Is Dan Marino overrated?
By Dan Heaning
Mandatory Credit: MiamiDolphins.com
“Marino didn’t have a good enough defense.”
During Marino’s career, the Dolphins produced the “Killer B’s” defense and the Johnson era defense. Two of the very best in franchise history. So we’re done here right? This is not an excuse?
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Not so fast, my friends. When Marino took over in 1983, the B’s were a top 10 defense in the league. However after 1983, the B’s would only finish in the top 10 in points allowed once and did not break the top 10 in yards allowed. So by the time Marino was hitting his stride, the “Killer B’s” were suffering from colony collapse.
In fact, in every season from 1985 to 1989, the Dolphins defense finished in the 20s with the exception of the two times they finished 12th and 16th in points allowed in 1985 and 1987 respectively.
OK, so the “Killer B’s” weren’t the defense that Marino needed. But what about the Johnson era defense? That defense had some of the all-time best players this franchise has ever seen.
While it was one of the best, it was not while Marino was still playing. Unveiled in 1996, the Johnson defense finished in the low teens and 20s in points as well as yards allowed during their first two seasons. The defense came into its own in 1998 as a top three unit, but fell off considerably in 1999 when they finished fifth in yards allowed and 19th in points. Not to mention this is the same defense that allowed 38, 62, and 27 points in three straight divisional round appearances (only one of those didn’t include Marino). Yikes!
So Marino never had a defense. OK, excuse validated. Let’s move on, right? Like Columbo used to say, “just one more thing.”
Marino had a top 10 defense (in both points and yards yielded) four times during his career and only five times if the defense was top 10 in either category. Let’s compare that to Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Joe Montana – the so-called “best of the best.”
Brady has had a top 10 defense in both categories five times, however the Patriots defense has been top 10 in either points or yards 11 times during his career. All of his Super Bowls were accompanied by a top 10 defense in points allowed.
Manning has had a top 10 defense in either category seven times. He won his Super Bowl with a defense ranked in the 20s. However, that 2006 Colts defense was renowned for being awful, but for that one playoff run turned into a force as evidenced by their meteoric rise to the best points allowed and third best yards allowed the very next season.
Montana had a top 10 defense nine times with the 1985 defense acting as the only one to finish below 10th in any category – the 49ers finished 14th in yards allowed that season. So every time Montana won a championship, he was accompanied by a top tier defense.
In summation, Montana and Brady have always had the defense to be contenders, and even the often left by his lonesome Manning has had more quality defenses than Marino.