the middle. He responded with a decent season.
The coaches were pleased. But after last season, they turned their attention toward Fletcher. Whether or not Marshall was surprised, or bothered, by the move, he would not say.
“That’s one of those questions I’d rather not answer,” Marshall said. “The only way to answer that is truthfully.”
So he declined.
But scouts did like that the Redskins signed Fletcher, saying he was a good fit in the middle of their defense — if the tackles kept blockers off him. Fletcher is a natural middle linebacker and strong leader. Outsiders say the Redskins upgraded at the position.
And Marshall’s presence does give Washington versatility on the bench. Not to mention an insurance policy should Rocky McIntosh fail on the weakside.
“It’s one of those things where we’re just going to have to find out,” Marshall said. “I get reps at every position and that’s one of the things that’s a positive in my case. Wherever I’m needed, that’s where I’ll be.”
More importantly for Marshall is his health. He spent all of last offseason rehabbing his shoulders, which prevented him from weight training. That’s not the case this offseason.
And his shoulders bothered him greatly by season’s end.
“We didn’t have a lot of depth so I played through it,” he said. “I had my games where I was good and I had games where I wasn’t so good.
“[But] I’m comfortable at any position, as long as I’m healthy.”
Marshall Plan
» In 15 games last year, Marshall made 119 tackles, good for second on the team. But he wasn’t much of a playmaker: Marshall did not intercept a pass nor did he force a fumble. However, in 2005 Marshall intercepted four passes and forced two fumbles.
