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Dan Marino Wouldn't Trade HOF for a Super Bowl Win (1 Viewer)

Which Career Would You Rather Have?

  • Super Bowl winning QB Joe Theismann

    Votes: 6 14.6%

  • HOF QB Warren Moon

    Votes: 35 85.4%
  • Total voters
    41
cstu

cstu

Footballguy
Anyone surprised?

Dan Marino is on the short list of the greatest players never to win a championship, and he’s just fine with that.

Appearing at a Pro Football Hall of Fame function on Friday, Marino was asked whether he would trade the gold jacket that comes with Hall of Fame induction for a Super Bowl ring. Marino’s one-word answer: “No.”

Enshrinement in Canton represents the greatest individual achievement a pro football player can aspire to, and Marino isn’t just in Canton, but he’s even among the elite in the Hall of Fame, an easy choice as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

And yet a Super Bowl ring is what every player is playing for every year, and although this is probably unfair, virtually every story about Marino’s career mentions the absence of a ring.

Marino’s comments are reminiscent of a story from a couple years ago, when LaDainian Tomlinson said he’d take the Hall of Fame over a Super Bowl ring, while Tedy Bruschi shot back that a ring is the greater accomplishment. Tomlinson, of course, never got a ring but will likely get to the Hall of Fame, while Bruschi isn’t going to Canton but does have three Super Bowl rings.

Marino’s comments may be an accurate representation of the status of enshrinement in Canton as the greatest achievement for a football player. Or they may just be an attempt to look on the bright side on the one count where Marino’s career fell short.
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there's literally hundreds, if not more, players walking around with a ring. and noone knows their name.

give me that HoF status, always being treated like a legend - opposed to some scrub who has to pawn his ring to eat

 
I'm not surprised. Being a Hall of Famer means that he reached the pinnacle of his profession. I'm sure he'd rather have both, of course, but I can understand the sentiment.

 
I don't see the issue here. Being one of the best ever at the most important position in the sport is something that anybody would be really proud of. And I think Marino is a ####, so I have zero love for him.

And I am not surprised that Bruschi, who won't sniff the HOF, would feel that way. I would too if I had been a role player on a team that won three rings. Bruschi is basically Bill Cartwright.

 
Soulfly3 said:
there's literally hundreds, if not more, players walking around with a ring. and noone knows their name.

give me that HoF status, always being treated like a legend - opposed to some scrub who has to pawn his ring to eat
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They didn't ask him to trade all of his career stats for a ring, only his HOF jacket.

 
Dr. Octopus said:
I'm not surprised. Being a Hall of Famer means that he reached the pinnacle of his profession. I'm sure he'd rather have both, of course, but I can understand the sentiment.
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The pinnacle of your profession as an NFL QB is winning a Super Bowl.

I wonder what Tarkenton, Fouts, Moon, and Kelly would say.

 
cstu said:
Dr. Octopus said:
I'm not surprised. Being a Hall of Famer means that he reached the pinnacle of his profession. I'm sure he'd rather have both, of course, but I can understand the sentiment.
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The pinnacle of your profession as an NFL QB is winning a Super Bowl.

I wonder what Tarkenton, Fouts, Moon, and Kelly would say.
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I think he meant pinnacle of career in a profession while you're referring to pinnacle of a season/year in a profession

 
We don't often discuss how great Marino's dolphins were as if they were loaded with awesome players and he just didn't win. They started real strong but 4-5 years in it was all him.

IMO few individuals have ever accomplished more despite the team around them.

There were a zillion when are they going to get a D when are they going to get a RB articles and even when they did get a back, he fizzled.

 
This is not surprising. Jimmy Johnson would have been successful with the Dolphins if he was not stuck with Marino. Guy was always more concerned with his numbers over winning.

 
How about the opposite question:

How many QB's would trade their Super Bowl ring to be in the HOF?

Super Bowl XI: Ken Stabler, Oakland Raiders
Super Bowl XV and XVIII: Jim Plunkett, Oakland Raiders
Super Bowl XVII: Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins
Super Bowl XX: Jim McMahon, Chicago Bears
Super Bowl XXI: Phil Simms, New York Giants
Super Bowl XXII: Doug Williams, Washington Redskins
Super Bowl XXV: Jeff Hostetler, New York Giants
Super Bowl XXVI: Mark Rypien, Washington Redskins
Super Bowl XXXIV: Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams
Super Bowl XXXV: Trent Dilfer, Baltimore Ravens
Super Bowl XXXVII: Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 
FreeBaGeL said:
cstu said:
Dr. Octopus said:
I'm not surprised. Being a Hall of Famer means that he reached the pinnacle of his profession. I'm sure he'd rather have both, of course, but I can understand the sentiment.
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The pinnacle of your profession as an NFL QB is winning a Super Bowl.
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Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson, the pinnacle of NFL quarterbacking!
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Obviously there are exceptions. Dilfter, Johnson, Doug Williams and Hostetler were very lucky QB's.

 
Trent Dilfer, Doug Williams, Eli Manning... anyone can win a Super Bowl. But HOF means you were one of the best to ever play the game.

 
cstu said:
beef said:
i'd rather have a gold jacket
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I'd take a very good career and a Super Bowl win.

One is a real accomplishment and the other is a popularity contest.
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The result is just that. A result. It's the journey and who we become as a man during that journey that matters.

Perhaps you should go look in the mirror and ask yourself what sort of man you are instead of passing around arbitrary judgments on men you've never met.

 
Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. That should answer all questions right there. It's easy to forget Super Bowl winners, but being in the Hall of Fame is a lifelong special memory I'm sure.

 
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JohnnyU said:
Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. That should answer all questions right there. It's easy to forget Super Bowl winners, but being in the Hall of Fame is a lifelong special memory I'm sure.
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I think the question is better posed as 'led a team to a Super Bowl win'.

In the the case of Dilfer and others most QB would have won those Super Bowls.

I would would much rather have Plunkett's 2 Super Bowl wins than Moon's gold jacket.

 
It's a loaded question. And it's okay for him to be content with the career he had and the things he achieved.

 
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***** said:
It's a loaded question. And it's okay for him to be content with the career he had and the things he achieved.
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Agreed. In his mind it's easy for him to say "I didn't win a Super Bowl but I'm one of the best QB's of all-time and would have won one if I'd played for a different team".

 
cstu said:
Dr. Octopus said:
I'm not surprised. Being a Hall of Famer means that he reached the pinnacle of his profession. I'm sure he'd rather have both, of course, but I can understand the sentiment.
Click to expand...
The pinnacle of your profession as an NFL QB is winning a Super Bowl.

I wonder what Tarkenton, Fouts, Moon, and Kelly would say.
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Winning the Super Bowl when you're playing is the ultimate goal each season, but being a Hall of Famer is reaching the pinnacle of your profession. He's being honored for being one of the best at what he did.

Really, I hate Marino, but this is nothing to make me think less of him.

 
I wonder if he would trade his role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective for a Super Bowl title.

 
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cstu said:
Bruce Hammond said:
finito said:
I would way rather be in the HOF than win a SB. Not even close IMO.
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Ditto
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Even if you're Warren Moon?
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Well, I'm speaking for me, not Warren Moon. You'd have to ask him.

To me, winning a title in a team sport, although a wonderful thing, involves a lot of circumstances and luck beyond the individual's control, during the season and in the playoffs (performance of other players, avoiding key injuries, positive outcomes on close or lucky plays, etc.). Lots of guys get SB rings every year who have little or nothing to do with the success. Even guys on IR like Tyler Gaffney get a 2015 SB ring. Yes it is very special to be on a championship team and it makes for a fantastic season, but the HoF is earned individually and is recognition of excellence for a career.

I suspect a very low percentage of athletes who actually have a chance at qualifying for both someday (not the Teddy Bruschis of the world), in any team sport, would choose a league title over the HoF in their profession.

 
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So much has to happen outside of QB play for a team to win a Super Bowl. The thinking that a QB has to win a SB in order be properly validated is reserved for those fans who feel the need to overstate their QB's accomplishments in relation to the talent around them.

 
Mr. Brownstone said:
So much has to happen outside of QB play for a team to win a Super Bowl. The thinking that a QB has to win a SB in order be properly validated is reserved for those fans who feel the need to overstate their QB's accomplishments in relation to the talent around them.
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My reason for wanting to win the Super Bowl isn't for external validation. QB's have one goal every year - to win the Super Bowl.

While making the HOF is wonderful, not being able to experience the #1 goal that you set out for would be disappointing - especially at QB where winning is literally at your fingertips.

 
cstu said:
Mr. Brownstone said:
So much has to happen outside of QB play for a team to win a Super Bowl. The thinking that a QB has to win a SB in order be properly validated is reserved for those fans who feel the need to overstate their QB's accomplishments in relation to the talent around them.
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My reason for wanting to win the Super Bowl isn't for external validation. QB's have one goal every year - to win the Super Bowl.

While making the HOF is wonderful, not being able to experience the #1 goal that you set out for would be disappointing - especially at QB where winning is literally at your fingertips.
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How about this. You're a rookie QB entering the league. The devil appears before you and offers you a choice: You can either have a career that will result in you being the Hall of Fame, but never win a Super Bowl, or you can be guaranteed to win a Super Bowl, but have no other guarantees about the career you'll have, or even what role you'll have on the Super Bowl team. You can choose to be Dan Marino or Trent Dilfer.

You'd choose Dilfer? Really?

 
Rich and famous HOF'er

or

Poor shlub working at a car wash with a 1998 Honda Civic purchased after selling my super bowl ring

 
Seems really sad to crush a guy for being proud of his career.

And yes, the question was super loaded. Very poor question.

 
Surprised that there would be any controversy. HOF is the bigger individual accomplishment, and there's nothing particularly surprising about many guys who'd prefer that over a ring. It's not particularly surprising that a somewhat lesser number would prefer the championship ring.

It's more than just the specific accolades though. If it really were JUST the jacket, I'm sure plenty of guys would choose the ring, but it isn't. The HOF is for the best. If not being in the hall meant not being as good a player (but instead being on better teams), that would also mean (in most cases) less fame, less money, less of everything EXCEPT that glorious memory of having been part of winning the big one. GUys like Dilfer exemplify this...a mediocre QB who won a ring on a great team. It would NOT be completely unfair to characterize the question as: "Would you rather have had your career (Marino's), or Trent Dilfer's?" I don't think it's particularly selfish or unreasonable answer at all to have preferred his own and the jacket symbolizing recognition as one of the all time best.

 
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cstu said:
While making the HOF is wonderful, not being able to experience the #1 goal that you set out for would be disappointing - especially at QB where winning is literally at your fingertips.
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This is just blatantly not true.

The quality of a team's entire passing game accounts for something like 30% of their W-L record. And that counts the QB, blockers and receivers.

So a QB might be worth 10x as much as an average player, but he still can't win by himself.

 
I almost feel like Dilfer would have been better off NOT winning the Superbowl. I wonder what's it's like to be the guy everyone immediately mentions in discussions like this (and there are a million of them). "Hey, TRENT DILFER has a Superbowl, any clown could do it..". It must suck to have a great accomplishment like that to be so easily dismissed and looked down on. He did what the team asked him to do that year and he did it pretty well.

Here's to you Trent!

But on to the question at hand. Over a career, HOF trumps a ring, and it's not close. I'm sure some might feel differently, but I'd guess most of them would be in denial.

.

 
wdcrob said:
cstu said:
While making the HOF is wonderful, not being able to experience the #1 goal that you set out for would be disappointing - especially at QB where winning is literally at your fingertips.
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This is just blatantly not true.

The quality of a team's entire passing game accounts for something like 30% of their W-L record. And that counts the QB, blockers and receivers.

So a QB might be worth 10x as much as an average player, but he still can't win by himself.
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Eli Manning - 2011.

Obviously the rest of the team needs to play decent enough to keep the game close, but a QB has the ability to win the game simply by his own play.

 
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