Nobody among this week’s NFL Pro Bowl players is as adamant about the game staying in Hawaii as Miami’s Brandon Marshall.
Especially given his track record of record-breaking performances at Aloha Stadium.
Marshall added a Pro Bowl MVP trophy to an impressive list of accomplishments in Hawaii, setting a 34-year game record with four touchdowns in the AFC’s 59-41 win over the NFC on Sunday.
Marshall caught six passes for 176 yards and the four scores, playing a big part in the highest-scoring Pro Bowl in history.
"It wasn’t me as much as the team and our quarterbacks putting the ball where it’s supposed to be," said Marshall, who was awarded a 2012 GMC Yukon Denali for winning the MVP award.
If Marshall looked the most comfortable on the field Sunday, there’s a good reason why.
Although it was only his second Pro Bowl in Hawaii, Marshall made himself a legit pro prospect out of Central Florida with two outstanding performances here his senior year.
He was the MVP of the 2005 Hawaii Bowl after catching 11 balls for 210 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-48 overtime loss to Nevada.
Less than a month later, Marshall returned for the Hula Bowl and scored the East’s only touchdown in a 10-7 win, catching five passes for 101 yards.
He received the most MVP votes from the media, but didn’t win the award after the coaching staffs of both teams decided to name their own winner.
At least a brand new car wasn’t on the line like it was on Sunday.
"You know what, it’s pretty cool," Marshall said standing next to the car parked near midfield.
"I really wanted it," he added, motioning to the banners in the south end zone with the names of each year’s MVP winner. "I wanted my name to be up in the rafters with all of these other great players."
Marshall nearly had as many touchdowns in the Pro Bowl as he had all season with the Dolphins.
His six touchdowns was his second-lowest output in the past five years, part of a disappointing year in South Beach.
Miami flirted with a winless season, to the point that a "suck-for-Luck" campaign, in reference to Stanford’s Andrew Luck, the likely No. 1 overall pick, became as big of a deal as winning its first game.
After an 0-7 start, the Dolphins rebounded to win four of their next five, but it wasn’t enough to save head coach Tony Sparano’s job.
Sparano was fired before season’s end and Miami hired Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin in late January.
"This is a great way to go into the offseason and get ready to come back and do some great things in South Beach," Marshall said. "Tony laid a good foundation with us, we’ve got some good pieces and hopefully we can turn things around."
Marshall had planned to fly to Denver following the game, but changed his flight so he could get to Miami and hopefully meet his new coach.
"Hopefully I can see Coach and we can get together and get on the same page and get things going in the right direction," Marshall said.