Commentary: Favre's season proves Marino's greatness

[PhinPhan in MA]

Hey guys, glad to see the forums back up and thriving.

I recently wrote this commentary piece that reflects on the record-breaking season that Brett Favre had and also with the way that he ended it (going down in flames in the playoffs), and then using that model as an explanation for why Dan Marino remains the greatest QB to ever play the game.

Here's something to chew on, folks: Brett Favre's record-breaking season this year only proves that Dan Marino is still the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.

You read that correctly, so just follow along with me on this.

Before Marino's records started to fall to Peyton Manning and Brett Favre, it was so simple to call Marino the greatest QB of all time. After all, he had every major passing record locked up. The statistics were there in black and white, and they were indisputable.

Jim Brown, perhaps the greatest running back ever, once remarked, "I hold more than a dozen records and as a result have been turned into a statistic."

Unfortunately, Marino has suffered a similar fate. In the eyes of many people, Marino is little more than his numbers, and now that those have been surpassed, he is no longer relevant.

This reaction is understandable to a certain degree. In his book "From Ritual to Record," Allen Guttmann lays out the seven defining characteristics of modern sports, with the sixth being quantification. He says that "modern sports are characterized by the almost inevitable tendency to transform every athletic feat into one that can be quantified and measured...Despite the elegant rhetoric about playing the game rather than thinking about the numbers, the spectator's attention becomes fixed in a relentless search for quantification."

www.phinaticism.blogspot.com/2008/01/favres-manic-season-proves-that-marino.html

I'd like to know what you guys think about it.

 

[Mari0k]

Im sorry.
I think Favre is better.
He broke his recrods.
No way you can say "he went down burning"
He led aam that was supposed to be garbage to a Cha,ipnship game and barely missing out. on the suerbowl.
Not get blowned out.
You see?
For those who wanna rip me - rip me.
I am a DolFan for life. I belive this fins are teh greatest franchise of all time.
But keep on insisting that marino is all time greatest QB is just being plaing homerish.
He was great. amazing. But no way he is the best of all time. Up there. But not greatest ever.

 

[vinivedivichi]

Im sorry.
I think Favre is better.
He broke his recrods.
No way you can say "he went down burning"
He led aam that was supposed to be garbage to a Cha,ipnship game and barely missing out. on the suerbowl.
Not get blowned out.
You see?
For those who wanna rip me - rip me.
I am a DolFan for life. I belive this fins are teh greatest franchise of all time.
But keep on insisting that marino is all time greatest QB is just being plaing homerish.
He was great. amazing. But no way he is the best of all time. Up there. But not greatest ever.

Just looking at your age, I'm not sure that your an authority on this issue.

 

[Mari0k]

Just looking at your age, I'm not sure that your an authority on this issue.

And you are correct.
But i reviewed alot of games.
Alot.
And stat wise.
And him being one of the Dolphins.
And if i would of seen him play live would propably change my opinion.
But I havent.
So considering from what i HAVE seen (which are, many, many hours of Marino games) and the stats, and the superbowls.
I can not make up Marino in to the greatest quarterback of all time.
Top 5, or heck. propably Top 3.
But not ALL TIME greatest.

All written above is just my personal opinion.

 

[fish920]

that was great. well done

 

[sceeto]

Im sorry.
I think Favre is better.
He broke his recrods.
No way you can say "he went down burning"
He led aam that was supposed to be garbage to a Cha,ipnship game and barely missing out. on the suerbowl.
Not get blowned out.
You see?
For those who wanna rip me - rip me.
I am a DolFan for life. I belive this fins are teh greatest franchise of all time.
But keep on insisting that marino is all time greatest QB is just being plaing homerish.
He was great. amazing. But no way he is the best of all time. Up there. But not greatest ever.

I Think you need to read the article again. The rule changes were huge. I've been saying this for awhile.

 

[shula_guy]

I would like to know if anyone has looked at the average stats of all the qb's in the league as a whole and then compared those numbers year by year as the rule changes came into effect. I think it would be intresting to see on a whole if the qb postion has increased in production and how much it has increased. I think it would ultimatly put into context the significance of past records in comparison to todays record holders. I dont want to detract from any of todays current record holders accomplishments but in fairness give past record holders thier fair credit that they deserve as well.

For instance one record that was broken this season was the most points scored in a single season. The former record holder was the Bears from 1940,s. Im not sure about when the foward pass came into play but I think was prior to it, plus no two point conversions, etc, etc, etc....... I personally think that must of been a remarkable season for the bears and it is still a very impressive accomplishment on thier part.

 

[shula_guy]

just read your article and it was very well written. nice work.

 

[TurkishFin99]

The rules are different now. Completely different game... nuff said.

 

[Paul54]

Don't forget Brett Favre started 17 more games than Dan the man imagine if he played 17 more Brett would be behind him.

 

[tay0365]

Im sorry.
I think Favre is better.
He broke his recrods.
No way you can say "he went down burning"
He led aam that was supposed to be garbage to a Cha,ipnship game and barely missing out. on the suerbowl.
Not get blowned out.
You see?
For those who wanna rip me - rip me.
I am a DolFan for life. I belive this fins are teh greatest franchise of all time.
But keep on insisting that marino is all time greatest QB is just being plaing homerish.
He was great. amazing. But no way he is the best of all time. Up there. But not greatest ever.

:shakeno: If you say Farve is better, then you never really saw Marino at his best. I would love to see Farve play the tougest defenses in the NFL, with no running game (which means all the Defenses know what the Packers are going to do), and see how great he is. Does he still do the Job, probably (He is a quality QB), does he do it as well as Marino....Nope, in fact he probably adds many more INTs to his stats.

 

[raving]

Marino was the greatest QB ever! Period, hands down. I know because I watched him week in and week out, and year in and year out and the things he did with the limited talent that he had surrounding him most of his career was absolutely astounding. He made everybody around him better. He was magical. He was a genious. And he had the physical tools and toughness to match.

Thank you Dan for making so many years of Dolphin football so AMAZING to be part of... True fans are forever greatful!

 

[Roman529]

Marino I think could really care less about records.....he did not stay in the game to try and throw as many TD's as he could like Brady did this year to Moss, just to try and set a record. You did not see Marino trying to "run up the score" by lobbing it down the field in the 4th quarter for meaningless TD's when he was ahead by 20+ points. I think the same thing could be said for Peyton Manning......Manning threw for 49 TD's, but he sat out most of the last couple games he was in that particular year.

Favre also has thrown for more INT's than any other QB and his INT in OT against the Giants cost him a shot at going to the SB. Not to knock Favre, Brady or Peyton Manning, but I will take Dan Marino over any other QB who ever played the game. I am sure P. Manning will likely have all the records when he retires, and someone else will likely come along and beat these records,,,,,the NFL changed the rules to make it easier to throw completions, and have a lot of TD's and big yardage, but what these QB's have accomplished pales to what Marino was able to do during his career.

 

[DeeperImage]

I couldn't agree more with your post. The game is different now. I would love to see what Dan could have done with this "New" NFL. But that's neither here or there. :boohoo:

Marino I think could really care less about records.....he did not stay in the game to try and throw as many TD's as he could like Brady did this year to Moss, just to try and set a record. You did not see Marino trying to "run up the score" by lobbing it down the field in the 4th quarter for meaningless TD's when he was ahead by 20+ points. I think the same thing could be said for Peyton Manning......Manning threw for 49 TD's, but he sat out most of the last couple games he was in that particular year.

Favre also has thrown for more INT's than any other QB and his INT in OT against the Giants cost him a shot at going to the SB. Not to knock Favre, Brady or Peyton Manning, but I will take Dan Marino over any other QB who ever played the game. I am sure P. Manning will likely have all the records when he retires, and someone else will likely come along and beat these records,,,,,the NFL changed the rules to make it easier to throw completions, and have a lot of TD's and big yardage, but what these QB's have accomplished pales to what Marino was able to do during his career.

 

[unifiedtheory]

Let the Mark's Brothers run free, untouched through the secondary and allow the O-line to HOLD a lot more and Marino would have put up numbers none of these guys would have touched.