MIAMI -- Seeing Miami Dolphins fans wearing his jersey take over Hard Rock Stadium never gets old for Dan Marino. Even 21 years after retirement, the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback is still the man in Miami.
"I was able to play here so long and to see the fans still care after all this time. It's special and I love it," Marino told ESPN. "It's important to me. I'm happy they still do it."
But Marino also knows the pressure of replacing him has magnified as the Dolphins have failed time and time again during the past two decades to find their franchise quarterback. Miami has had 22 starting QBs since Marino retired in 2000, and the current one -- Tua Tagovailoa -- has the potential to finally be the answer.
Tagovailoa has the star power -- finishing in the top five of all players in jersey sales as a rookie. He's already a folk hero in Hawaii and Alabama, where he was born and played college football, respectively. But after an up-and-down rookie season (14 touchdowns to 5 interceptions with 6-3 record, but an average of 181.4 passing yards per game and hesitancy throwing the deep ball), questions remain about whether he will be the right guy to lead the Dolphins to an elite level.
The Dolphins are counting on a big Year 2 jump. If Tagovailoa shows he can lead this team to championship contention, fans might be as all-in on the Tagovailoa-led future as they are on the Marino-led past.
"I hope he does," Marino said. "It would be awesome for everybody, wouldn't it? The most important thing is to be yourself, be who you are and work your butt off. It'll work out."
Tagovailoa 'has all the talent in the world'
Marino, who has worked for the Dolphins as a special adviser since 2014, knows a lot about Year 2 jumps given his second season -- 1984 -- is considered one of the best QB seasons of all time. He also gets an up-close view of Tagovailoa and the offense by attending practices and meetings throughout the year.
"He's been great. He's been awesome. He has all the talent in the world. Now it's just about him developing the relationship with the other players," Marino said of Tagovailoa. "It's been tough because he didn't have OTAs last year, a lot of the summer camp or the chance to play in exhibition games. All those things delay you somewhat. I'll tell you, he works his butt off. I'm really excited about him, his future and our future as a team."
The quarterback made clear he's not "Coach Marino," just "someone who can help at times with my view of certain things."
Read more:
Dan Marino on Tua Tagovailoa leading Dolphins to a Super Bowl: 'I hope he does'
The Hall of Fame quarterback, in an interview with ESPN's Cameron Wolfe, dishes on his knee replacements, Miami's young signal-caller, 6,000-yard seasons and more.
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