Scott Mitchell never doubted he was good enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. The only thing he wondered was whether he'd ever get a chance to prove it.
Until last month, Mitchell had spent all but a few fleeting moments of his NFL career languishing on the Miami Dolphins' bench, backing up ironman Dan Marino.He felt like the league's answer to the Maytag repairman. While other quarterbacks broke bones, tore ligaments and suffered concussions, Marino remained remarkably healthy, starting 145 straight games.
All that changed five weeks ago when Marino went down for the season with a torn Achilles' tendon.
"You go for so long and you start thinking, `Gosh, it's never going to happen,' " Mitchell said.
"But you can't have that attitude. You've got to go every week and prepare yourself as if you're going to play. Because if you don't, and that opportunity comes, you won't make the most of it."
Mitchell definitely has made the most of his opportunity. Since replacing Marino on Oct. 10, he has guided the Dolphins to three wins in four games and leads the AFC in passing. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.
The 25-year-old southpaw has completed 60 percent of his passes and has thrown seven touchdowns and just two interceptions. He'll try to add to his totals Sunday when the 6-2 Dolphins take on the 4-4 Eagles at Veterans Stadium.
Mitchell has played so well since becoming the starter that people in South Florida are starting to ponder the unthinkable: trading Marino. One Miami newspaper columnist proposed it two weeks ago after Mitchell threw for 344 yards and three touchdowns in the Dolphins' 30-10 win over Kansas City, and it has been the hottest talk show topic ever since.
"It's kind of funny," Mitchell said. "When Dan first went down, everybody was saying, `Well, shoot, the season's over.' Then I play pretty well and they start talking about trading Dan. It's crazy."
But Marino, who turned 32 in September, didn't think it was so crazy.
"If Scott continues to play like he has, it does make some sense," he said. "But that doesn't mean it's going to happen."
"Dan Marino's going to come back and be the starting quarterback, and that's fine," added Mitchell, who will become an unrestricted free agent in February. "But that's then and this is now. I'm just making the most of my opportunity."
When Marino went down, no one, including Dolphins coach Don Shula, knew quite what to expect from Mitchell. After all, he had thrown just eight NFL regular-season passes since joining the Dolphins.
But he has been superb. He took over for Marino against the Browns and completed 10 of 16 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-14 victory. He followed that up with a 12-for-19, 190-yard performance in a 41-27 rout of Indianapolis. Next came his 344-yard, three-touchdown day against the Chiefs.
The New York Jets brought Mitchell back down to earth Sunday, beating the Dolphins, 27-10. But even in defeat, he put up decent numbers, completing 23 of 44 passes for 297 yards and one touchdown.
"It's been real easy because I've had a lot of support out there," Mitchell said. "Guys have been helpful and have taken a lot of the pressure off me. So I don't feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and I have to do it all myself."
Perhaps the toughest adjustment for Mitchell has been the media attention. Before Marino got hurt, his time was pretty much his own. The local newspapers did the obligatory backup quarterback story on him in training camp, then left him alone.
That has all changed. At first, it overwhelmed him.
"I just wish this would all go away and I could just get out on the field and forget about all these people tugging at me," Mitchell said three weeks ago.
But he is slowly learning to deal with it.
"You just have to know what's important and keep your priorities in line and learn when to say no, yet still try to be accommodating," Mitchell said.
Mitchell set 10 NCAA passing records at the University of Utah. But he caught a lot of NFL people by surprise when he came out after his junior year.
Utah had won just four of 12 games and Mitchell had missed the final two games of the year with a sprained knee.
Seven other quarterbacks were selected before the Dolphins finally grabbed him in the fourth round in 1990 with the 93rd overall pick.
Mitchell spent most of his first two NFL seasons in civvies. He was activated for just two games.
Frustrated, Mitchell signed up for tour of duty in the World League in the spring of '92. He threw for more than 2,200 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games, and led the Orlando Thunder to the league championship game.
Mitchell made another smart decision that year. At the advice of his agent, Tony Agnone, he agreed to become a plaintiff in the NFL Players Association's suit against the league.
As part of the settlement, Mitchell received a damages check for $188,000. In addition, the Dolphins can't name him a franchise or transition player, which means he'll be free to sign anywhere when his contract expires in February.
Mitchell is making just $369,000 this season. But if he continues to play as well as he has the last four games, he could look at becoming a $3 million-a-year quarterback before the first thaw.