Not sure if this has been discussed before or recently. I figured that Dan Marino's passing yards record would not only be broken this year, but broken by a lot. Now I am not as sure but more than likely it will happen, potentially by more than one player. I hope it isn't Brady but that looks set in stone at this point. All he has to do is average 300 yards per game and he's got it. He has had a couple of 200 yard games this season so who knows. If he does make it then certainly the 500+ yards he got in the first game didn't help. Hopefully Miami's defense holds up in a few weeks. Just checked to see Brees having a monster game so he is probably the front runner at this point. I have accepted the fact that the game has changed so much since Marino's day that this record is no where near as huge as it once was. Still hoping for it to hold. Getting nervous over Green Bay's perfect season in the works....... KP
Morris was famously dismissive of the 2007 New England Patriots , a team he disliked for their presumptuous ways (or something to that effect). But things are different with the Packers, who Morris said deserve an officially-endorsed '72 Dolphins Champagne Toastâ„¢ if they run the slate and go 19-0. "If they do it, I will toast them," Morris said, according to FoxSportsFlorida.com . http://m.nfl.com/news/09000d5d8243015a/exdolphin-morris-would-toast-packers-if-they-finished-190/
Its surprising the yardage record has held for so long. I think Brees could have done it a few years ago but didn't want to in a losing effort. I think the reason it has held is because teams that throw it well get leads and don't need to throw it as much. And if bad teams could throw it better they wouldn't be bad teams. So even though they throw it a lot they aren't doing it well. For many of Marino's teams, he could throw the ball well and still be in close games. So more often than not he would be throwing a lot. I could only imagine what Marino would do in today's game.
Its amazing that the record still stands, its still one of the greatest achievements in the history of the NFL. Back then teams could hit the Qb high and low and play aggressive defense against WRs without drawing a flag. Marino would be ridiculous playing with today's offense oriented rulebook.
Records are meant to be broken and the original record immortilized in our memories. I'm not sure GB will go undfeated. The weather is about to change and that will become a factor that I feel will cause at least 1 loss and possibly in the playoffs. How sweet that would be.
Marino said recently that he'd throw for 5000 yards every year under these rules. Look at the completion percentages of those three guys this season. 66, 70, 72%. They're all Hall of Famers, but everybody's over 60% now days. Though only Rodgers is throwing for a higher YPA (9.6) than Marino (9.0) that year. Marino did it under those rules, at age 23. And only took 13 sacks that year to boot. Nobody is sniffing that. That might be Marino's most enduring legacy. The fact that it was so hard to get him to the ground with the ball in his hands. In 1988, he threw it 606 times and only took 6 sacks. Also enduring is that people are breaking his records one-by-one, while Dan set them all in one season.
all of his records will eventually be broken. A bigger question is, can they all be broken by the same player?
Rod Woodson said Marino would throw for 7,000 in ayear under these rules. Good stats to put it into perspective why he was singularly a once in a lifetime QB.
It's a testament to how much the game has changed that a record that was so remarkable in 1984 may not only be broken this year, but could even drop to 4th on the all-time list. In the end you just can't compare players from different times.
the rules have changed so much that breaking the record now won't mean anything. somene could be better but since the rules are so relaxed in favor of the passing game there will always be a stigma on a new record holder.
Because of the change in the game, and the rules, Marino's 1984 season will always remain the most impressive season for an NFL quarterback. He made it look easy back when it actually wasn't so easy. Not to take anything away from today's great QBs, but the numbers they are putting up now come in a day and age where a defender draws pass interference for even looking at a player cross eyed. Marino did it when a DB could rape a WR and not get a flag. Every Dolphin fan should have this page bookmarked - http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs07/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeff&id=3186324
Going even further on the sack thing, Marino was sacked approx. once every 30 attempts. Compare that to Elway (once every 14 att.), Montana (once every 17 att.) and Favre (once every 19 att.) and that's just ridiculous. The only guy better at not taking sacks is Peyton Manning, but just barely. Manning gets sacked once every 31 pass attempts.
i think they showed a graphic of brees being tied with the number of 350 yard games. sure would have been nice to have him as a Dolphin breaking Dan's records. oh well.
Let's not forget that the rule enforcement changes came about because Peyton Manning cried about the Patriot DB's in the playoffs in 2003 when he had a 35QBR. The NFL immediately changed its rules and Peyton (then Brady) immediately shattered Dan's records. The fact that, even with the new rules, Marino's record is only beaten by 1 and 2 is a testament to his season. 48 is still the most magical number
Echoing and elaborating a little... Records are indeed made to be broken. Jim Brown's rushing record was achieved over 9 years and 12 games per season. Walter Payton broke it playing 13 years and 14, then eventually 16 games per season Emmitt Smith broke it playing 15 years and 16 games per season. That's not to dimenish these athletes accomplishments, but to mere put them into perspective that Payton and Smith had more opportunities per season than did Jim Brown. Dan Marino's records...well, you can say what you want about Favre...you can say what you want about Manning. Both of those quarterbacks were phenominal, but they accomplished their records as a result of the NFL essentially saying, "a skirt on a quarterbcak isn't god enough....let's put some pumps on them and really protect them". Marino shattered the record book when quarterbacks were still allowed to be hit and pass interference was literally interference and not a little touching down field. Now in all fairness, Dan Fouts' records came from 15 years of play and starting off at 14 games a season before going to 16 games where Marino played 17 years and 16 games a season, but...Marino was knocked out of the season in 93 with an achilles tendon rupture so...There has to be a wash in there somewhere
Yes sir. And to further build on that point, they used to tackle Jim Brown by his facemask. They could hit him late, out of bounds, gouge his eyes, etc. It was a different game indeed. Brown did it when their weren't a lot of rules and still never missed a single game in his career. 50 years later, he'd still be the best back in the game.
If my memories about the rules are wrong, please don't consider this post A rule's change that, IMO, has affected a lot the game (but I don't think many people talk about) is the "intentional grounding": I remember that in the 80s there was no safe spot outside the pocket, where you could just throw it away. The QB just have to decide in a moment if A-taking a loss with a sack (and possibly a huge hit) or B-risking an interception try to throw near some receiver C-taking the penalty (consisting in losing yards and a loss of down?) PS- Sorry for my bad English
I've never cared for this rule either. IMO, grounding is grounding, inside or out of the pocket. Back in the day, QBs would launch one over a receiver's head and out of bounds. At least he was throwing "to" someone. But alot of rule changes, IMO, are not for the better.
On the intention grounding rule, here's one for someone to explain to me like I'm a 6 year old.... If you throw the ball and don't throw it to the line of scrimage and in the area of a receiver, it's intentional grounding yet... You hurry to the line of scrimmage, snap the ball and throw it at your feet,, that's spiking the ball to stop the clock and is legal. Hypocricy anyone?
This thread's title should be changed to either: Marino's Yardage Record of Marino's Records Danny's got more records than a thrift store!
Most Impressive Marino Stat: In 1984, he threw for 48 TDs. We all know this. The previous record was set in 1963 of 36 TDs!!!!!!!!! He also threw for 44 TDs in 1986.
Oh, I agree. Just like the braking the plane rule. One doesn't have to get into the end zone, as long as he reach the ball over at any point. Yet, when you run down the sideline and the ball breaks the sideline plane, you keep going.
Like I was saying before, all his records eventually will be broken, BUT how many by the same person?
Pretty sure there is an exception in the rules for spiking without any attempt to pass forward. That is why the double clutch within the past few weeks (I forget the QB) was a penalty.....
I should have mentioned this before. But they also changed the rules before Marino's 84 season (not exactly sure what year it was). I'm not sure what the rules were. And I don't know if those rules or the invention of the west coast offense were driving an increase in passing. But I think that is important context to add. Though I don't think it diminishes his accomplishments much at all. I also agree with those of you pointing out his ability to avoid sacks. It was really incredible. And its an important part of the game that I think is a bit overlooked.