Brandon Marshall to Chicago: Instant Reaction to the Miami Dolphins' Blockbuster

The Miami Dolphins dealing Brandon Marshall seems fishy.

(No puns intended here.)

Jay Glazer reported that the Dolphins' Pro-Bowl wideout had been dealt to the Chicago Bears for two third-round draft picks (one in 2012, another in 2013). Marshall has shown flashes of brilliance in a Dolphins uniform, but dropped passes in critical moments and off-the-field distractions made him expendable.

There are multiple elements of this deal that make it so tantalizing.

The timing is peculiar, for one. It was only 24 hours ago that Joe Philbin had a meeting with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis that lasted a quarter of a day.

Could the dealing of Marshall be a smoke signal for Manning’s arrival? 

Perhaps Manning is willing to ink with Miami. Perhaps he wanted receivers he had familiarity with, such as Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark.

It does seem far-fetched that Manning wasn't at all curious about the prospect of playing with Marshall. The QB has never had a receiver with such raw talent who is a YATC machine.

It can be argued that Marshall merely needed a competent starting quarterback like Manning to become the elite receiving threat that was expected of him in Miami.

Then again, Manning hasn't played with a potential problem child on offense, either. A personality disorder doesn't exactly calm a locker room.

The Colts under Manning and Philbin's Green Bay Packers would stay away from a polarizing figure like Marshall. A question mark on those offenses is constantly avoided like a diabetic steers clear of sugar. None of those teams had a Terrell Owens or Chad Ochocinco. Randy Moss did not ultimately work in New England, despite what the stat sheet would tell you.

Furthermore, there's always a possibility that Marshall hurt the Dolphins' team attitude more than anyone can speculate. Young players look up to stars, and perhaps Marshall was hurting younger players' development with his reported lackadaisical work ethic. Maybe getting rid of Marshall was worth an underwhelming price of two third-round picks and $5.8 million in cap space.

If that's the case, Chicago has a huge problem. The Bears just don't know it yet.

If Manning is not in the cards for Miami, then dealing Marshall doesn't exactly pass the eye test. He would certainly help Matt Flynn or a rookie quarterback transition easier to a new city and coaching staff. Matt Moore can attest to that.

In addition, the trio of Brian Hartline, Davone Bess and Clyde Gates doesn't exactly inspire a quarterback to head down to Miami. That's why there must be something bigger in play here.

 Only time will tell if Manning is already pulling strings in South Beach.