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'It's the same questions over and over' Marino getting sick of questions about retirement
Posted: Tuesday January 11, 2000 06:38 PM
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- Dan Marino talked with reporters for five minutes Tuesday, then walked away grumbling. "It's the same questions over and over," he said. Not exactly. No one asked him about quitting. Much to Marino's relief, the Miami Dolphins' 20-17 playoff victory at Seattle has redirected South Florida's football focus. The primary topic no longer is whether he's headed for retirement, but whether he's headed for the Super Bowl. Now two wins away, Marino and Miami play Saturday at AFC Central champion Jacksonville. The Dolphins face a shorter trip but longer odds than last week. They have only five days to prepare, while the Jaguars enjoyed a first-round bye. Miami is trying to become the first No. 6 seed to reach a conference championship game. But after 17 seasons, Marino isn't fazed by such details. "You have to be optimistic in the playoffs," he said. "Seattle was a tough situation, and we were able to pull through and win. You've got to feel good about our chances." Marino is coming off his best game in three months. He threw no interceptions at Seattle and made several clutch completions in the fourth quarter, when an 85-yard touchdown drive gave the Dolphins their only lead. Did the performance boost his confidence? "I'm always confident in what I'm doing," he said with a smile. Miami beat Seattle by asking their 38-year-old quarterback to do less. For the first time in seven games, the Dolphins ran more than they passed. The conservative approach eliminated turnovers and produced a 10-minute advantage in time of possession. Coach Jimmy Johnson has long preached patience with the run, straining his relationship with Marino. But the most prolific passer in NFL history now has embraced the concept and expects to hand off a lot again Saturday. "We're going to go in with pretty much the same game plan," he said. Controlling the ball will be difficult against the Jaguars, who have the top-ranked running attack in the NFL. But the Dolphins discovered the hard way that throwing a lot doesn't work. Down the stretch, when Miami went 1-5, Marino averaged 38 passes per game and Johnson fumed. "I don't know if I'm ever going to be comfortable throwing it 40 or 50 times, the way we had been doing lately, whether it's a Hall of Famer like Dan Marino or a practice-squad quarterback," Johnson said. "I don't like to throw that much." Marino said he'll throw 60 times if that's what it takes to win, but keeping it on the ground is fine, too. He just wants to put off the retirement issue for another week.
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