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Dan Marino: Hyypothetical Question

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by STEELWINDS, Dec 29, 2019.

  1. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Good Day Everyone.

    I have often thought about this question that I posted down below. We passed on Dan Marino in the draft. IMO, Marino was a phenomenal player. However, according to some sources, the Steelers “apparently” avoided him due to a “sub-par” senior season and some “supposed” off the field issues. For the record, the “supposed” off the field issues never surfaced during his NFL career and even to this day. So below, is the question to the gist of this Thread.


    Question:

    If any, how Super Bowl victories do you think we could have won if we drafted Dan Marino?



    For whatever it is worth, Dan Marino spent 17 years in the NFL, all with the Dolphins. So for simplicity sake, let us say that if drafted by the Steelers, he would have also played all 17 years with the Steelers. Given that, if the Steelers’ Head Coaching timeline that unfolded still stayed as it is today, Marino would have played under Chuck Noll from 1983-1992 and then Bill Cowher from 1992-1999 (when Marino retired).

    Now before you respond, here are a few facts that some here may not have known (including myself) about Dan Marino’s career. There are many more accolades that I could list but overall he had a phenomenal career minus the fact that he only made one Super Bowl appearance, and as we know the Dolphins lost.

    • He was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
    • Under Marino, the Dolphins reached the postseason in 10 of his 17 seasons.
    • He was selected to play in nine Pro Bowls.
    • He shredded that Bears’ team of 1985 handing them their only loss that season in a 38-24 convincing win. Marino had a Passer Rating of 108.6 with three TD throws in that game.
    • He is ranked #6 all-time with quarterback wins.
    • He was named first- or second-team All-Pro eight times.
    • He was voted NFL MVP in 1984.
    • He was voted NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1994.
    • He was voted NFL Man of the Year in 1998.
    • In 2010, he was ranked number 25 on the NFL's Top 100 Greatest Players list.
    • He actually had an offer in 2000 from the Steelers to join them but ended up retiring. Stating “that he wanted to play his whole career for one team”. Obviously, he did.

    As always, I look forward to everyone's responses.


    STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid
     
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  2. SteelerGlenn

    SteelerGlenn

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    Who
     
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  3. cajunyankee

    cajunyankee Well-Known Member

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    Marino on Cowhers Teams....... Oh that would have been Sweet!!!!!!

    Cajun
     
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  4. Disco1981

    Disco1981 Well-Known Member

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    Great post...Always liked Marino, Being a local guy through high school and college...

    Even though they're so many variables, mainly ( that draft, and every draft after would be at least somewhat different, trying to piece together the best possible roster )

    Since your asking for opinions, mine would be... Marino would still be great! Albeit, not with the stratospheric numbers...Noll would have implemented his power running game, and great defenses ( same with Cowher ) " Mixed in " with Marino's extreme talent...

    With as talented as Marino was, blended with good OL's, and great defenses...I absolutely think the Steelers would have" at least " a few more Super Bowls!
     
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  5. steel machine

    steel machine Well-Known Member

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    I say two more Super Bowls. I was pissed off when we passed on him.

    Off topic: The AFC North looks like it is about to get another damn good QB. Joe Burrow. Should make the Bengals much better in a few years. I could never take a season where the Steelers suck that bad but sure would not mind the Clemson guy under center for us.
     
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  6. steel machine

    steel machine Well-Known Member

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    My funny Marino story. I graduated from Central the year before Dan started there. This was before the internet. I use to tell the ladies that he broke all my passing records. It was a great conversation starter back in my bar pick up days. Sad to say it only got me lucky once:(
     
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  7. Roonatic

    Roonatic Well-Known Member

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    Mike Brown will still be making key decisions, no worries.
     
  8. pjgruden

    pjgruden

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    It's always fun to play the what-if game, but I don't think we can really answer this. I can only assume draft position would be different every year, and team needs would be different as well.
    And let's not forget that he was playing with a HOF coach in Shula. It wasn't like it was Noll/Cowher vs Chip Kelly
     
  9. troybellringer55

    troybellringer55 Well-Known Member

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    I’d say one or two more. 1994, 1995, 1997

    Dan would of been a huge upgrade over O’Donnell and Stewart.

    But Marino never seemed to play well in the playoffs. His dolphins teams were one and done several times.
     
  10. Vox Ferrum

    Vox Ferrum Well-Known Member

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    Interesting, in 83 the steelers made it to the PO's, as did the 'phins (dan's rookie year). The next year the 'phins trounced the Steelers in the AFC champ game. Could he have made the difference playing for the Steelers? In '89 we lost by 1 point to Denver in AFC champ game..I think he definitely could have got us to at least 1 SB with these teams alone. at least a few more PO appearances in the 80's. Admittedly the team did stink a lot, however.

    A hypothetical to your hypothetical, if the team had the successes in the early 90's, how much longer would Noll have coached? Remember Cowher took Noll's former team to the Playoff's the first couple of years. While the last 2 years of journey were bad, he actually built a foundation for Cowher to build on. Marino with those 90's teams, while still in his prime could have added a couple more SB appearances than just the one we had.

    As for the rumors, it was being spread around that Dan liked cocaine. I read in an article sometime ago there was members of the staff who knew the Marino family, but apparently no one ever reached out to check on the truth of these stories. Sad, seems the draft staff got lazy, and it showed.
     
  11. 86WardsWay

    86WardsWay Well-Known Member

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    My initial thoughts are 2 more SB victories easily. We had a heck of a defense through most of those years but very average QB players who simply couldn't pan out. The exception being he who shall not be named but even he whiffed in the SB.

    Marino's off field partying with rumors of the white candy probably had much to do with him not being selected by many teams including the Steelers. When he was drafted by Miami I was thinking that is the worst place for him to go with regards to those off field rumors but it really worked out well for him considering the future wife he met and truly becoming more of a family man.

    All in all I wish the Steelers would have selected him. Gabe Rivera's life may have been different as well if that happened.
     
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  12. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Hey Disco1981.

    As always my friend, it is great to hear from you. Thank you for the reply. I am with you 100% on your quote: "I absolutely think the Steelers would have" at least " a few more Super Bowls"! I remember watching him play the Steelers in a playoff game. The Steelers were actually up 14-10 in the 2nd Quarter when Marino kicked it into overdrive. His two primary targets were Mark Clayton and Mark Duper. As I stated Marino just flipped the switch on and there they went. I remember the comment form Chuck Noll vividly after Marino put on a clinic, Noll stated: "Wow". We just did not have the fire power to keep up with them. We did score some points on them but obviously they scored more. We just could not win in a shoot-out with them.

    Man, I really wish we had drafted him. I know there were some question marks about some "possible" off the field issues. None, of which ever materialized into anything from what I gathered. If we did draft him, and kept him for that 17 year-period, that would have spilled over onto the Cowher era. It makes you think:
    • If we had gotten him, would Noll have hung around longer, if we were achieving success and rings with Marino?
    • Would we have still gotten Cowher?
    • Would we have gotten Ben, even though Ben was drafted in 2004 and Marino retired in 1999. You know "cause and effect" scenario.

    Oh well what could have been. Like you, I pretty much think we would have won a few rings with him; especially if he spent his whole 17 years with us. On another note, hopefully things fall in place for us today. Go B & G! Take care.


    STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid
     
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2019
  13. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Hey SteelerGlenn.

    Come on now brother. You know "Who" my friend (smile). Take care.


    STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid
     
  14. We need a change

    We need a change Well-Known Member

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    Marino would not have conformed to a run based team. Fo that matter, how would we have done if we drafted Brady in the 1,2,3,4 or 5th round? It’s easy to say things would have been better if you took a player back when. Imagine if we had drafted Lamar Jackson instead of Edmunds? We didn’t draft him because everyone would have cried Cordell Cordell Cordell rather than actually looking at the player. So in the end, they have Lamar and we have Duck.
     
  15. We need a change

    We need a change Well-Known Member

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    Keep in mind, Jimmy Johnson came in fresh off multiple super bowl wins and have to throw his hands up with Marino. He said he could not win with him because he would not run an offense that was not based on his statistical results. Most teams that win championships are balanced in their run/pass attack. If you watch the cheats, they take the run of its there. This is what held Fouts, Manning, and Elway back for so long. Manning and Elway finally embraced the run when appropriate and managed to get a couple championships. Marino held on till the end and ended with a bunch of stats and empty fingers.
     
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  16. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Hey cajunyankee. Than you for the reply.

    Cajun, do you think Marino would have had more success on Noll's teams or Cowher's teams?

    I think I am leaning towards Cowher's. I think you are too by your post: "Marino on Cowhers Teams....... Oh that would have been Sweet"!!!!!!
    Given, Cowher's defenses and plus we were in "rebuilding mode" on "D" as all of those great "D" players from the 70s were retiring one by one. I just remember that once the "Dynasty" was over in Pittsburgh for the 70's, times did get a little lean there. We were still competitive but I think Cowher's teams were more talented and that Marino would probably have had more success under Cowher as our new "D" was well on its way to being established.

    Nevertheless, I would never underestimate Chuck Noll and what he could have accomplished with Marino. Maybe 1984, if the shoe was on the other foot as we played Miami in the AFC Championship game against a Marino-led Dolphins team. We did score 28 on them but not enough obviously. We could not hang with them in a "Shoot-Out". As I told another poster, I remember Chuck Noll commenting "Wow" after his performance in that game. I would have to agree with him. I remember watching that game and we were actually up 14-10 in the 2nd Quarter when Marino and company turned it into "Hyper-Gear". Sadly for him, that was the only Super Bowl that he ever went to. I guess Miami just did not have the defenses to complement their Offenses. Go B & G. Take care.


    STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid
     
  17. AFan

    AFan Well-Known Member

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    He'd have 3 times as many SBs in Pgh, that he won in Miami.
     
  18. We need a change

    We need a change Well-Known Member

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    3 times 0 is 0
     
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  19. AFan

    AFan Well-Known Member

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    0.0, Mr Blutarky.
     
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  20. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    Probably 3 more. I think our defense still would have been great regardless of draft position because no one was taking those 3-4 LB's. There was a lot to choose from.

    Marino + great defense + Bettis = SB's.
     
  21. SteelerGlenn

    SteelerGlenn

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    Just think if Marino played for the Steelers that whole kidnapping thing would’ve never happened.
     
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  22. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Hey 86WardsWay.

    Below, is a list of all the QBs that we had to work with. Starting with Bradshaw and taking it to Ben. For the most part, "the pickings were slim as the saying goes". Yeah, I would agree, at least two more rings with Marino.


    • Terry Bradshaw (Noll Era)

    • Cliff Stoudt
    • Mark Malone
    • David Woodley
    • Todd Blackledge
    • Bubby Brister
    • Neil O'Donnell (I believe this is where the Cowher Era begins.)
    • Mike Tomczak
    • Jim Miller
    • Kent Graham
    • Kordell Stewart
    • Tommy Maddox
    • Ben Roethlisberger
    Take care.


    STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid
    Hey We need a change.

    Yes, I see your point. Did Marino actually state that he would not play for a team that was not pass first? Different era versus today. I guess like many things in sports they become cyclical. In today's game we know it is dominated by passing. Back then during Marino's time it was a mixture as you stated, more balanced with the run and pass. You are correct Manning and Elway finally conformed and got their rings. It is too bad for Marino if that was his attitude. If he played for Pittsburgh he would have had to accepted the run as an integral part of the "O". We all know that Pittsburgh back then liked to play "Smash-Mouth" football which meant running the ball. In the end, this would have helped him to be a part of getting those rings. He did not have to do it all by himself with his arm if that is what he truly believed. As we also know from Marino's era, Pittsburgh has some great defenses and strong running backs but were missing that final ingredient, a quality QB. Pittsburgh would have been a great fit for him.


    STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid
     
  23. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    :icon mad::icon mad:
    Hey AFan.

    Yes, I think three rings over 17 years is a reasonable number. Maybe one with Noll and two with Cowher. Noll's teams of the 80s were definitely on the down slide after that fantastic run in the 70s. Many of the great 70s players retired during the 80s decade. It took awhile for them to rebuild a solid Defense which took place under Cowher in the 90s.The best chance under Noll was probably in that AFC championship game in 1984 where we ironically lost to the Marino-led Dolphins team.

    Once again, it is too bad that the Steelers' Management got "spooked" by the "supposed" off the field concerns of Marino that were never substantiated. Maybe Management should have done some more "digging" to these so-called allegations. In fairness to them, maybe they did and still were not 100% comfortable with drafting him. Either way, we missed out big time. Especially, with what we had to work with for QB after Bradshaw retired all the way up until we drafted Ben. What a QB drought that was. :icon mad:


    STEELWINDS AKA The East Side Kid
     
  24. We need a change

    We need a change Well-Known Member

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    Jimmy Johnson actually benched Marino because he would not conform to a balanced offense. He tried to work with him and was unsuccessful. He openly objected to the offensive strategy and changed plays during the game. He played with great players and two of the greatest coaches of all time and failed to deliver. To say for sure he would have made a difference in Pittsburgh is like Uncle Rico telling Napoleon Dynamite “if coach would have put me in we would have won state.”
     
  25. Disco1981

    Disco1981 Well-Known Member

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    Why the Hell do you always say Who? What tf does that mean? Is it an inside joke I'm missing? I seriously don't get it!
     

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