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Forget the rout Marino's last game not what great QB had in mind
Posted: Sunday March 12, 2000 02:20 PM
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- As Dan Marino walked off the field two months ago for what would be the final time, a sea of fans and photographers surrounded him and then parted, making way in deference to his greatness and his grim mood. That was in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars ousted Marino and the Miami Dolphins from the playoffs in humiliating fashion, 62-7. The magnitude of the rout shocked even Jacksonville fans. The score was 38-0 before Marino threw a completion, and the most prolific passer in NFL history finished 11-for-25 for 95 yards with one fumble lost and two interceptions. Among the many season-ending losses in Marino's 17-year career, this was his worst -- and his last. On Monday, the master of the two-minute drill will acknowledge that the clock has run out by announcing his retirement. The ending is decidedly less triumphant than the farewell John Elway orchestrated by winning back-to-back Super Bowls. "We can't pick and choose how we go out," former Miami quarterback Bob Griese said. "The way John Elway did it would be the ideal way, but lots of others go out on low notes." Griese quit in 1980 after 14 seasons at age 35. Marino is retiring after 17 seasons at age 38. "I was in the same position in the same town with the same team," Griese said. "I know what he's going through, and it's tough to walk away. But after he does it, he'll feel better. Everybody will remember the good times." There were plenty. Marino is the most popular athlete in Miami history, a source of pride for a city tarnished by ethnic tension, political corruption and bad baseball. But his final year with the Dolphins was filled with frustration that went far beyond the embarrassment in Jacksonville. He feuded with coach Jimmy Johnson and played poorly at times, prompting a debate about whether he should be replaced. Johnson retired the day after everything unraveled against the Jaguars, and Marino's relationship with new coach Dave Wannstedt was strained from the start. When Wannstedt made it clear he didn't want Marino back this year, the Minnesota Vikings stepped forward with an offer. The strain between the old quarterback and his old team is obvious. The Dolphins didn't get the official word that Marino had decided to retire until Friday, hours after the news broke. They'll stage his retirement news conference, and given the acrimony of recent months, it'll be interesting to see how heartily Marino and the organization reconcile. "All of that stuff will be forgotten," predicted Miami sportscaster Joe Rose, who caught Marino's first touchdown pass in 1983. "It'll be a hug-fest." Friends say Marino was angry about how the Dolphins treated him at the end, although he showed characteristic restraint by declining to complain publicly. At the team's request, he voided his contract in February for salary-cap reasons and became a free agent. Then the Dolphins signed free agent quarterback Jay Fiedler to a three-year, $3.8 million deal, signaling the end of the Marino era. The new coaching staff dealt awkwardly with what Wannstedt termed "the Dan thing." On the day Wannstedt was hired, he had this answer to a question about Marino: "Ah, you know what, I ... yeah, I mean, Dan had a tough year because of some injuries and so forth. ... What his plans are for the future, I don't know." Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey stammered around the same subject the day he was hired: "You know I, I, somebody, I was kind of forewarned that this, that I would, you know, be asked this question. I haven't even looked at it or watched him play." Miami's tap-dancing left Marino with two options: the Vikings or retirement. Although he badly wanted a Super Bowl ring, he decided against going to Minnesota. Friends say the reasons included his bad knees, his family and -- in spite of recent hard feelings -- his loyalty to the Dolphins. "He had so much pride in being a Miami Dolphin," Rose said. And so Marino prepares to say goodbye Monday. Maybe he'll let down his guard and show some emotion. Maybe he'll shake hands with Wannstedt, and Johnson will show up to sing his praises. Forget the rout in Jacksonville. Maybe the ending for Marino won't be so bad after all.
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