Dan Marino knows what's at stake for Patrick Mahomes
Hall of Fame quarterback understands stigma attached to not winning Super Bowl
Much of how we measure the success of sports' apex athletes is predicated on championships.
So it should come as no surprise that when Patrick Mahomes takes the field for Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, the pressure will intensify.
At just 24 years of age, the third-year Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has already amassed 9,412 passing yards and 80 total touchdowns en route to a 24-7 record.
By and large, Patrick Mahomes is expected to define the upcoming decade of pro football, but history has cruelly exhibited that generational talent doesn't ensure second chances.
Few appreciate the magnitude of what Sunday's outcome could mean to Mahomes' legacy like Hall of Fame pivot Dan Marino does.
Marino spent the duration of his prolific 17-year career with the Miami Dolphins, retiring in 2000 as owner of the most coveted NFL passing records — completions (4,967), yards (61,361) and touchdowns (420). However, the legendary achievements are often punch-lined with a reminder he was unable to win his only Super Bowl appearance in 1984.
WATCH | Marino says Mahomes will 'understand the opportunity':
"I think the advice is 'just go out there and do it,' because you never know when you're going to have an opportunity to get back into the Super Bowl," Dan Marino told CBC Sports. "It happened to me. I played in the Super Bowl at a very young age in my second year, didn't win [and] thought I'd be back many a time.
"Patrick Mahomes — who I'm sure Andy Reid, and that whole group, [has] going in the right direction — he'll understand he has this opportunity and take advantage of it ... even though it looks like he'll go to some Super Bowls and it looked like I was going to go to a few."
Like Marino, Mahomes entered the NFL a physically gifted athlete with prototypical attributes, but wasn't an immediate starter as a rookie. A savvy organizational decision, Marino believes, that can pay dividends.
"I started after my fifth or sixth game," Marino said. "Sometimes the coaches and franchises want guys to sit a little bit and I don't think there's a problem with that.
"[Mahomes] probably understands the game better than if they had stuck him in there right away … now he's in a position where he's healthy, he's playing good and they're going to have a chance to win a Super Bowl."
Formidable opposition
Standing opposed to Mahomes' AFC champion Chiefs will be the NFC representative San Francisco 49ers — a tremendously well-coached team with a surplus of imposing defensive talent.
Led by the progressive, offensive mind of Kyle Shanahan (son of two-time Super Bowl winning Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan), San Francisco primarily utilizes a balanced attack. But it's the ground game which has safely paved the 49ers' journey to Miami.
"[Kyle's] approach is that they would like to try to run the football first," Marino said. "His dad had a lot of success with that with John [Elway], running the football and winning Super Bowls that way. I think that's probably in his head and he understands that. Run it first, throw when you have to."
To combat Kansas City's high-octane passing game, Marino believes San Francisco's ability to control possession and keep Patrick Mahomes on the sideline could be a crucial sub-plot to the game.
"Obviously, you run the football enough and you keep Mahomes off the field, he can't score," Marino said. "You play keep-away and then get pressure on him."
Ultimately, Marino believes Mahomes will avoid the same fate he suffered in his lone Super Bowl appearance. While speaking to CBC News Network on Monday, he endorsed the young signal caller.
WATCH | Dan Marino makes Super Bowl LIV pick on CBC News Network:
"I like to think that Kansas City is going to win," he said. "At the end, maybe a two-minute drive by Mahomes. Fairly close game, maybe something like 27-24, so a lower scoring game than people are expecting."
Through nearly three NFL seasons played, it's easy to identify a correlation between Marino's and Mahomes's careers. While you'd expect the 2018 MVP to be a frequent protagonist of the sport's zenith in his many years to come, the weight of expectation can prove a heavy burden.
Despite Mahomes' undeniable promise, the legacy-defining opportunity to play in a Super Bowl can never be taken for granted.
As Marino's sparkling career will attest, it might just be his last.