Dan Marino is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Over his 17-year career with the Miami Dolphins, he threw for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns. While Marino spent his whole career in Miami, he’s from Pittsburgh, a slight sore spot for some Steelers fans. The Steelers had the opportunity to draft Marino but instead chose Texas Tech DT Gabe Rivera. That decision haunted them for years. However, analyst Pete Prisco isn’t sure Marino would’ve had the same success had he played for his hometown team.
“If Dan Marino had ended up in Pittsburgh playing quarterback for the Steelers, rather than playing in the conditions in south Florida and Miami, he would have been an entirely different quarterback,” Prisco said Tuesday on the 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe podcast.
It’s true that Miami and Pittsburgh have vastly different weather. During football season, the Steelers get a good taste of winter. They also often deal with ugly conditions before winter begins, with rain and cold plaguing them. Their stadium being right next to a river doesn’t help with that, either. Oftentimes, it takes a strong-armed quarterback to succeed with the Steelers.
However, Marino was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He played four years of college football at the University of Pittsburgh. At that point, he was probably used to western Pennsylvania weather. Also, Marino had one of the best arms in the history of football. He had the tools to be just as successful with the Steelers as he was with the Dolphins.
Prisco doesn’t believe that’s true, though.
“He would have been different,” he said. “Go look at his numbers at Pitt. They weren’t as great as you think they were.”
In four years at Pitt, Marino threw for 7,905 yards, 74 touchdowns, and 64 interceptions. He also attempted over 1,000 passes. Are those perfect numbers? No, but consider that Marino played there from 1979-1982. The game was completely different then, especially in college.
Compare Marino’s stats to those of John Elway, who was the first overall pick in the same draft as Marino. Elway threw for 9,349 yards, 77 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions. However, he also attempted almost 200 more passes than Marino. Therefore, their numbers aren’t as far apart as they seem to be.
Elway’s numbers are better, but it’s not like Marino was withering away at Pitt. He was still good enough to be a first-round pick, and eventually, he built a career good enough to get enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For what it’s worth, Marino thinks not playing for the Steelers was good for him, but not for the same reasons that Prisco suggests. Leaving home forced him to mature. Perhaps staying in Pittsburgh would’ve hurt his career, but the weather likely wouldn’t have been a problem.
