re: Who is the best QB to NEVER win a SB?

quote:

---

Marino played 40 years too soon. He'd shatter so many damn passing records in 2026.

---

Would he?

In my opinion, people overemphasize Marino’s 1984 season within the context of his 17 year career. The Dolphins’ passing game might have been ahead of its time - but not for very long and never when it mattered most.

1. Marino passed for 48, 30, and 44 TD’s from 1984-1986 but only hit 30 (right on it) once more from 1987-1999. Every other year was only 26 or fewer.

2. Marino led the NFL in passing yards five times but also led it in attempts five times. You should get more yards and touchdowns when you throw it more than everyone else.

3. Marino was 8-10 in the playoffs with a mediocre 77.1 passer rating at a time when the NFC was amassing a 13 game Super Bowl winning streak over the inferior AFC. Only twice in those ten postseason losses did Miami lose to the eventual Super Bowl champion. If Miami had been in the NFC East (which won seven Super Bowls during Marino’s career) instead of the AFC East all those years, some of those numbers might have been harder to achieve.

4. There were a lot more shattered records in the 20th century than you see now because there was generally more distance between what had been done and what could be done than there is today.

Another Bob Beamon would have to long jump about 31’. Another Michael Johnson would have to run well under 19.00 in the 200. Another Mark McGwire would have to hit at least 82 home runs. Another Barry Sanders would have to rush for over 3,000 yards in 12 college games. Another Dan Marino would have to throw nearly 70 TD’s in 16 games.

None of those things are happening. The human body can only run so fast, jump so far, and throw so many TD’s in a finite amount of time. As time marches on, it becomes more difficult to make significant leaps over what’s been done before.

Obviously Marino.

Danny White should be in the tier after

Geno Smith

quote:

---

Another Bob Beamon would have to long jump about 31’. Another Michael Johnson would have to run well under 19.00 in the 200. Another Mark McGwire would have to hit at least 82 home runs. Another Barry Sanders would have to rush for over 3,000 yards in 12 college games. Another Dan Marino would have to throw nearly 70 TD’s in 16 games.

None of those things are happening. The human body can only run so fast, jump so far, and throw so many TD’s in a finite amount of time. As time marches on, it becomes more difficult to make significant leaps over what’s been done before.

---

Those are way different than Marino. It wasn't a limitation of his body, it was a product of the rules of the game.

quote:

---

Those are way different than Marino. It wasn't a limitation of his body, it was a product of the rules of the game.

---

Negative.

There are time limits in football games just like there are physical limits in human bodies. There are only so many touchdowns that can be thrown in a 60 minute football game. Marino pushed the single season passing TD record from 36 to 48 in 1984. Today, a QB (in a 16 game schedule) would have to throw 73 TD passes to increase the record by the same percentage. That ain’t happening.

It’s kind of like the square-cube law when talking animal strength. An ant wouldn’t keep the same relative strength it has now if you increased its mass to 100 lbs. Similarly, 1984 Dan Marino isn’t going to throw 73 TD passes in 2026.

What a lot of people also don’t take into consideration is defenses today are a lot more accustomed to high volume passing. Everyone is always like, “OMG, look at what Marino did in 1984! He would throw 100 TD passes with today’s rules!”

Yet he played the entire decade of the ‘90s and never threw more than 30 TD’s and never led the league in that category. He never came close to 5,000 yards in the ‘90s (only broke 4,000 yards twice) and led the league in attempts the only year he led it in passing yards.

do you even billy kilmer brah…

quote:

---

And of course Archie.

---

It’s Marino…….

But for a homer pick and a guy that doesn’t get mentioned nearly enough say Bert Jones for the sake of argument.

Dan Marino baby

Tarkenton, Fouts, and Kelly are there too

Marino