We can always look back on what we did
The ultimate goal of every NFL quarterback is to help lead their team to a win at the Super Bowl. I would dare venture to say that if that were not the quarterback’s goal, he wouldn’t be in the league or his linemen would be very generous to the defensive line of the other team and that quarterback would take much worse hits than Tebow did a couple of Saturdays ago and be out fairly quickly. The shirt, the hat, the trophy and the ring . . . those are the tangible items waiting at the end of all the sweat, blood and tears of a grueling 17-week regular season, plus those last four post-season games. Although I really think that the tangible items are just a side note to the personal satisfaction, the feeling of accomplishment, the victory.
Where is this all leading? Dan Marino.
After playing for 17 years as the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, Marino walked away from the game never having felt the sure victory of winning the Super Bowl. He had only played two seasons when in 1985, he and his team did win the AFC title. This would be the only Super Bowl game that he would play in his entire career. They lost to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers that year. So close, but he had to go away empty handed.
Marino did everything that was humanly possible for him to do to get back to the Super Bowl. He did everything that he should. He worked as hard, if not harder, than every other quarterback in the league. It just ended up being not enough. He and his team just couldn’t gain their ultimate goal. After the ’99 season, Marino retired. His accomplishments when he retired were, in part, that he held 23 NFL records and had tied four others.
Walking away from the game must have been bitter-sweet having gained so much, yet not being able to do what he set out to do. What he must have thought so many times was within his grasp and seeing it slip away again and again. I am sure that it was heartbreaking and frustrating. I will bet in a way it was a relief to finally just decide that he did what he could, he’d put every effort known into obtaining his dream and then somberly mourning the loss of that dream and moving forward in a new direction.
Seventeen years was long enough . . .
The ultimate goal of every NFL quarterback is to help lead their team to a win at the Super Bowl. I would dare venture to say that if that were not the quarterback’s goal, he wouldn’t be in the league or his linemen would be very generous to the defensive line of the other team and that quarterback would take much worse hits than Tebow did a couple of Saturdays ago and be out fairly quickly. The shirt, the hat, the trophy and the ring . . . those are the tangible items waiting at the end of all the sweat, blood and tears of a grueling 17-week regular season, plus those last four post-season games. Although I really think that the tangible items are just a side note to the personal satisfaction, the feeling of accomplishment, the victory.
Where is this all leading? Dan Marino.
After playing for 17 years as the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, Marino walked away from the game never having felt the sure victory of winning the Super Bowl. He had only played two seasons when in 1985, he and his team did win the AFC title. This would be the only Super Bowl game that he would play in his entire career. They lost to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers that year. So close, but he had to go away empty handed.
Marino did everything that was humanly possible for him to do to get back to the Super Bowl. He did everything that he should. He worked as hard, if not harder, than every other quarterback in the league. It just ended up being not enough. He and his team just couldn’t gain their ultimate goal. After the ’99 season, Marino retired. His accomplishments when he retired were, in part, that he held 23 NFL records and had tied four others.
Walking away from the game must have been bitter-sweet having gained so much, yet not being able to do what he set out to do. What he must have thought so many times was within his grasp and seeing it slip away again and again. I am sure that it was heartbreaking and frustrating. I will bet in a way it was a relief to finally just decide that he did what he could, he’d put every effort known into obtaining his dream and then somberly mourning the loss of that dream and moving forward in a new direction.
Seventeen years was long enough . . .
posted by B at
1:55 PM
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