Great players with considerable character issues: Are WR Brandon Marshall and CB Aqib Talib players we should look at?

   So both players mentioned appear to be on their ways out of Miami and Tampa Bay, respectively, due to seperate issues, with both being rather serious to go with it. Normally I would flat out say no to someone who has serious red flags; however, when you look at what we need combined with not only the talent level of those players, but with how well they fit into what we are building here in Chicago these two players have caused a change of heart to occur in me depsite the sevarity of their respective situations. Follow me after the jump to see why I feel these two players can ultimately help us return to the Super Bowl.

   The game- NFC Championship Game on a cold Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field, featuring the NFC's oldest and most bitter rivalry, the Chicago Bears versus the Green Bay Packers. In a defeat most seem to remember where every possible thing that could have went wrong, did. Not only was Jay Cutler injured due to poor protection from the O-Line (again) but the WRs were being bounced around like ping-pong balls and our secondary got outmuscled by Greg Jennings and company, ultimately making a mockary of Tim Jennings in the process. What we lacked besides a consistantly good O-Line- a big and physical pressance at WR and a CB to play the other half of the field adjacent to Charles Tillman- really came back to haunt us in this game. Enter the rather risky but potentially problem solving prospects of Brandon Marshall and Aqib Talib.

   Brandon Marshall, our favorite WR from Denver who had an absolutely lethal reputation with Jay Cutler throwing the ball to go with his well noted record. Those two were essentiually unstoppable in their 2 full seasons together. Then Jay Cutler left and all hell broke loose in Denver. He still had a great year with Orton of all things but he was not satisfied with Josh McDaniels as his coach ( who was?) and requested a trade a full year later. During that time Bears nation pleaded and prayed Jerry Angelo would pull off The Steal of the Century: Part II and aquire Brandon Marshall in a trade. But, this was not ment to be as he was shipped to Miami for 2 second rounders, one more than Jerry had at his disposal. Now, he seems to be on the way out again as trouble has resurfaced in his life, getting into an altercation with his wife which sent him to the hospital in serious condition from a stab wound. It is reported that the Dolphins are potentially releasing him as soon as the market is reopened which would save an estimated 15 million dollars from their cap salary. Doesn't this seem familiar to another well known trouble making WR? If you guessed Randy Moss, you are correct. I do not, will not ever like that guy or even consider signing him if I were in charge, but this whole drama will eventually be compared to Randy Moss and his reammergance in New England. For those who have forgotton Randy Moss started his career in Minnesota as a first round pick known for having a bad attitude. So he has an unforgettable rookie season and he already sees stars and money signs in his eyes. He then gets in trouble with the NFL and was fined numerous times, but he didn't care. So Minnesota gave him das boot and sent him to the Oakland Raiders who were.....the Oakland Raiders. He stunk the place up and nobody wearing silver and black wanted him around for the honeymoon. So along came the New England Patriots who were searching for a differance maker at WR and coach Bill Belichick apparantly heard of wonderful stories relating Randy Moss to greatness. The Patriots trade for Randy Moss and at first a good number of us laughed our heads off as not only did he play poorly on a team with no QB to speak of but he was well over 30 years old. The result, pure magic as he played a major role in helping Tom Brady and company return to the Super Bowl after the perfect 16-0 season ( and almost went 19-0 if not for David Tyree’s  legendary one handed grab). He was considered around the league as the best WR in the game, hands down. Now comes Brandon Marshall. Again we all remember how well he played in Denver with Jay Cutler at QB, and in Miami he had no QB to speak of ( sound familiar?). Look at what he would bring to the table as a WR in Chicago: Enormous size ( 6-4 230 pounds), great speed, outstanding hands, and all of that to go with some of the best route running in football. He has what a good amount of our WRs don't. We definately can win many games with our currant crew as Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are without a doubt the fastest pair of homerun threats in the NFL, and Earl Bennett is a tough player who has great hands. But none of them are taller than 6'0 ( Johnny Knox) and only Bennett has the physicality to be a reliable option, the others get abused in press coverage. Adding Brandon Marshall would give Jay Cutler that #1 option many Bears fans have demanded over the past few years.

   Now, time to tell the story of Aqib Talib

   His accusations are considerably worse than Brandon Marshall's ( assault with a deadly weapon) and a good number of us would shut him off at first glance. Like Marshall he is on the way out after years of problems with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He came into the league as a first rounder and for his tenure, he played like one on the field but acted like a chump off the field. Normally I would have him marked off, but after doing research he:

1) played in the Tampa 2

And

2) could fit right in as the solution to our issues at CB

  Plus, he has had a long history of bad times with his family, and it really looks like he wants to get out of there because he knows he will get into further trouble with the law if he stays.  To add to his situation; besides Ronde Barber are there any other real leaders in Tampa Bay? I felt a lack of leadership may have been a factor in some of his poor decisions. If you ask me a change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered, as he would be far away from the family issues/drama and he would be coming onto a team which employs the exact same defense Tampa Bay runs that is full of veteran leaders such as Brian Urlacher, Chris Harris, Julius Peppers, Charles Tillman, and Israel Idonije. No matter how you slice it he was an incredible player in the Tampa 2, and when you have players here such as Zachary Bowman and Tim Jennings, would you consider it then? Charles Tillman needs another pressance as he is not getting any younger and our current players are not good enough options to win us a Super Bowl, as proven by Aaron Rodgers. Also, now considering that he had gotten in trouble he will not cost us a fortune.

  All and all there is a good amount of risk associated with either player, but when you weigh their upsides as well, I feel they balance each other out. So, hopefully after reading this you may feel they deserve another chance and could be the players to go with an improved O-Line that may put us back into the Super Bowl.