1984 Dolphins: Marino Was Never Better http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/andy-cohen-1984-dolphins-marino-was-never-better Good read.....
I'm sure many of you saw "The Top Ten Greatest Seasons" on NFLN this year......what a joke. Marino's 1984 season left off the list and Tom Brady's record breaking year was number one. Not only did they ignore the fact that Marino was shattering every record conceivable and doing it in an era where the WR's could be mauled all the way down the field. they missed the fact that unlike Manning and Brady, he didn't just surpass the record (by one TD) ......he crushed the record and forced DC's to the drawing board to slow down the onslaught. Y.A. Tittle had 36 in a single season in 1966......Marino threw for 48 TD's in 84'. That's crushing the record in a Ruthian manner....and just like Ruth, the game had to change before anyone could catch him.
I think the rule on chucking receivers was changed in 1978. That was also when they started letting offensive linemen stick out their arms. First Bradshaw, then Fouts, then Marino took advantage. It was probably the biggest strategic revolution in football since the T-formation back in 1940.
It has loonnnnggg been that way. All these writers and broadcasters are from the northeast and they hate Miami because we put a beat down on their hometown faves so consistently, for so many years.
Great read. The more I read and hear about this team, the easier it is to understand why I have always loved them all so much. OT: Loved the presser and interviews on aquavision today.
That is so awesome. I once talked smack to a Buffalo Bills fan friend of mine and posted the 70's record to him and said how badly we would beat them again. For that moment, lets just say on December 4th, 2005 I will forever be greatful and love Chris Chambers and his performance in that particular game!
The rule was changed after the 1971 season. It's another reason why Al Davis thinks the NFL has something against the Raiders. George Atkinson, Jack Tatum, and Willie Brown could have been charged with attempted homicide on numerous occassions. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuP0Cldbn10&feature=related"]YouTube - Atkinson & Tatum[/ame] Edit: Found an even better example. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7By3OAHZeU&feature=related"]YouTube - Moment of Impact - Tradition by Position - Secondary[/ame] The end result was the proliferation of the modern day pro passing game. Scoring skyrocketed. Take a look at the superbowls results just for a sample. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/super-bowl/ The rule hasn't changed in high school though. I think too many high school defensive coordinators have disregarded that fact.
We must be talking about different rules. This video from NFL.com explains the 1978 rule changes (demonstrated by Don Shula). The five-yard chuck rule is at 1:15. The blockers can stick out their arms rule is at 2:25. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d8111333a/Top-Ten-Things-that-Changed-the-Game-1978-rule-changes
