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I am big into "what if's". I get on a site called alternatehistory.com pretty often. It is a site where people discuss "what if's" about everything, sports included. Also, I have been seeing a lot of "what if" discussions on here recently and may do several of my own.
I have decided to start with this: What if the Steelers drafted Dan Marino in the First Round of the 1983 Draft?
In 1983, the Steelers were coming off of a playoff defeat to the Chargers in which they were up, 28-17 in the fourth quarter, and probably should have won. Chuck Noll thought about taking Marino, and he liked him a lot. But Noll decided to start re-building the Steelers like he built them in 1969: With a defensive tackle.
From what I heard, John Clayton (the guy with the glasses on ESPN) was working with the Steelers, and he suggested that they take Marino, and then trade back into the first round to get DT Gabe Rivera from Texas Tech, the guy they drafted ahead of Marino.
It was a good idea, but they didn't like the messenger, so they dismissed it. They decided on Sen'or Sack, who was showing promise until he got in a wreck after leaving a bar and was paralyzed for good.
However, what if they had taken Marino?
Here is my guess: Under Noll, Marino would have had to use the run, so his offense wouldn't have been as one-dimensional as it was in Miami.
In his second year, he would have taken Pittsburgh to the SB, where they upset the 49ers. After struggling for a few years while the defense is re-built with people like Woodson, Lloyd, and Hardy Nickerson, he goes back to more SB's in the 90's and wins at least one more.
What are your opinions on this topic?
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