Don't know who Dan Marino was? THIS is who he was. | Page 5 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Don't know who Dan Marino was? THIS is who he was.

The spike was great, but my favorite play was from another game against the Jets, 4 and 10 trailing late and he threw long to Duper on the right sideline, a perfect pass, TD, Dolphins win. What balls! One of those nononono....yes! plays. The catch is easy to recognize because there was a strange bobble by Duper, for an instant it seemed he would drop it.
That was awesome. I think Duper sort of brought it in w one hand if I recall.
 
That was awesome. I think Duper sort of brought it in w one hand if I recall.
He did. And that game saved the 1985 season which had, until then, been a bit rocky. But that win in the Orange Bowl against the Jets started a win streak that didn’t end until, unfortunately, the AFC championship game.
 
Some of Marino's records have fallen with the advent of rules favoring the passing game but when he shattered those records, he >shattered< them.

Though some of the most amazing ones have been broken, nobody has come close to equalling how he did what he did.

Consider the sad running games and most of the defenses he was saddled with and it becomes even more enormous.
 
Gotta remember, when Dan broke the record for TD in a season he threw 48 while the record was 36.
For someone to equal that, they would need to throw 64 TD’s! Oh, and yea they would need to do it with the old rules and all too. That’s the bar that he set so freaking high. Nothing that’s been done since by any player at any position comes close.
 
honestly, the stats he put were/are impressive, but the real thing was watching him; there is so much talent that didn't end in any stats but the make him The Man: vision, quick feet, pocket 6th sense, the zip, the clutchness, the leadership, the courage (didn't care if he was going to be hit), so many skills that you just can't teach, he was just the BEST, the total package.

And I am obsessive about it, but about the rules change: IMO opinion it's not so much about the rules protecting the receivers (it's an important factor, I get it), but IMO the true difference is about how the QB now can easily easily avoid being hit!

once upon a time:

1-there was no possibility to throw away (this pathetic **** that outside the pocket you can just thornw away and nothing bad happens)--> at the time, EVERY time you had a pass you have to pass to somke teammate, no matter what, or you were to being DESTROYED by some defender, also losing many yards!

2- when you were hit, every body part was fair game: no slowing down by the defender just to hit you in the chest, no, no; they copuld destroy your knees, your head, your arms...and they tried to do just that, they tried to kill the qb, no matter what

3- sliding down was simpli put, UNACCEPTABLE, something that was a sign of being scared, that destroyed your credibility as a leader of men; I mean, Brady and P. Manning were celebrated because, as they saw any defenders approaching they..just gave up, in a fetal position... oh, so smart!
Everett, Rams qb, was mocked with no end just because he did it one freaking time!!! after a game in which he took a violent beating by the 49ers D in the playoff... he was treated like a weak minded scared player (do you remember the jokes about Chris Ever?!)...because one ****ing time he dared to give up, instead of being hit...when the game was practically already over, mind you!
Now giving up in a fetal position is actually celebrated! I think this give the measure how much the game and his "values" changed: once upon a time, a Qb that was scared to be hit wasn't deserving to be a leader of a team, no matter how talented he was.

all this is to say that one thing that is changed and that is just impossible to misure is the missing of the FEAR factor, in a qb: how much brave uyou had to be to stay cool after some of those hits, keeping scanning the field and finding the open man...withouth rushing the process, without having happy feet, without being...scared...
Once upon a time, no matter what, after you were 32-33 you were done, because your body was devastated..now, you see goog/average players playing in their 40s? are they special humans? are they tougher (lol at the idea) that a Jo Montana, a Dan Marino, a Jim Kelly (that had to play against....the 85 bears D? the Giants D with Taylor and Banks and Marshall? and so many other brutally skilled Defenders) nah...iì'ts just that now they DONT' TAKE ANY BEATING AT ALL, no matter what!


A Qb had to be the leader, because he was the MAIN TARGET for the killers on the other team... even if he wasn't the most talented player on offense (and often he wans't!) he had to be a LEADER, becuase the other guys had to trust him to be brave enough every single time the coaches called a pass play

Now, it's totally different: your qb HAS to be the msot talented player on O, otherwise you practically have no chance to win anything (so freaking boring IMO, but de gustibus...)





so, yeah, the stas now are videogame, but that's not the main reason I think it's just unfair to make any comparison between then and now, it's because the MAIN DIFFERENCE for me is something that uyou can't really misure in numbers, but that was perhaps the BIGGEST FACTOR in a successfull qb: courage, coolness under phisical pressure, the ability to not being scared, no matter how hard they hit you.


sorry for the rant, but I think is oftend underestimate how much difference the change in intentional grounding rules affected the game and the way a QB can play

and sorry, as usual, for my English
 
That was awesome. I think Duper sort of brought it in w one hand if I recall.

IIRC, Duper had been injured and had returned to action recently. Jests weren’t sure he could play up to par. And he kind of lulled them to sleep on that play.

Totally remember Dick Enberg saying “Duper has returned and he is Super!”
 
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The spike was great, but my favorite play was from another game against the Jets, 4 and 10 trailing late and he threw long to Duper on the right sideline, a perfect pass, TD, Dolphins win. What balls! One of those nononono....yes! plays. The catch is easy to recognize because there was a strange bobble by Duper, for an instant it seemed he would drop it.

You mean THIS play? ;)

 
IIRC, Duper had been injured and had returned to action recently. Jests weren’t sure he could play up to par. And he kind of lulled them to sleep on that play.

Totally remember Dick Enberg saying “Duper has returned and he is Super!”
Ah YES! “The Duper is Super” exultation - that gave me chills! I totally remember that!!!
 
You mean THIS play? ;)


That's the one! Thank you :chuckle:

But now I'm thinking I got two plays confused: this one and another 4th down bomb to win a game. Because this one wasn't on 4th down as I thought. And I'm still thinking the 4th down play was against the Jets, but I'm not as certain of it now.
 
I might be confusing the 1994 opener vs New England with that Jets play. Funny thing, memory.


One of my favorite plays ever by Marino. That and the fake spike.

There is also another play that has always stuck in my mind and forgive me if I can't recall the specifics but here's what I got:

At Buffalo, freezing rain/sleet, 30ish mph winds, 3rd and 13ish. Miserable conditions and I think Miami is losing. Marino throws a perfect over the shoulder pass to the receiver running down the left sideline that allows the drive to continue. That's the type of perfect execution I had become accustomed to on a routine basis. Just outstanding.
 
That was awesome. I think Duper sort of brought it in w one hand if I recall.
Might have been the Irving Fryar catch on 4th down ... if not it was a very similar play. Mad Dog said "There is a fire that burns in THAT MAN Dan Marino." Balls of steel, and a killer instinct.
 
Gotta remember, when Dan broke the record for TD in a season he threw 48 while the record was 36.
For someone to equal that, they would need to throw 64 TD’s! Oh, and yea they would need to do it with the old rules and all too. That’s the bar that he set so freaking high. Nothing that’s been done since by any player at any position comes close.
So true. I don't think many people understand how phenomenally mind-blowing his performances were under that ruleset. If someone throws 64 TD's even with today's ruleset they'll instantly label them the greatest of all time. Hell, every year they crown a new guy the GOAT because the media is so starved for a real hero. Given today's ruleset, I think 64 wouldn't be accurate. Mathmatically, yes it is, but given today's rulset it probably would be somewhere between 75-85 TD's needed to equal that accomplishment, because passing is predominant and much easier today.
 
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