Marino needed no more proof that he was the Greatest

Monday, August 8, 2005
Robert Henderson
MDBW Staff Writer

When Dan Marino was growing up on Parkview Avenue in the small Pittsburgh suburb of Oakland, could he have possibly known or imagined that he would turn the region of South Florida into the crazy fanatical Dolphins fans they are, basically all because of him?

Of course. The only thing he didn't know was that it would be South Florida.

That is the confidence that Dan Marino has. He could thread a ball between two defenders for a touchdown, and he could lead the Dolphins to the endzone for the winning touchdown as if it were the first drive of the game. It is ultimately this confidence that made Marino the best ever.

Terry Kirby, who played for the Dolphins from 1993-95 spoke of Marino's confidence in an article by Jason Cole in the Miami Herald, "Being in the huddle with him if we were down with two minutes to go. He was total confidence," Kirby said. "He'd say, 'Listen, we're going to go down, run these [expletive] plays and we're going to win the game.' Then we'd just do it."

If anyone were to question the loyalty that we Dolphins fans have to Dan the Man, all they would have to do is stare out at the 21,000 plus Dolphins fans wearing aqua and orange, and number 13 yesterday.

Heck, Dolphins fans have to drive down Dan Marino Avenue to get to Dolphins stadium now. Unfortunately, it isn't to see Marino drive down the field anymore.

When Marino was voted into the Hall of Fame this past January he challenged Dolphins fans to take over the small town of Canton, Ohio in August. Well, did they ever!

"I challenged all Dolphins fans to overrun Canton, and you know what? We've taken it over," Marino said. "Thank you."

Today I wore my authentic number 13 jersey all the way from Nassau, Bahamas to North Carolina. And both in Nassau and the small city of Winston Salem, I got those expected comments.

"It's Dan Marino day," one man said. Another said, "Dan Marino's a Hall of Famer today." All I could do was smile and say, "yup," while thinking to myself, did you expect anything different from the greatest quarterback to ever play the game?

The Miami Dolphins have quite a few Hall of Famers, and they hold legacy to the Greatest Coach of all time: Don Shula. They even have the only perfect season and winningest franchise in NFL History. But you can consider it a fact that this man, Dan the Man, doubled, maybe even tripled this fan base.

It's hard to accept the fact that we will never hear Bill Zimpher (or another broadcaster) say the words, "Marino back to pass," and inevitably, "TOUCHDOWN MIAMI!" Therefore, Marino’s induction yesterday into the Hall of Fame was both a happy and sad moment. Dolphins fans, since the day of his retirement after the 1999 season have hoped that he will come back to suit up in the aqua and orange for just one more season. They've hoped to hear those reassuring words over the radio or television, knowing that with the football in Marino’'s hands, the Dolphins always had a chance to win.

Now, Marino's taken that second step after retirement, he's been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Everybody knew it would happen, and even when it would happen. But now that hope (even though we all know in the back of our minds it's wishful thinking, very wishful), that faint possibility, that desire to see Dan Marino suit up just one more time is pretty much gone.

There will be years to come, decades, that you will see somebody wearing a number 13 jersey at a Dolphins game. His legacy lives on, and it will survive for probably as long as the last generation of kids who watched him play.

You can talk about Joe Montana, John Elway, Jim Kelly, Brett Favre, or Steve Young (who also was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday), and how great they were in their careers. But as great as they were, as many rings as the might have won or didn't win, you can never equate the magic, the drive, and the confidence of Dan Marino.

"We didn't win a Super Bowl together," Marino told Coach Don Shula in his speech, "And that is something I will always regret not knowing what that feels like."

"But you and I have won more games together than any quarterback and coach in the history - the culmination - the history of the NFL. That is something I'm very proud of."

A Super Bowl Ring would have been almost too good to be true, the unnecessary icing on the cake, the proof that he was the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Unfortunately, most people need that proof in order to admit that he was the best. It would have been extremely nice, extremely well suited, and completely appropriate for Marino to win a Super Bowl. But it comes down to one simple truth: Marino don't play defense.

Mark Kreidler, of ESPN.com, wrote a column on Marino's lack of a ring last week and he said, "It's still America, and America loves its winners, and the Super Bowl is the ultimate win in sports, and Dan Marino never did get one. He played and he played and he played, but it never happened."

Well, you know what Mr. Kreidler, you’re right. America does love its winners, and that's why America bombarded Canton, Ohio yesterday wearing number 13.

Dan Marino never needed to prove that he was the greatest quarterback of all time. He simply was.

As I stood in the middle of a sports bar in Charlotte's airport in my aqua number 13 jersey, I watched Dan give his speech and had to hold back the tears. As I said earlier, it’s hard to accept, to really grasp onto the reality that we will never see Marino drop back to throw another pass.

"To tell you all what I miss most is for 17 years, running out of the tunnel knowing I was the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins and playing in front of the greatest fans in the world," Marino said. "That's what I miss most."

But thank God for memories (and highlights). The Fake Spike. Beating the Bears. 48 touchdowns, 5,084 yards. The tight spiral. The 4th quarter comebacks – all 37 of them. 61,361. 420.

That 1984 season alone was magical. He obliterated NFL passing records that set the bar for excellence.

"In 1984, we set a standard throwing the football that teams are still trying to match today."

Whether or not any passing attack matches or somehow outdoes that glorious 1984 season, no passing attack or quarterback will ever be the same as Dan Marino. Marino had style, he had rhythm, he had caress, a feel for the game. Some say he had the worst mechanics in the game, dropping back and holding the ball down by his waist as he sidestepped the rush. But man, when he darted that thing over the defense and into the receiver's hands, who the heck cared about mechanics?

He did it just one more time yesterday for everyone to see. "I'm going to start licking my fingers a little bit because you know what happens when I lick my fingers," Marino hinted. "Of course in the end, every quarterback wants one more thing. He wants one more Sunday in front of his fans with a football in his hand with one last chance to go deep. And I'm going deep." "Clayton, turn around and go deep right there."

Right on the money.

Of course.

Thank you Dan Marino for 17 years of greatness. You're our hero.