| It appears as if the sun has set
on the great QB class of 1983. Todd Blackledge left the game following the 1989 season,
the first of the group to hang up his helmet. Tony Eason retired in 1990, followed by Ken
O’Brien in ’93. Jim Kelly called it quits in ’96, and John Elway became a
civilian after winning his second Super Bowl following the ’98 season.
Now, all signs point to Dan Marino formally calling it a career — somewhat
reluctantly — on Monday (March 13). It’s kind of fitting that the last
quarterback taken in the first round of that historic draft is the last to leave the game.
One of the most celebrated quarterbacks to ever don an NFL jersey is calling it quits.
In a way, it’s kind of sad. Another one bites the dust. After losing Elway, who left
triumphantly after winning back-to-back championships, we now lose another great one. And
the exodus of all-time greats may not be over, as Steve Young is still considering
retirement.
Marino played in one Super Bowl. It was after his second season in the NFL. Every
single season since then, he clawed and scratched, trying to lead his teammates back to
the big game. Even after his skills began to diminish somewhat, he kept coming back,
clinging to the dream that he could reach the championship contest and then, perhaps,
leave on top.
It never happened.
And now the Dolphins are ready to move on without the most popular athlete to ever play
in South Florida. Some say the Dolphins treated him poorly. They claim that Marino should
have the right to decide his own future. It he wants to start for the Dolphins in 2000,
they say, it should be his call. Those people, the ones who believe that, are called fans.
They aren’t the ones who are responsible for winning the football games.
Marino no longer gives the Dolphins the best opportunity to win. Jimmy Johnson, Dave
Wannstedt and the other Dolphins coaches and front-office members believe a younger
quarterback will put the team in a better position to succeed.
Look at the facts, and you can’t help but see that the Miami braintrust is making
the right call. Marino appears to be making the right decision, too, by not trying to hang
on for one more year by taking Dennis Green up on his ludicrous offer to start for the
Vikings in 2000.
In ’99, Marino had his worst pro season. There is no reason to believe that at the
age of 39 (in September), Marino could turn it around. His completion percentage has
declined every season since 1995. His 55.3 completion percent last season was the lowest
of his 17-year NFL career. Last season he tossed only 12 touchdown passes —
one-fourth of the astounding 48 he threw in 1984. Marino’s interception total rose in
each of the last four years, as he finished with 17 last season. Finally, Marino’s
passer rating of 67.4 in 1999 was the lowest of his pro career.
Marino’s slow steps toward retirement began, literally, in 1993, the year in which
he blew out an Achilles and appeared in only five games. After that, some say, he was
never quite the same. His mobility continued to decline as each season passed.
Another problem was Marino’s diminishing arm strength. Because of a pinched nerve
in his neck, Marino couldn’t fling the football the way he could in his youth. There
was speculation that if he really worked — really wanted to put in a ton of rehab
hours — he could have regained some of his arm strength. But would it have been
enough? Probably not. Age takes its toll on everyone, including Hall of Fame football
players.
Nonetheless, Marino is going out as one of the all-time greats. Too bad he isn’t
going out a winner. |
