Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall came to the team from the Denver Broncos with a ton of baggage, and a reputation of being a diva. At the start of this preseason, Marshall announced that he had been diagnose with, and was undergoing treatment for, borderline personality disorder. He vowed to keep his emotions, and his actions, under control.
Four Dolphins' losses - and Marshall leading the league in dropped passes - have led to Marshall to change his tune.
"I've been living in a bubble a little bit. Trying to control myself, instead of being me," Marshall told the media on Thursday.
"Hey man, I'm just going to let it out. I don't care if they have two or three cameras on me, I don't care if I have penalties, it doesn't matter," Marshall continued. Marshall figures it's time to return to his emotion filled game performances - and hopefully his elite receiver capabilities.
Marshall didn't end his explanation of the return to the old Marshall there. He continued, "I don't know if it's throwing a football 15 yards in the bleachers and getting a 15-yard [penalty], or punting the ball and getting thrown out of the game, something's going to happen. I'll probably get kicked out after the second quarter."
That's right. Marshall is predicting he will be kicked out of the game in the second quarter.
"No, I'm not joking. I'm serious," he said. "They're going to fine me. Probably going to be like a $50,000 fine. That quarter-and-a-half I'm out there, I'm going to play like a monster."
When the media assured Marshall they all thought it was a joke, Marshall replied, "No, it's not."
Marshall, who has 22 catches for 313 yards, and one touchdown, is ready to embrace the new Monster Marshall personality. "I don't know if y'all still call me The Beast or if you consider me washed up,'' he said. "I consider myself The Monster now."
"I'm going to have fun on Monday Night Football, that's all I can say. I might get in a fight with Bart Scott, [Antonio] Cromartie - we used to fight in Denver and San Diego. If that happens....it happens."
Marshall's non-joking joke is sure to set off head coach Tony Sparano, right?
"Obviously Brandon's kidding - 50 percent kidding," the coach said. "I know one thing about that guy, he's not going to do anything to hurt this football team. He wants to be more passionate with the ball in his hands."
"Brandon's worked through some of those [offseason problems] himself really well," Sparano said. "I've been proud of what he's done."
Okay, maybe not.
But, if Marshall can come out and dominate the game, the Dolphins could see the season start to turn around. The happiest person in the locker room has to be new starting quarterback Matt Moore.
"All my life I've been an emotional person, and it's just being able to turn that switch on and off," Marshall said. "It took me four games to really realize how to do that, so I'm going to turn it on.
"Practice is over and I turned that switch off and I'm being me right now. On Monday Night Football I'm going to turn that switch on and be a monster.
"It's taken me four games to realize what I need to do,'' Marshall said. Hopefully, after Monday night, that will prove to be true - and that tally will be five games, not four-and-a-half.