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When it's been 17 years since you've played in a football game, you can expect some rust, but 48-year-old Todd Marinovich was relatively rust-proof Saturday night during his much-anticipated debut with the SoCal Coyotes, a developmental pro team.

Marinovich, who starred at USC and played for the Los Angeles Raiders, played his first game since 2000 when he was a member of the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League. While the skill level of the opponent may not have been the same, Marinovich was sharp in his return, reminiscent of his glory days.

The lanky left-hander finished the game going 19 for 28 for 262 yards and a whopping seven touchdowns. He also had two interceptions in the game, a 73-0 victory over the California Sharks, a team from Los Angeles.

He was happy with his performance, but more than that he was just happy to be back on a gridiron.

"Felt good, it's been a long time. We've got a lot of weapons and we're going to be a tough team to beat, it's really fun," Marinovich said.

But the stats and the win weren't really what Saturday night was all about for Marinovich. Just being in the position he is right now didn't seem likely a year ago.

"I'm just blessed with standing on the planet," he said. "And then playing football? It's just ... I'm speechless."

Marinovich is referring to his much-publicized 30-year battle with drug addiction, which reached an all-time low Aug. 22, 2016 when he was arrested after being found naked in a stranger's backyard In Irvine, California, holding a paper bag full of drugs.

He moved to the desert shortly after to begin a rehabilitation program that has kept him sober for more than a year know. In fact, Marinovich said Saturday's game was the first game he played while sober since he was 15 years old, 33 years ago.

His return was a lopsided win and as you might guess it started a little bit slow, but midway through the first quarter he started to heat up.

His first TD pass (in 17 years) was a beauty, a 17-yard strike to Devon Blackmon who played at BYU. He followed that up on his very next throw with a 49-yard bomb to the speedy Jarrod Harrington, who played at Campbellsville University.

His third of four first-half touchdowns was probably his best. It was a 10-yarder, but required a long beautiful pass to the right side of the end zone to Harrington. It was the first pass that was of the variety where you might say only a special quarterback can make that pass. In all he threw scoring passes of 17, 49, 10, 10, 27, 50 and 14 yards. The final two were to Drake Martinez, who played at Michigan State.

It wasn't a perfect night. He did throw two interceptions, including one at the goal line, and he did mishandle a shotgun snap that led to a fumble and the only time he really got hit all night. He was hit hard as he tried to pick up the loose ball. He stayed on the ground for an extra beat, but got up and dusted himself off with a laugh.

It was not a glamorous setting like he was used to back in the early 1990s when he was winning Rose Bowls and being a first-round NFL pick. This game was played in front of about 250-300 fans at Shadow Hills High School in Indio. There was at least one dignitary on hand, though as current Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis attended the game.

Davis said seeing Marinovoch in the white, silver, red and blue uniforms, "made me think I was watching Tom Brady."

Saturday was the culmination of a nine-month journey for Marinovich with the Coyotes.

Last winter he linked up with the team as a quarterbacks coach and it soon became clear that he could still throw the ball pretty well, and now healthy and sober, the idea of him actually playing for the team was kicked around. He learned the offense, got in even better shape, and on July 5 the team held a news conference to announce that he would be joining the team.

For Marinovich, the seven touchdowns was more than he imagined in his return, but really he had pretty basic goals for his first game.

"I just wanted to have fun and get a bond with these guys and we did that," he said. "And we'll see what happens next week. (His excitement level rising) And I get to do it next week! What a gift this is? You've gotta be kidding me."

http://www.desertsun.com/story/spor...ts-socal-coyot/620515001/?cookies&from=global
 
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