‘There’s something to build on.’ Dan Marino talks Dolphins, Ryan Tannehill and Super Bowl
Seventeen.
That’s how many days are left before Hard Rock Stadium hosts Super Bowl 54 on Feb. 2.
With a little more than two weeks before the big game, you’d think that Dan Marino has a long schedule of Super Bowl-related events in South Florida.
Guess again.
The former Dolphins quarterback will be embarking on a cross-continent promotional tour with stops in Las Vegas, Toronto and Scottsdale, Arizona. But don’t worry: He’ll be back for Super Bowl week.
Fortunately, the Herald got a chance to catch up with the Hall of Famer Wednesday before he leaves during a press run for the Courtyard Super Bowl Sleepover contest. There, he shared his thoughts on everything from Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins to why the big game should never leave Miami.
Smalls: Miami will be hosting the Super Bowl for the 11th time. What’s it like to have the Super Bowl back here?
Marino: It’s great. I tell people all the time that I wish it was here every year. I know we can’t have that, but at least we’re going to be in line to probably have it again in four, five years. It’s good for the community, it’s good for just the people in general — all the volunteers, everybody that works with the game itself. I’m excited about it being here.
S: Miami has hosted the Super Bowl more than any other city. What have you and the rest of the Super Bowl Host Committee done to make this year a little bit special?
M: My role in the whole thing is to help get volunteers. So I did some videos and we did some chats, some phone calls to get 10,000 volunteers. To me, that’s a big deal because that’s who a lot of the people will interact with, those volunteers, and hopefully they’ll be out there to give a good impression of us, here in Miami. The host committee started working on this when they got elected four years ago. They work on it every year and they work hard.
S: You mentioned you wish it was here every year. Why? What makes Miami and South Florida unique?
M: Well, one reason is that I can stay at home [laughs]. But the other one is really just because of the weather. People love coming here. You got the beach and you got a great stadium.
S: We’re just over two weeks from the Super Bowl? Any predictions or anybody you want to see?
M: I’m not going to predict who’s going to win but just because [Ryan Tannehill] was here, it would be nice to see him play well and maybe have a chance to get to the Super Bowl. But this weekend is always fun because of the AFC, NFC Championship Games. That’s some really good football. I’ve always enjoyed it. I played the game for a long time but I’m still a fan, too. I want to see a good football game and see a good Super Bowl here.
S: I can’t have you here without asking about the Dolphins. How do you think the season turned out?
M: Obviously, no one’s happy about the fact that we only won five games because you’re trying to win every game you play. I think Coach [Brian] Flores really started to turn the team in the right direction the second half of the year. You could see it, you could feel it with our young players and how they played hard. There’s something to build on there, and I’m excited that he’s our head coach.
S: When the Dolphins started winning toward the end of season, one of the things I heard from a lot of fans is that the team can’t even tank properly. How would you respond to those fans?
M: My response would be that’s ridiculous. Why would any coach, any player, any person that has any competitiveness in them want to do that. To me, [tanking] is ridiculous.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
