http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2796909 What if the Jets had selected Dan Marino in the 1983 draft? ESPN.com The NFL staff has identified plays or events that may have altered the course of history. Each Tuesday and Saturday throughout the offseason, we will be tackling a different scenario and speculate on how things might have gone differently. The New York Jets' draft-day follies have become a part of NFL lore, but perhaps their "finest" hour came in the spring of 1983, when, in desperate need of a quarterback, the organization passed on the player who would go on to become the most prolific passer in league history. Rick Stewart /Allsport How would Dan Marino have looked wearing green? The 1983 NFL Draft was unique, given the number of highly rated prospects at the quarterback position, including Stanford's John Elway, Pittsburgh's Dan Marino and Miami's Jim Kelly. Marino' physical gifts were beyond question, but a disappointing senior season, coupled with rumors of a drug problem, caused his stock to plummet. New York owned the 24th pick in the first round and watched in disbelief as Elway, Kelly, Penn State's Todd Blackledge and Illinois' Tony Eason were all selected ahead of Marino. The Jets had indicated in the weeks leading up to the draft if Marino was still around, they would not hesitate to select him. But when the moment arrived, New York opted for UC Davis' Ken O'Brien. In fairness, O'Brien enjoyed a respectable 11-year NFL career, amassing over 2,500 yards. Unfortunately, he was not Marino, whom the Miami Dolphins were happy to scoop up three picks later. More than two decades have passed, but with the Jets still searching for a quarterback capable of captivating New York the way Joe Namath once did, their fans are left to wonder: What if the Jets had selected Dan Marino in the 1983 draft? Would Marino have enjoyed the same success in New York? Some comments
Had Toon stayed healthy no one would be complaining about Toon being drafted instead of Rice. Toon was an unbelievable talent!!
The first two years of their careers, nobody complained much. By 1987, it started. Rice had a phenominal season in 1987. Toon had some very good seasons, but Rice had great seasons. Toon was good to very good. Rice was great. That's just the way it is.
Marino would have done for the Jets what he did for the Dolphins: respectability and no ring. BTW, the Jets were pretty respectable for most of Marino's early career.
Everybody knows Rice was great. Had Toon stayed healthy he would have held his own in that conversation. Drafting Toon instead of Rice was really not a mistake at the time. Nor, do I look back at it like a mistake
Ken O'Brien wasn't too bad either. He sure took a lot of beating behind the jets OL. People say that he was holding on to the ball too long but that was because his receivers were not getting open. Marino was almost never pressured and when he was pressured in the playoffs and only superbowl he played, he didn't do too well because he lost those games. Yes, he was easy for him to throw with no pressure to an open receiver but he didn't duplicate that in the playoffs and superbowl games that he lost because he was being pressured. Ken O'Brien was playing under pressure every game. I doubt Marino would have done as well as O'Brien if had faced the same pressure that O'Brien did.
HAHAHA!!! If the Jets drafted Dan Marino he would have made a career of being Bruce Smith's bitch instead of Kenny O'.
oh boy..... this one strikes a nerve but if marino was on the jets he, IMO, would have come very close to competing with namath for the jets marquee guy..... the jets would have very likely had better post season success in the mid 80's with at least another appearance in an AFC championship game. of course, the injury bug to the defense, waltons poor coaching style and simplistic game plans, and draft blunders would likely have produced similar results in the latter part of the 80's.... in the early 90's marino probably would have had some influence with hess and you likley would NOT have seen Coslet as the HC. the eventual turnaround orchestrated by parcells probably would have come sooner and without the torture of kotite and his follies. jil
^^ I remember the knock on Walton being that his game plans were too complex. Wasn't part of the reason they took Kenny O was they didn't think Marino was smart enough for the offense they were running?
Since everyone has an opinion, I'll give you mine... I saw Marino play as a Senior at Pitt - I was a Junior at Syracuse at the time and he came into the Carrier Dome and threw a load of interceptions, telegraphed his throws, and was a hot head because his team wasn't doing well. There was no doubt about his arm, but he seemed to force the issue and allowed himself to get frustrated. My scouting report at the time was that if he went to a losing team he'd self destruct. In retrospect, this might well have been the case. Marino with the Jets would have taken a pounding, and with pre-existing knee issues he might not have stood up to the physical pounding that O'Brien was able to endure (for a while at least). The Jets were also a team in turmoil versus the Dolphins under the Direction of HOF Coach Don Shula. Shula was a key influencer on Marino early in his career. Later they did clash, but Marinio's development under Shula was key. 1983 was an interesting year for the Jets. Coming off the strike season where the Jets made the AFC Championship but lost the mud bowl to Miami - the Jets had changed Head Coaches from Walt Michaels to Joe Walton. Their vaunted Sack Exchange was melting down thanks to Gastineau's on and off field antics. 83 was also the last season at Shea, and the mood of the team and fans was ugly. Coming off an appearance in the AFC Title game the Jets slumped to 7-9. I wonder if Marino coming in as a rookie with Richard Todd as starter and his fan club of players supporting him would have worked very well either. O'Brien was the quiet type, and I wonder if Dan would have been upset sitting behind Todd - creating even more controversy for the Jets? Hey, everyone wonders, but it is was it is. IMO Marino with the Jets would have been a disater, created a lot of tension and controversy, and I question his long term ability to take the physical beating and be coached under a rocky regime.
I'll tell you one thing, Marino wouldn't have that permanent tan if we drafted him. It isn't true either that we were in desperate need of a QB, that's revisionist history. We'd just been to the playoffs twice in a row with Richard Todd and the AFC Championship game, and he was 30. O'Brien was regarded as a future prospect and QB wasn't really a top need. Regarding Toon vs Rice, it would be a totally different story if Toon went to play with Joe Montana, Bill Walsh and the 80s 49ers while Rice came here to play for Joe Walton and the Jets.
