Dan Marino's return should help more than just offense; Marino back just what Miami needs

By Armando Salguero
Knight-Ridder Newspapers
(Oct. 22, 1996)

MIAMI (KRT) - The meeting down the hall started in a minute so Dan Marino had little time to spare because even short distances take more time to cover now that he's carrying the team on his back again.

Marino will return to his duties as the Dolphins franchise quarterback Sunday with a stage and circumstance befitting his legend. The Dolphins have lost three of four games and the much-anticipated meeting with the Super Bowl champion Cowboys beckons.

"I'm starting and I'm happy about it," Marino said. "I'm looking forward to being able to come back and contribute any way I can."

With Philadelphia's thorough dismantling of the defense made vivid during Monday's film study, this week's dawn might have offered only dark tidings if not for the ray of optimism lit by Marino's return.

"Dan Marino without question gives us a big, not only productivity boost, but morale boost," Coach Jimmy Johnson said.

The Dolphins locker room seemed curiously absent of the dreary hangover losses normally pin on the players. Perhaps news of Marino's return was Miami's hair of the dog.

"A player of Dan's caliber brings a lot to the table," said Craig Erickson, who will step back into the shadows of a backup quarterback. "One of those things is getting guys charged up about him being back. It's good for the team."

Apparently it is good for the entire team, reaching far beyond the sphere of influence that confines most quarterbacks. Certainly, Marino is good for the passing game. He is, after all, the most prolific passer in the history of the NFL.

But Marino's presence affects the success of the running game, the offensive line, and even the defense.

Marino benefits the passing game because his combination of knowledge and ability is unparalleled on the team. When Marino fractured his right ankle Sept. 23, the Dolphins shrunk their offense to give Erickson a greater chance to digest information quickly.

But Marino long ago fed on the Miami playbook and, in crisis, can refer to plays written on yellowing paper. "Dan is liable to audible to anything in the offense and he can do it in just the right situation," Johnson said. "Craig may still be thinking about the play called and the clock going to the line of scrimmage."

Marino's advanced decision-making process doesn't end at the line of scrimmage. Because he's played in the offense longer, he is more patient in allowing players to do their job.

"Danny will make decisions on throwing late that maybe Craig is trying to work on timing," said receiver O.J. McDuffie. "That gives guys more time to get open."

The Miami running game also sees more openings when Marino is in the game. Teams are less willing to crowd the offensive line with eight defenders because they fear exposing the secondary.

And if a defense is protecting it's secondary, it can't commit as many players to stopping the run. It's no coincidence the Dolphins averaged 126 yards per game rushing with Marino as the starter and just over 80 yards per game rushing in the three starts he missed.

Marino's presence relieves the offensive line of blocking more people on running plays and is a deterrent to blitzes. "They respect Dan's ability to beat the blitz so they don't do it as much," Johnson said.

But perhaps the surge of confidence Marino injects is the greatest contribution he makes outside the passing game.

"He doesn't play defense, but you feel like you're never out of the game when he's there," said cornerback Terrell Buckley.

In a fourth-quarter situation that demands a score to salvage victory, would the Dolphins want any other person playing quarterback?

"No. No," McDuffie said. "I mean, no.

"When Danny gets in the huddle, you know he's done it before and he can do it again."


(c) 1996, The Miami Herald. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

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