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Sure, blame the old guy Marino criticized by Johnson following Monday night loss
Posted: Thursday October 07, 1999 02:39 AM
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- For 17 years, the Miami Dolphins have blamed their defeats on soft defense, a shortage of speedy receivers or -- most frequently -- a feeble ground game. Jimmy Johnson cited a new culprit Tuesday: Dan Marino. Delivering perhaps the harshest critique of Marino's career, Johnson criticized the future Hall of Famer's play in a 23-18 loss Monday night to the Buffalo Bills. Johnson said Marino often threw to the wrong receiver, hurried some passes and held onto the ball too long on a costly fumble. The result was three turnovers, one third-down conversion in 14 chances and a defeat that dropped Miami to 2-1. Marino was at fault on all three turnovers, Johnson said, but pass protection breakdowns contributed to the quarterback's performance. "Dan's got to make some better decisions," Johnson said. "When he's getting banged around, he made some poor decisions." When asked about the decisions a 17-year veteran is expected to make, Johnson said, "We're going down an avenue I don't want to go down." But the message from the coach was clear: Marino needs to play better. He went 22-for-44 for 251 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and two sacks, his first of the season. The Dolphins' only TD came on a 4-yard drive following a 93-yard kickoff return. Johnson's comments were even harsher than in 1997, when he said following the season opener that he considered benching Marino. The latest criticism will likely strain the sometimes testy relationship between player and coach, but that is clearly not Johnson's concern. Miami's players had Tuesday off, and Marino was unavailable for comment. Following the game, he had a terse response when asked to assess his play. "What do you want to know about it?" he said. "If you lose it's bad, and if you win it's good. That's how I assess it." Marino's productivity has declined since a strong showing in the Dolphins' season-opening victory at Denver. In a 19-16 victory over Arizona he threw two interceptions, and Miami scored just one touchdown. Johnson said the Dolphins must not allow Marino to get hit, and the coach implied that his 38-year-old quarterback's poor mobility has hamstrung the offense. "We can go maximum protection with Dan and only have three receivers, like we did with Denver," Johnson said. "But people figure that out pretty soon and start doubling your receivers, so you've got no place to throw. You put five receivers out, and he's going to get hit. If he gets hit, his play drops down significantly." The challenge of protecting Marino will be compounded Sunday at Indianapolis (2-1), because tackle Richmond Webb bruised his left knee against Buffalo and is expected to be sidelined a couple of weeks. The pivotal play Monday was Gabe Northern's 59-yard touchdown return of a Marino fumble, putting the Bills ahead to stay in the second quarter. Johnson said Marino was partly to blame for the fumble, which occurred when he was blind-sided on a third-down blitz. "Dan's got to release the ball," Johnson said. "You dump it to the fullback. He held onto it a little bit long." Johnson said fullback Rob Konrad was open repeatedly, but he caught just three passes. Marino was also at fault on both interceptions, Johnson said. Safety Kurt Schulz picked off a Marino pass late in the first half. "He didn't look him off because he was rushed, or he felt like he was rushed," Johnson said. More costly was an interception by linebacker John Holecek, who stepped in front of a pass intended for Troy Drayton and returned it 35 yards to set up Buffalo's final field goal. Receivers Tony Martin and Oronde Gadsden were open deep on the play, Johnson said. "Dan tried to throw it to Drayton, and Drayton was double covered," Johnson said. "So we've got to give him time to make the right decisions."
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