Dan Marino does not believe Miami Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross, will ever make throwbacks permanent

When it comes to the Miami Dolphins and their fans, nothing is more debateable than Tua Tagovailoa, except maybe their uniforms.

They are crisp, clean, and traditional. Dolphins fans love them, the media love them, and fans of other NFL teams love them. We are talking about the Miami Dolphins throwback jerseys but don't expect a change anytime soon.

Dan Marino was asked about the uniforms by ProFootballTalk at media row in Las Vegas during this lead-in to the Super Bowl. Marino laughed and while he said he loves the throwbacks, he doesn't think Stephen Ross will ever make them permanent.

Marino is right for more reasons than we could know. As Marino said in the interview about the uniforms, "It was kind of his baby." Let's look at that a bit because I was there when the Dolphins actually decided to reveal a change was coming.

Then CEO Mike Dee spoke with a bunch of us "Dolphins fan-sites" during a weekend a year before the uniforms were changed to the current logo. Dee said the new uniforms would make "your old logo a classic and that you will all love it!" That wasn't the case and much of what Mike Dee rolled out during his time in Miami wasn't well-received...the Dolphins Cancer Challenge was.

Stephen Ross wanted to put his fingerprints on his team so he changed the logo. It was in his control to do so. He invested a lot of money in that change but it has never truly met the approval of fans.

The logo was ridiculed from the start but Stephen Ross was invested. He spent a load of money on the logo. Changes were not just on the field. The stadium converted, the training center converted, and everything from the bathrooms at the stadium saw changes to the new logo. This indeed was Ross' baby and yes, Marino is correct, Stephen Ross is done listening to it.

Don't think for a minute that he hasn't had it all in his ear either. Former coaches preferred the original logo so much they chose to wear the logo over the current one. Former players have said to the media that they love playing in the throwbacks. The media loves them, most fans love them, and everyone else loves them, except Stephen Ross because Stephen Ross designed a different one. Or at least approved it.

I know firsthand that several executives with the Dolphins prefer the original because I have spoken to them about it in casual conversations over the years. Still, it isn't changing until Ross sells the franchise to someone else who doesn't have a connection to the logo Miami uses now.

The constant talk about the logo could also be a reason we don't tend to see the throwbacks used as much during the season anymore. Teams can use their alternate uniforms three times a season. The Dolphins wore them twice in 2023.

It is understandable that Ross doesn't want to hear about the uniforms anymore and if Miami could start winning playoff games maybe the desire to have the current uniform replaced might change. Consider that since the Dolphins made the current "beached whale" logo official in 2013, the Dolphins have had three double-digit winning seasons, two 9-8 seasons, and the rest below .500. Maybe winning will change the perception.

What it won't change is the push for a return to the historic colors and logo that most fans are pounding their fists for. Stephen Ross may not want to hear about it anymore as Dan Marino said and he may have no intention of ever changing it but eventually, Stephen Ross won't own the Miami Dolphins and maybe then, a change will be made. One thing is certain, if the Dolphins ever do go back to the original uniform permanently, that owner is going to be applauded.

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