Brandon Marshall: Byron Maxwell 'holds every single play'

ByRICH CIMINI
November 3, 2016, 3:30 PM

— -- FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Four days before his long-awaited return to South Florida, New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall called out Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Maxwell, accusing him of foul play.

Marshall still is miffed by Maxwell's tactics from their 2015 encounter, when Maxwell played for the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I played against him last year and he just held every single play," Marshall said Wednesday. "Every single play he held. That was tough."

Marshall said he's "excited" for the rematch because, "I owe him one."

This will be an emotional game for Marshall, who was traded by the Dolphins in 2012 after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. This will be his first game at Hard Rock Stadium since the trade. He said the game means a lot to him because he believes he was treated unfairly by the media and fans in South Florida.

But his No. 1 focus will be Maxwell, who was traded to the Dolphins in the offseason.

"They traded for him to stop me, so I'm excited for this matchup," Marshall said.

When they met early last season at MetLife Stadium, the Eagles won the game, but Marshall dominated his matchup with Maxwell, finishing with 10 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Maxwell was called for two holding penalties en route to an 11-penalty season.

Marshall said Maxwell hasn't changed.

"Still the same guy, still the same player," he said. "Holds every single play.

"I don't know him, but I don't like him," Marshall continued. "I'm being honest with you. I never had a conversation with this guy. I think he's probably a really nice guy. He seems like a really nice guy. He doesn't say much on the field, but he holds every single play. I don't like it."

Why criticize an upcoming opponent? Marshall admitted part of his motivation was to send a message to the officiating crew, making sure it knows about Maxwell's grabby style.

"It was frustrating at time," said Marshall, recalling last year's contest. "I'm not going to let that get to me this time. I'm just going to bring it to him this game. So I'll hold him and I'll push him around. That's the game it's going to be."

Maxwell's disappointing season includes four penalties. He was a bust in Philadelphia, dumped one year into a six-year, $63 million contract.

"A great trade for the Eagles," Marshall cracked.

Marshall's numbers are down this year; he has only 34 catches for 540 yards and two touchdowns at the midpoint of the season.

He set the Jets' franchise record last year with 109 catches, including 16 against the Dolphins. Neither of last season's meetings was in South Florida, as the Miami home game was played in London.

Marshall said he was disappointed by how his tenure ended in Miami.

"I just didn't understand how they were all over the radio, asking for me to come down there, begging for me to come down there, and once I got there, they killed me," he said.

Marshall acknowledged he was "a little immature" off the field, but he announced before the 2011 season he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

"That's where I became a man," he said. "But on the field, I felt like I was productive and still pretty dominant, but they didn't see that."