Dolphins legend Dan Marino: I would have won ‘a couple’ Super Bowls with Steelers

There are few athletes who were as great at their respective sport as Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino was that don’t have a championship on their resume. Had the Miami Dolphins legend landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, would things have played out differently for him?

“Looking back at their teams [Steelers], I probably would have won a couple Super Bowls,” Marino said about what would’ve happened if he had been drafted by the Steelers on the latest edition of “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward.” “I really do [think so], because of the defense they had. …

“I feel like I would’ve been pretty good in Pittsburgh. … I actually think in a lot of ways it was probably better that I left because I was 21 years old [could] just get a different experience.”

Marino grew up in Pittsburgh and then played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He was selected by the Dolphins with the No. 27 pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. Six picks earlier, the Steelers selected Texas Tech nose tackle Gabe Rivera with the No. 21 pick.

While the Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowls in NFL history (six), they actually didn’t win a Super Bowl during Marino’s NFL career (1983-99). Pittsburgh had a handful of different starting quarterbacks during that span, including Mark Malone, Bubby Brister and Neil O’Donnell.

Marino went on to be one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, spending his entire 17-year career with the Dolphins. A three-time All-Pro, nine-time Pro Bowler and the 1984 MVP, Marino led the NFL in passing yards five times, passing touchdowns three times and in 1984 became, at the time, the first player in league history to throw for 5,000 yards in a single season.

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The Dolphins went a combined 147-93 in the regular season and 8-10 in the postseason with Marino under center, highlighted by leading them to Super Bowl XIX, Marino’s second season. En route to reaching the Super Bowl, the Dolphins beat the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, with Marino throwing for 421 yards and four touchdowns in the 45-28 victory.

Marino is seventh in NFL history in passing touchdowns (420), ninth in passing yards (61,361) and 10th in passes completed (4,967). He currently serves as a special advisor to the Dolphins.

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