Writer Submission: Number 7

We start our Monday off with another submission to our writing contest, but first, we have a few updates from the world of the Miami Dolphins.

The EA Sports Madden NFL rankings have come out, we should have those up for you later today.

Owner Stephen Ross is predicting a Miami Dolphins Super Bowl appearance this year.

Safety O.J. Atogwe has not visited Miami and the Dolphins are at least publicly saying that they are happy with what they have at the position currently.  Happy does not always mean completely content.

Now, on to our next Submission. Today’s is brought to us by S.M.

By S.M.

I have been a Phin fan since I was old enough to turn on a 13″ colour TV, and dial in the Phins in the late 70s.  I chose the aqua and orange over the horseshoe helmets from Baltimore, whom they were playing on my inaugural Sunday.   I don’t remember the score that day, but owe many thanks to Marino and Shula for hope of a Super Bowl every year they were together through the 80s and 90s.

It’s interesting to think that while Marino is considered by many to be the best ‘passer’ ever to play, less give props to him as arguably the best QB ever.   As great as a QB that he was, throwing the ball 50 times a game , even in today’s passing era , clearly wasn’t the best recipe for getting to and winning the big game.

Marino would say: ‘I’m the greatest passer ever so ‘   Shula was calling the plays, but I told them, ‘I don’t care what he calls. We’re throwing every pass from now until we get the lead.’

If you ask Shula who is considered one of the best coaches of all time and recently had an annual coaching trophy named after him for integrity, achievement and positive impact on others he said this about the best Dolphin ever, ‘If you ask him, he wants to throw the ball on every down’.     Marino would say ‘ I know I’ve got to just keep throwing the ball. That’s what I do best.’

I’m not sure if Marino was trying to argue there is an ‘I’ in team but Marino had this to say about what he thinks,   ‘I throw better than anybody in college and I can throw with anybody in the pros. There, that’s what I think.’

No one is saying they couldn’t win the big one because Marino wouldn’t hand the ball off more often, but a leader needs to set the tone and engage his team to focus on team performance.

I just hope that as much as Chad Henne recently mentioned that he admires Marino and playing in his footsteps motivates him,  he engages the rest of the team around him with the likes of the Brady, Brees and Manning’s of the world.

Marino: ‘I want to know what it’s like to play in a Super Bowl and win one. My career will be great without it. But, personally, selfishly, I want to know what it feels like.’   A great leader doesn’t put there individual needs above that of the teams – true greatness in a team sport is a team championship.     Message to Henne:  Understand the sum of the parts is greater than the whole and you can bring greater glory to our Fins and bring greatness that Marino couldn’t, yes we can, yes WE CAN!    Better to be lucky than good, karma and the like.. 13 step aside it’s time for number 7 to lead the team!  Go Phins!