Why is Pittsburgh Thinking About Todd Marinovich?
There's a sudden upsurge of interest in Todd Marinovich - primarily because of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The following article from the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle was written before the Pittsburgh - New York game, which Pittsburgh won:
(January 13, 2005) — The main reason to think the Pittsburgh Steelers can't go all the way this NFL season is the fact that no rookie quarterback ever has started in a Super Bowl, let alone won one.
When Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger takes his first snap Saturday against the New York Jets, he'll become only the eighth rookie quarterback since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to start a playoff game. His predecessors didn't fare well....
Todd Marinovich (1991 Los Angeles Raiders) — 12 of 23 for 140 yards with 0 TD passes and 4 INTs in a 10-6 loss to Kansas City....
Critics might argue that Roethlisberger has cooled off. In his first six starts this season, he threw only 3 INTs and was sacked only 7 times. In his last seven starts, he threw 8 INTs and was sacked 23 times. But a far more important number is his 13-0 record, and he has a chance to finish this season 16-0 if the Steelers win Super Bowl XXXIX.
The last quarterbacks to enjoy an undefeated season were Bob Griese and Earl Morrall with the 1972 Miami Dolphins (Griese broke his right leg five games into the season; Morrall started through the AFC Championship Game before Griese returned in that game and played all of Super Bowl VII).
One reason Roethlisberger was 13-0 is that Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher didn't ask him to do too much. Like the 1972 Dolphins, the Steelers focused on running the football. In fact, Miami ran much more than the current Steelers do. Roethlisberger throws less frequently than most other current NFL quarterbacks but much more often than Griese and Morrall did. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, he was much more effective passing this season than Griese and Morrall were in 1972....
After the game, the San Francisco Chronicle printed an article that focused on San Diego kicker Doug Brien (the previous week's hero for winning the game against San Diego, the current week's goat for losing the game against Pittsburth). Marinovich was mentioned again:
Rookie wins: Ben Roethlisberger was the seventh rookie to start a playoff game since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and the third to win, joining Tampa Bay's Shaun King (1999) and the Rams' Pat Haden (1976) as winners. The other rookies to start a playoff game, all of whom lost, were the Raiders' Todd Marinovich (1991), the Rams' Jim Everett (1986), Cleveland's Bernie Kosar (1985) and Miami's Dan Marino (1983). Both King and Haden were beaten short of the Super Bowl, the goal that faces Roethlisberger next Sunday.
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