Morning Briefing : Marino Is in Good Company

Terry Bradshaw, for one, called him the greatest quarterback ever, so how could Dan Marino lose by 22 points in the Super Bowl?

Why not ask Johnny Unitas, Y.A. Tittle, Bobby Layne and Sammy Baugh? They all lost title games by bigger margins on their way to the Hall of Fame.

In the NFL title game of 1964, Unitas and Baltimore lost to Cleveland, 27-0. Don Shula will remember. He was the Baltimore coach.

In 1961, Tittle and the New York Giants lost to Green Bay, 37-0.

In 1954, after he had led Detroit to two straight title wins over Cleveland, Layne and the Lions were beaten by the Browns, 56-10.

In 1940, three weeks after he had led Washington to a 7-3 win over Chicago, Baugh and the Redskins were destroyed by the Bears, 73-0. It remains the biggest rout in NFL history.

Note: As a rookie in 1937, Baugh led the Redskins to a 28-21 win over the Bears in the title game. In the 1942 championship game, two years after 73-0 disaster, he led the Redskins to a 14-6 win over the Bears.

Add Marino: After Sunday’s game, some were saying he couldn’t measure up to Joe Montana because of his lack of mobility.

Could be, but a year ago, when scrambling Joe Theismann was matched against slow-footed Jim Plunkett, it was Plunkett and the Raiders who prevailed over the Washington Redskins, 38-9.

Super Quote: “I think this is one of the greatest teams of all time.”

Who said it? Al Davis, after Super Bowl XVIII.

Said Bill Walsh after Super Bowl XIX: “This has to be one of the greatest teams in all time.”

Who will it be after Super Bowl XX?

Quiz Time: The answer should be easy, but you’re liable to get some perplexed looks if you ask this one: “Who scored the first touchdown Sunday in the Super Bowl?” (Answer below.)

Idle Thought: Wonder if the two Roger Craigs will compare rings this year? The other one, of course, is the pitching coach of the Detroit Tigers, world champions of baseball.

How-times-have-changed dept.: Of the 49er defenders, linebackers Jack Reynolds and Riki Ellison got the most media attention before the game. But in this age of specialization they were almost invisible Sunday.

When the 49ers went to a 6-1-4, the only linebacker was Keena Turner.

Said Reynolds, who was in on only four plays: “It hurts, but I’d rather win than be on the field.”

The $36,000 winner’s share doesn’t hurt, either.

Add Forgettable Quotes: Said Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers before Sunday’s game against the Boston Celtics: “We’re going to go into Boston, kick butt, fly home and enjoy the Super Bowl.”

Final score: Boston 113, Philadelphia 97.

Quiz Answer: Carl Monroe, on a 33-yard pass from Joe Montana.

Quotebook

Chicago Coach Mike Ditka, whose Bears meet the 49ers in San Francisco next season, told that the Dallas Cowboys do, too: “Maybe we could play them on the same day.”