Yahoo Finance Dan Marino goes full old man when talking about today's NFL passing game
One of the favorite games of sports fans is speculating over how a favorite player would look in a different era.
It’s especially fun when players get involved.
Dan Marino got in on the action on Wednesday in an appearance on FS1’s “First Things First.”
What would Dan do?
He put his old-man hat on when talking about how prolific his game would be playing by today’s NFL pass-friendly rules that prohibit excessive contact with quarterbacks and give receivers more freedom from defenders downfield.
How many passing yards could Dan Marino have in today's NFL?
"Since I don't have to prove it, I could stand here and tell you I could throw for 6,000 yards, 60 TDs. No problem." — @DanMarino pic.twitter.com/pyB4EWiXHf— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) January 15, 2020
“I think that not only me, but some other guys would have thrown for 5,000 yards if the rules were like they are today,” Marino said. “But you know what, since I don’t have to prove it I could stand here and just tell you I’d throw for 6,000 yards, 60 touchdowns — no problem.”
Marino’s argument holds up
While his tongue is planted firmly in his cheek when talking about 6,000 yards and 60 touchdowns, it’s hard to argue that he wouldn’t have regularly challenged the 5,000-yard barrier.
In a sport where looking back at the stats of greats like John Elway and Joe Montana amounts to a disappointing exercise, Marino’s numbers from the 80s and 90s still impress.
His iconic 1984 season with 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns stands up quite nicely to Patrick Mahomes’ historic 5,097-yard, 50-touchdown MVP campaign in 2018.
His six seasons with more than 4,000 yards fall just two short of Aaron Rodgers, who has played with the benefit of modern passing rules.
So yeah. It’s fun to laugh at Marino’s old-man take.
But it’d be more fun to watch him play by today’s rules.
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