Marino2Clayton
I'm too drunk to taste this chicken.
The NFL has had its great quarterbacks…
John Unitas, John Elway, Otto Grahm, Joe Namath, Sammy Baugh, and Joe Montana
But just who is the greatest quarterback in NFL history? We will never know.
However, there is simply no denying that Dan Marino is the greatest pure passer the game has ever known.
His release was as quick as lightning, and his right arm boomed like thunder.
Marino is also the most prolific passer in NFL history with once unthinkable league records of 61,361 yards, 4,967 completions, and 420 touchdowns. To put Marino’s numbers in perspective, he passed for 10,000 yards and 120 touchdowns more than John Elway.
Marino’s proudest stat? It’s playing in 145 straight games from 1983 to 1993. Very few football players, much less quarterbacks, were tougher than Marino was. You could count on him, you could count on number thirteen lining up behind center for the Dolphins each and every Sunday. No matter how much he hurt or how badly he limped, Dan Marino gave everything he had.
Marino’s feel for the pocket was uncanny, no one could feel the blindside blitzer like he could. It was almost like a “sixth sense†that allowed him to sidestep left or right, so he could hold on to the ball for that extra second his receivers needed to get open and make a play.
In 1984, in only his second year, Marino put together the greatest season by a quarterback in NFL history. All year long, he seemingly picked apart opposing defenses with ease. Marino demolished the old record of 36 touchdown passes in a season with 48. He also became the first player ever to pass for more than 5,000 yards in the season. Marino was named league MVP and guided the Dolphin’s to a 14-2 record and appearance in Super Bowl XIX.
"Dan brought an excitement to the quarterback position, even during practice, and especially during the last two minutes of games, when he brought us back to win more times than I can count. Whether it was the clock play against the Jets or any of his other great comeback wins, I always had the feeling that with Dan at quarterback, we were never out of the game, no matter what the score," said Don Shula.
It was almost as if Dan Marino willed the Dolphins to win, as he would fire pin point laser shots again and again into places that no other quarterback would dare throw. For his career, he led the Dolphins to 37 come from behind fourth quarter victories.
As great of a quarterback as Dan Marino was, he is even better as a person. Few, if any, athletes have done more for their community than Marino. He created the Miami Children's Hospital/Dan Marino Center that helps children from all over the world. In January of 1999 he was named the NFL’s “Man of the Year" for his charitable contributions and work against autism. Ask anyone that knows Dan and they will tell you that he takes just as much pride in being a father as he did a football player.
Unfortunately the Dolphins leaned too heavily on Marino as he single handedly carried the Dolphins year after year after year. As injuries and years mounted Marino’s trademark swagger turned into a limp, it became painfully clear that the Dolphins failed to give Marino enough tools throughout his career to win a Super Bowl.
So Marino’s career did not end in storybook fashion with a Super Bowl ring, but I will always be thankful that he played all 17 of seasons as a Miami Dolphin. Because Dan Marino is the reason I love pro football, and the Miami Dolphins.
John Unitas, John Elway, Otto Grahm, Joe Namath, Sammy Baugh, and Joe Montana
But just who is the greatest quarterback in NFL history? We will never know.
However, there is simply no denying that Dan Marino is the greatest pure passer the game has ever known.
His release was as quick as lightning, and his right arm boomed like thunder.
Marino is also the most prolific passer in NFL history with once unthinkable league records of 61,361 yards, 4,967 completions, and 420 touchdowns. To put Marino’s numbers in perspective, he passed for 10,000 yards and 120 touchdowns more than John Elway.
Marino’s proudest stat? It’s playing in 145 straight games from 1983 to 1993. Very few football players, much less quarterbacks, were tougher than Marino was. You could count on him, you could count on number thirteen lining up behind center for the Dolphins each and every Sunday. No matter how much he hurt or how badly he limped, Dan Marino gave everything he had.
Marino’s feel for the pocket was uncanny, no one could feel the blindside blitzer like he could. It was almost like a “sixth sense†that allowed him to sidestep left or right, so he could hold on to the ball for that extra second his receivers needed to get open and make a play.
In 1984, in only his second year, Marino put together the greatest season by a quarterback in NFL history. All year long, he seemingly picked apart opposing defenses with ease. Marino demolished the old record of 36 touchdown passes in a season with 48. He also became the first player ever to pass for more than 5,000 yards in the season. Marino was named league MVP and guided the Dolphin’s to a 14-2 record and appearance in Super Bowl XIX.
"Dan brought an excitement to the quarterback position, even during practice, and especially during the last two minutes of games, when he brought us back to win more times than I can count. Whether it was the clock play against the Jets or any of his other great comeback wins, I always had the feeling that with Dan at quarterback, we were never out of the game, no matter what the score," said Don Shula.
It was almost as if Dan Marino willed the Dolphins to win, as he would fire pin point laser shots again and again into places that no other quarterback would dare throw. For his career, he led the Dolphins to 37 come from behind fourth quarter victories.
As great of a quarterback as Dan Marino was, he is even better as a person. Few, if any, athletes have done more for their community than Marino. He created the Miami Children's Hospital/Dan Marino Center that helps children from all over the world. In January of 1999 he was named the NFL’s “Man of the Year" for his charitable contributions and work against autism. Ask anyone that knows Dan and they will tell you that he takes just as much pride in being a father as he did a football player.
Unfortunately the Dolphins leaned too heavily on Marino as he single handedly carried the Dolphins year after year after year. As injuries and years mounted Marino’s trademark swagger turned into a limp, it became painfully clear that the Dolphins failed to give Marino enough tools throughout his career to win a Super Bowl.
So Marino’s career did not end in storybook fashion with a Super Bowl ring, but I will always be thankful that he played all 17 of seasons as a Miami Dolphin. Because Dan Marino is the reason I love pro football, and the Miami Dolphins.
