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Sports

Legendary quarterback makes HOF

Crystal Baller

Louie Vera

In my lifetime, I have seen some of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game: Joe Montana, his predecessor Steve Young, Troy Aikman, John Elway and Brett Favre.

Even in this new era, there are inevitable greats like Tom Brady, Payton Manning, Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick. A few are in the Hall of Fame and at the end of the other's careers, a spot in Canton is waiting just for them.

Yet, the greatest one of all has not been mentioned.

His first-year nomination into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was an easy selection for the committee as a late fourth quarter comeback for this prolific passer.

The one blemish on his resume was that he never won a Super Bowl. But it's not his fault that he was never blessed with a top-notch defense or an all-pro running back. For the greater part of his career, he carried the load for a franchise, producing unforgettable memories, climactic come-from-behind wins and records that seem unbreakable. Blend that in with the perfect role model that he was, peppered class and fiery emotion, and there is simply no one better.

There have always been comparisons and arguments versus the great quarterbacks of yesterday and today. The ones who know the game will enlighten and tell you nobody threw it or placed it better than he could. 

In his 17th season, he still showed that he had a lot left in the tank. Playing in the wild card game against the third-seeded Seahawks on third down and 24 with two minutes left in the game, he completed a 25-yard pass, which eventually lead into a game-winning drive. Typical fashion.

Many quarterbacks come spiraling down at the end of their career, but this one never let up an inch. His confidence was always the same, from his days at the University of Pittsburgh, until his final pass at Joe Robbie Stadium (Pro Player Stadium).

One of his many classics was the "fake spike" on the road against the New York Jets. With only seconds left in the fourth, ticking down fast, he signaled for a spike to stop the clock, the defense stood still and as he stepped back, it was already too late. Mark Ingram caught the pass all alone and the play is marked down in Dolphin and NFL history.

In a press conference a few weeks before the Hall of Fame induction, he was asked whether he knew he could always throw a football. At first, he tried to downplay it. Then he looked up an answered, "Yeah, I always knew I could throw the ball. That's one thing I always knew I could do."

He knew that, but what people did not see was that he could do it better than anyone else ever to play the game.

His name is Dan Marino. 

Marino is in the Hall of Fame where he belongs.

No one can argue that. 
 

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