There’s a good chance Brandon Marshall ends up in the Pro Bowl for a fifth time, but said Wednesday he though young teammate Alshon Jeffery deserved to get to his first one.
Marshall said “it would be a shame” if the second-year wideout didn’t make it to Hawaii, considering his 80 receptions for 1,265 yards (15.8 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns.
Marshall’s got him on receptions and touchdowns (90-1,185-10), but the big-play ability is only one of the things Marshall likes about last year’s second-rounder.
‘‘He has confidence about himself,’’ Marshall said, via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘Last year we sat down and talked about goals, and his goal was to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Some older guys would look at that kid like, ‘You’re ridiculous.’ I looked at it and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got the same attitude. You’ve got to dream big. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will.’
“I respected him for that. [So] everybody out there, you need to vote for Alshon Jeffery, Pro Bowl.’’
While Jeffery’s numbers may lag behind (he’s seventh in the league in yards, 10th in catches and 12th in yards per catch), he does have one advantage.
He’s made several highlight reel catches in recent weeks, and those things can stick in the minds of voters who remember best what they saw last.