Cassius Marsh found himself in a new situation recently when he went public with his criticism of the time he spent with the New England Patriots.
The current 49ers defensive end not only said he believes he was misused in his time with the Pats, but added, “They don’t have fun there. There’s nothing fun about it. There’s nothing happy about it.” Marsh said his Patriots tenure made him think about not playing football for the first time in his life, “because I hated it that much.”
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was even asked about Marsh’s comments and responded in typical Belichick fashion by saying, “We feel what’s important to us is to win. So that’s really what we’re trying to do.” And, Patriots fans on social media went after Marsh hard.
Yet Marsh doesn’t care.
He’s happy again with the 49ers and eager for the new season. After being picked up by the 49ers last Nov. 22, a day after being waived by New England -- where he played just nine games -- Marsh, 25, played in six games and was used more as a pass rusher on the defensive front than with the Pats. He had two sacks, two forced fumbles and was in on 10 tackles. The 49ers liked him so much, they gave the former UCLA standout a two-year deal that could be worth as much as $7.7 million.
Now, as Marsh and the rest of the 49ers go through organized team activities (OTAs) this week, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh sees Marsh as a valuable piece of the defense, capable of helping San Francisco’s pass rush be much better in 2018.
On Wednesday this week, Marsh – who’s 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds -- won all of his one-on-one matchups in practice, had what would have been a sack in full-team drills and showed the quickness and athleticism he displayed from the moment he came to the 49ers.
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“He’s been great,” Saleh told reporters. “When he first got here, if I remember right, we talked about that he is the definition of all gas, no brakes. The guy is just on tilt whenever he’s in the building. Even though he got the contract extension, he still embodies that. He wants to do more. He’s always asking to do more, so having him is great.”
