Lack of Super Bowl May Help Marino’s Case as G.O.A.T.

Dan Marino would easily be considered the greatest quarterback ever had he won just one stinking Super Bowl ring.

Just one.

However, when you look at the Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in his era- you will see something a little peculiar.

This point will open your eyes to something that the Marino detractors conveniently tuck away when it comes to his career. He never had a pro bowl caliber running back.

Not once.

Never.

Every Super Bowl winning quarterback, hall of famer or not, had a pro bowl caliber back except for one and I’ll tell you which one and explain their historical significance but just read this list and you’ll see where it matters.

1983- Raiders- Marcus Allen

1984- Niners- Roger Craig

1985- Bears- Walter Payton

1986- Giants- Joe Morriss

1987- Redskins- Timmy Smith*

1988- Niners- Craig

1989- Niners- Craig

1990- Giants- Ottis Anderson

1991- Redskins- Earnest Byner

1992 Cowboys- Emmitt Smith

1993- Cowboys- Smith

1994- Niners- Rickey Watters

1995- Cowboys- Smith

1996- Packers- Dorsey Levens

1997- Broncos- Terrell Davis

1998- Broncos- Davis

1999- Rams- Marshall Faulk
Each of those starting running backs were Pro Bowl players either in the season they won the Super Bowl or had been a Pro Bowler the years before or after.

Many are already in the Hall of Fame and a couple will potentially one day be in Canton.

Despite the genius of both Montana and Walsh- the West Coast offense is held handcuffed without the balance of Roger Craig

The only non Pro Bowl player on this list is the 1987 Redskins’s Timmy Smith. Now Smith didn’t enjoy a Pro Bowl season or have a celebrated career; however, he does own the single game Super Bowl rushing record of 208 yards which he achieved that historic night against the Denver Broncos.

These records help paint a legit case towards the argument of Marino’s all time greatness. Montana, Elway, Aikman, Simms, Favre, Young, and Warner all are Hall of Fame caliber quarterbacks who won Super Bowls during this era; however, without their elite counterparts in the backfield- they never achieve this feat.

Marino’s two best backs? Mark Higgs and Karim Abdul- Jabbar- doesn’t really inspire images of greatness, does it?

One more list shows you the running backs of the Super Bowl losing teams. The majority of these squads also had pro bowl caliber runningbacks.

1983- Redskins- John Riggins

1984- Dolphins- Tony Nathan

1985- Patriots- Craig James

1986- Broncos- Sammy Winder

1987- Broncos- Sammy Winder

1988- Bengals- Ickey Woods

1989- Broncos- Bobby Humphrey

1990- Bills- Thurman Thomas

1991- Bills- Thurman Thomas

1992- Bills- Thurman Thomas

1993- Bills- Thurman Thomas

1994- Chargers- Natrone Means

1995- Steelers- Bam Morris

1996- Patriots- Curtis Martin

1997- Packers- Dorsey Levens

1998- Falcons- Jamal Anderson

1999- Titans- Eddie George

A total of seven appearances by current or future Hall of Famers. Some of the others who aren’t Hall of Famers had notable seasons. Craig James, Winder, Means, Levens, Woods, and Anderson were all 1,000 yard rushers during their respectable campaigns and Jamal Anderson finished with over 1,800 yards rushing in his 1998 season with Atlanta. Even the Super Bowl losers were well covered when it came to their ground attack.

Which is ultimately why Elway and not Marino eventually broke through on pro football’s biggest stage. Before Terrell Davis, Elway had arguably the most pitiful statistics in Super Bowl History. With a record of 0-3 that included three blowouts- Elway’s career wouldn’t have turned out the way it had without the efforts of TD.

“This one’s for John” never happens had Terrell Davis never landed into Denver’s lap in the 6th round of the 1995 NFL draft. Elway failed his first three Super Bowl attempts minus an elite runningback.

Given the greatness of Marino’s arm, Don Shula, the Marks Brothers, and many of the men on his offensive line- Marino was unable to cover one major flaw in his team. That flaw was the lack of a semi-elite runningback.

In an era where we remember clutch quarterbacks, the runningbacks ultimately defined their signal-callers. The difference between Aikman and Montana from Marino and Moon is only as wide as the difference between Emmitt Smith and Bernie Paramalee. One of which your mom knows who he is and the other sounds like the owner of a pizzeria down the block.

The lists and history proves one fact- had Marino had a Pro Bowl caliber back, then he would be all alone in pro football’s pantheon of great quarterbacks.