MERGED: ESPN 30 for 30 "Elway to Marino" | Page 5 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

MERGED: ESPN 30 for 30 "Elway to Marino"

No one is disputing that any smart player would avoid playing for the Colts at that time. That organization was a disaster. Irsay was a full blown whackaloon and going there could really damage a players career. None of this takes away from the fact that Elway is a douche.
 
I wonder why Irsay fired his GM just before the draft? At least there is precedence...
 
Lol @ Paul Zimmerman and him not understanding our pick!:lol:

Amazing, that even analyst back then couldn't wait to start bashing our moves.

"Where is he going to get the great coaching"......absolute nonsense and laughable considering we had Don fricking Shula!:lol:
 
Awsi Dooger said:
I watched the tape of the program tonight. A few observations:

* I was surprised they allowed so much weight to the Marino drug rumors but it was appropriate. I've mentioned several times that two of my friends were sons of the Dolphin defensive line coach and defensive back coach. Every year we'd hear draft whispers from them. By 1983 several of us had graduated college and were back in Miami. Lots of bar hopping together for a while. One night I was told the son of the defensive back coach was in town. I'm not sure if he had graduated yet. It might have been his spring break. It was several weeks or a months prior to the draft. Anyway, we met him at a restaurant on Key Biscayne. He was at the outdoor bar with his girlfriend. Eventually the discussion turned to the draft, and then Dan Marino. My friend said point blank that Marino was on drugs, that it was well known, and his stock was plunging. He implied that the Dolphins therefore would have no interest. I remember being stunned. I stared blankly out into space. This was the first I'd heard of this. I assumed the info came from Blesto, the big scouting service of that era that the Dolphins and most teams had used for a decade or more. When Ron Wolf said tonight that the Raiders were hearing all this information about Marino in the late going I knew what he meant, because that's the time frame I heard it. When I asked my friend the coach's son about it the next time I saw him, at Christmas 1985, he shrugged and claimed the Dolphins weren't sure themselves that it wasn't true but they were willing to risk it.

* It was fascinating to hear that so many teams were involved, including the Montana aspect, and especially the Raiders and the nixed deal. Al Davis must really have been distracted if he was asking if Elway could throw deep. That's like asking if Usain Bolt has long strides.

* Eugene Klein, the Chargers' owner, was depicted poorly in this program but he had an extraordinary career with widespread interests. Klein bought high priced racehorses and hooked up with legendary southern California trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Klein's filly Winning Colors won the Kentucky Derby in 1988.

* I had no idea Denver was involved so early. If you freeze frame Demoff's diary early in the program, there's a notation on March 8 that he talked to Dan Reeves and that Denver is very interested in acquiring Elway. In real time I never heard anything about Denver until the final days

* Marino was smiling and obviously having fun with the interviewer when he said he'd, "work on my tan." I hadn't remembered it that way. Poorly receiving that line aligned with the Marino reputation that spring, of a kid who had slipped badly as a senior and might be a bit of a goof, and a risk. Not everyone viewed it as a steal at that point. It wasn't until the lasers in August.

* Some of those players on the scroll deserved better than they got in the summary flash. Curt Warner was a phenomenal back until badly injuring his knee in 1984. In fact, Warner was largely responsible for Seattle's win over Marino as an 8.5 point underdog in the 1983 playoff game at the Orange Bowl. Warner made a comeback but was never the same player. At the end of the 1983 season he was considered on a par with Dickerson, at worst.

* It was strange to see an appearance from Chuck Connor, the Dolphins' player personnel director in the late '70s and into the '80s. I hadn't heard anything about him for decades.

* At the outset of the program they show Elway tossing a ball in warmups then immediately running his left hand sideways through his long blond hair. That's exactly what I saw at those baseball games, after every pitch when he was a right fielder. Remove the cap then run the hand through the hair.

* That was a Miami Herald columnist who described the details of the Bills' secretary taking the phone call and screwing up the process of Jim Kelly signing his contract after the draft, allowing the USFL to enter the picture. Bob Rubin was a long time Herald writer and columnist, often covering the Dolphins
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Good stuff Awsi. It's funny but my wife and I were talking after the show ended and we both wished they would've covered the drug thing a bit more. What I wanted to know is...WHO and HOW did these rumors start? What was the basis? Where did teams get their info?

An old co-worker of mine went to Pitt and his older brother was an athlete at Pitt (not a football player) while Marino was there. He told me that his brother said that it was a known fact that Marino at least smoked weed and that he liked to party. Marino would get so drunk that he'd piss himself and his friends called him "Diapers Dan." Of course this to me all sounds pretty normal for a typical college kid, but I don't know if he did any harder drugs like cocaine, etc.
 
yolli71 said:
Good stuff Awsi. It's funny but my wife and I were talking after the show ended and we both wished they would've covered the drug thing a bit more. What I wanted to know is...WHO and HOW did these rumors start? What was the basis? Where did teams get their info?

An old co-worker of mine went to Pitt and his older brother was an athlete at Pitt (not a football player) while Marino was there. He told me that his brother said that it was a known fact that Marino at least smoked weed and that he liked to party. Marino would get so drunk that he'd piss himself and his friends called him "Diapers Dan." Of course this to me all sounds pretty normal for a typical college kid, but I don't know if he did any harder drugs like cocaine, etc.
Click to expand...

If everyone had it at the same time and it was considered reliable, I can only guess it came from a Blesto scout(s). They were tremendously influential.

Jimbo Covert, Marino's roommate at Pitt and a very high first round pick in 1983, was interviewed during the program. He said one team approached him point blank before the draft and asked, "Do you do drugs too?," implying that it was a given that Marino did.

All the first round quarterbacks appeared except for Tony Eason. I imagine he declined. Poor choice. It allowed piling on without rebuttal, from Ron Meyer and a Patriots executive, who each described Eason as not big and tough enough to take the pounding in the NFL.

The program didn't mention that the Raiders had Jim Plunkett, who won a Super Bowl in 1980 and would win another one in 1983. He was well into his 30s in 1983 but when you have that type of recent success and comfort level, the sense of urgency just isn't there. Same with the Chargers and Fouts. If those teams had nobody they were more likely to be desperate and find a way around the road blocks to acquiring Elway.

It is amazing how little the Colts received. Mark Herrmann was a lanky kid with moderate skills, a well known college star at Purdue but nobody ever projected him to top notch status in the NFL.

I loved the clips of that draft, reviving so many memories. The blond guy who manned the Colts phone on draft day was there for years and years. He always looked a bit bewildered.

I wish I had taped those drafts and saved the tape, at least the first round. I did tape them but eventually erased. You don't capture even a fraction of what was going on when all they show is the pick, not the speculation. Dr. Z was often out in left field. I imagine that's why he was replaced a year or two later. Of course, if I had those tapes and uploaded them to YouTube, no doubt the NFL would object and demand they be pulled. Seemingly once per week these days I receive a copyright complaint from the NFL or International Olympic Committee or somebody.
 
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its interesting how marino probably would have been a raider if al davis was not on trial. Part of me is glad that it didn't happen, as I'm glad fins got marino. But for marino's sake. Poor marino probably would have gotten a bunch of superbowl rings had the raiders go him ha. I mean they won some in the early 80s with jim plunkett who as good, but older too and more from their defense and ground game. Seriously the dolphins defense for most of marino's career was mediocre, they didn't get good until the end of marinos career when taylor and zach thomas and surtain and madisonw were drafted. But miami's runningbacks weren't just average, but they sucked. If marino was on the raiders during that time, he wou've played on a team with a very good, even great defense. the raiders defense **** down theisman and the redskins in the superbowl whom was a top offense during that time. Howie long, etc and wow, Marino wouldn't have played with a good runningback, but hall of fame runningback with marcus allen and the freak of nature bo jackson. The raiders had good WRs too, and not to mention Tim brown a lil later. Seriously, marino throwing to tim brown with marcus allen and bo jacks, plus the defense? They wou;d've been dominant and i don't doubt marino would've had like 3 superbowls with them.
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