Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was caught jokingly talking smack to Dolphins legend Dan Marino on the sidelines prior to the team’s game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season.
McDaniel pre-game on the sidelines
“F- your records Dan. We’re coming for your records Dan” 😂🐬#FinsUp pic.twitter.com/FgccroLCsl
— Finsports (@FinsportsF) December 27, 2023
Marino is arguably the greatest quarterback in Dolphins history – and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time – but it seems like McDaniel wants to help Tua Tagovailoa break those records during his time with the Dolphins.
During his Hall of Fame career, Marino threw for 61,361 yards with the Dolphins, as he played his entire career with the franchise.
Marino led the league in passing yards in five different seasons, and he led the NFL in passing touchdowns in three straight seasons from the 1984 campaign through the 1986 season.
The 1984 NFL MVP and a nine-time Pro Bowler, Marino had a 147-93 record as a starter with the Dolphins, but he was just 8-10 in his playoff career. He never won a Super Bowl.
It’s going to be hard for any Dolphins quarterback to break Marino’s career records since he played with the franchise for so long, but Tagovailoa could break some of his single-season highs.
Marino recorded a career-high 5,084 passing yards and 48 passing touchdowns in the 1984 season.
This season, Tagovailoa has thrown for an NFL-best 4,214 yards in his first 15 games to go along with a career-high 26 touchdown passes. While the former first-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft doesn’t have a realistic chance at breaking Marino’s career-high mark for passing touchdowns in a season, he could make a push for his yardage record with two monster games to end the 2023 regular season.
What is more impressive about Marino’s stats is he completed them in 16-game NFL seasons. Tagovailoa now has 17 games to be able to rack up statistics with the NFL expanding its schedule in recent years.
Dolphins fans have to find it amusing that McDaniel would chirp at a Dolphins legend like Marino, but it just goes to show how lighthearted the Miami head coach can be.
The Dolphins and McDaniel would love to do something Marino was not able to do and win a Super Bowl this season. Miami enters Week 17 of the 2023 season with an 11-4 record, and the team has already clinched a playoff spot.
The Dolphins take on the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills to close out this season, and there is still a chance that they could nab the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
