Marino is considered the universal exception to the "thou shalt win a Super Bowl to be great" sports proverb that has pervaded analysis over the last 25 years. It used to be, back when the Super Bowl was young, that Y.A. Tittle, Dan Fouts, and other quarterbacks who never won a title but displayed excellence, and put forth gaudy numbers (for their time), could be counted among the top-shelf passers in league history. No more, except for Marino, it seems. So how has Marino transcended one of the most tired, stale, dumb@$ arguments in sports? Although I can't be sure, the educated guess is that the Dolphins legend's wow factor was so off the charts that he couldn't be denied. While Marino displayed an impressive release and arm strength in college, he seemed to grow into his body by the time he entered the NFL. He was quicker and stronger from an arm standpoint at 22 than he was at 19 or 20. The ball zipped off his hand, and it only took .30 seconds to cock the arm and let fly. Marino was phenomenal as a rookie, going 7-2 as a starter and finishing as the AFC's top-rated passer. His sophomore season is the most incredible offensive season in 100 years of the NFL. The line: 5,084 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and a 108.9 passer rating. Those are Mahomes-esque numbers in an era that had never conceived of Mahomes-esque numbers (more on the greatest offensive campaign ever below). Marino led the NFL in passing yards in 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1992. The '86 campaign is particularly notable in that his 44 scoring tosses were *19 ahead of the next closest guy! That discrepancy is an NFL record. Marino was not quite the same player after an Achilles injury in 1993, but he was still among the top quarterbacks in the game. Prior to that injury, the discussion of the best QBs in the game was reserved for Marino and Joe Montana. Except Marino never handed the ball off to Wendell Tyler or Roger Craig like Montana and didn't have four defensive backs on his team make the Pro Bowl in one season like Montana, or the benefit of having the entire fate of the team always on his shoulders. Thus, seventh he sits.