Dan Marino, a Miami Dolphins star and Hall of Fame quarterback, is making light of his lack of a ring as the big game approaches.
The nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback and 1984 NFL MVP has teamed up with M&M’s for a Super Bowl LVIII commercial in which Marino and other all-time greats, including former Buffalo Bills rival Bruce Smith and Terrell Owens, mock themselves for failing to win a Super Bowl ring during their big game appearances.
“The commercial was a lot of fun to do with Bruce and T.O. (Terrell Owens) and just all the people from M&M,” Marino stated in an exclusive interview. “It was fantastic. Everyone is going to appreciate the commercial because we are making a little fun of the fact that we did not win Super Bowl rings.”
Marino explains the commercial’s premise, which features fellow Super Bowl runner-ups Bruce Smith and Terrell Owens.
“They’re making rings for Almost Champions,” Marino says. “It’s M&Ms, peanut butter with diamonds created in the lab, and it’s going to be fantastic. I’m looking forward to participating in a Super Bowl commercial and working with a wonderful company like M&M’s.
Marino, largely regarded as the greatest quarterback to never win a title, explained why he felt comfortable making fun of his own lack of championship hardware.
“After all these years, you have to understand that you can make fun of yourself,” Marino said. “When I reflect back, I wish I had won the Super Bowl. There is no doubt. It comes back to me frequently, especially at this time of year when players compete for a spot in the Super Bowl. But I realized I had accomplished everything possible, even being inducted into the Hall of Fame.”
“After all these years, you have to understand that you can make fun of yourself,” Marino said. “When I reflect back, I wish I had won the Super Bowl. There is no doubt. It comes back to me frequently, especially at this time of year when players compete for a spot in the Super Bowl. But I realized I had accomplished everything possible, even being inducted into the Hall of Fame.”
The Dolphins great further discusses why he’s able to have a nice time making fun of himself during Super Bowl commercial.
“I never won,” Marino says of a Super Bowl victory. “But, at the same time, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished in my career, and you just have to take it for what it is. And that’s why we’re having fun with it.”
When Marino retired after the 1999 season, he held all of the main passing records: career passing touchdowns, yards, and completions, as well as single-season marks in the first two categories.
While those records have since been eclipsed as the NFL’s rules have changed to assist quarterbacks and wide receivers, Marino’s legacy remains intact. Marino maintained the single-season touchdown record (48) for 20 years, until Peyton Manning broke it in 2004. It only took three years for Tom Brady to break the record, which Manning repeated six years later with 55 touchdown passes.
Marino, who was known for his cocky approach throughout his playing career, opened up about how many touchdown passes he believes he could toss in a single season given the current rules.
“The good part is, I don’t have to prove it,” Marino remarked, smiling. “But I feel like I would cause some serious damage, so I’ll just say 60. It would be difficult because of the athletes available and the nature of the game, but I believe I could inflict some harm if I were in this era right now.”
Marino was quite successful early in his NFL career. He set rookie marks in 1983 – passer rating and lowest percentage of passes intercepted – while leading the Dolphins to a 12-4 record and a postseason trip.
Following that, he made his only Super Bowl appearance in 1984 and had a record-breaking touchdown season.
Marino then went 12-4 and reached the AFC Championship Game in 1985, handing the future Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears their sole setback of the season.
Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins’ current franchise quarterback, had great success early in his career. Although Tagovailoa hasn’t led Miami to a Super Bowl like Marino, he has topped the league in passing yards and passer rating and has been a winning quarterback since joining the league in 2020, going 32-19 as a starter with no losing record in a single season.
However, he has failed to lead the Dolphins to a postseason victory. Tagovailoa lost his first career postseason start against the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs and was completely outplayed in Miami’s final three games of the season. That losing skid included defeats over the Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore Ravens and the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills.
Despite Tagovailoa’s faults and the uncertainty surrounding his future in Miami as he enters the final year of his contract, Marino remains optimistic about the 25-year-old quarterback.
“He was outstanding,” Marino commented about Tagovailoa’s 2023 season. “He’s statistically winning games and continuing to improve. “I believe he is a quarterback capable of reaching and winning the Super Bowl.”
Marino cites injuries and a “tough stretch” as reasons why the Dolphins struggled near the end of the season, when they went winless over a three-game span with the No. 1 spot within reach entering Week 17.
“It’s one of those things at the end of the year, we just ran into a tough stretch there with injuries and who we were playing,” Marino said. “It was challenging for us. I believe that we are growing as a team and will continue to grow. He’s definitely in a good position to advance in his career.”
The Dolphins’ troubles against the Bills are part of the reason they can’t seem to break through – they haven’t won a playoff game since 2000, the year Marino retired. Miami has lost 11 of its last 12 games against Buffalo, with Tagovailoa only defeating the Bills once in his career.
Marino, who had his share of clashes with the Bills in the early 1990s as they progressed to four consecutive Super Bowls, revealed how the Dolphins can beat their main rivals.
“Learn from the losses we’ve had and learn from the wins we’ve had,” Marino said. “Once again, there have been some injuries as a result of that. But we’ll have to deal with the Bills since they’re in the division. You just need to learn how to win and beat those folks.”
Marino believes the Detroit Lions, led by former Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell, will face the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl, with the Ravens emerging victorious.
“I think the way the Ravens are playing, they’re going to be hard to beat,” Marino said.
