The Dolphins say they don't pay much attention to Marshall's past. It's his future -- and theirs together -- that concerns them more. The honeymoon is in full effect, and while the glow is still hovering, Miami hopes its newest star is the catalyst that leads them to a place they haven't visited in a quarter century -- the Super Bowl. And Marshall is that type of player, a difference-maker that could turn the tide for a team that was a few difference-makers away in 2009 when it finished a disappointing 7-9, one season after winning the division.
A blissful Marshall appears up for the challenge.
"This is the first year since I've been in the NFL that I'm going into a season totally happy with nothing but football on my mind," said the wideout who spent his previous four seasons in Denver playing for two head coaches, Mike Shanahan and Josh McDaniels, with whom he butted heads. "It's a different type of motivation. It's a positive motivation.
"In the past, I think what drove me was playing with a chip on my shoulder. I still have that chip on my shoulder, but at the same time I want to be accountable. I want to be the guy that his team can turn to and say, 'Hey he's going to be there.' I think that's a positive thing."
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