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Dolphins QB
Dan Marino
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As Dan Marino limps off the stage, Shaun King leaps on. The NFL show goes on.
Marino was the sixth quarterback selected in the great QB draft of 1983. King was the
sixth quarterback selected in the great quarterback draft of ’99.
As the playoff stretch run began, the Miami Dolphins wondered about their old
quarterback, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wondered about their new one.
On Thanksgiving, Marino came off a shoulder injury and threw five interceptions in a
loss to Dallas. The same weekend, King made his debut in relief of an injured Trent Dilfer
and completed three passes, one for the clinching touchdown in a win over Seattle.
The next week, Marino bounced back, but the Dolphins lost on the last play to
Indianapolis. On the Monday-night stage, King beat Minnesota in his first start.
In the third week, Marino’s interception again sealed Miami’s fate in a loss
to the Jets. The same day, King rallied the Bucs to beat Detroit.
"Dan’s our starting quarterback," said Dolphins head coach Jimmy Johnson
through clenched teeth. "We’ve been inconsistent at that position, but we feel
like we can improve on it."
Said Tampa Bay head coach Tony Dungy: "We feel very confident Shaun can handle the
offense."
As sure as a favorite son sets on one side of Florida, another rises on the other.
Johnson made the smart decision in sticking with Marino. Whether it’s the right
decision for the Dolphins soon will become apparent once and for all. Johnson will hang
with Marino until Marino either hangs himself or a Super Bowl plaque on the wall.
"He’s our guy," Dolphins WR Tony Martin said. "We’re going to
go down fighting with Dan. ... When he’s on, we’re going to win. We’ve just
got to rally around him and make him feel comfortable."
Said Dungy: "We have a lot of guys stepping up and playing well around
Shaun."
If Johnson’s decision were between Earl Morrall and Marino, it might be different.
But Johnson had seen enough of Damon Huard to know that Marino has the best chance of
bailing the team out of a bad situation. If Marino fails, everybody — especially
Marino himself — will know it is finally time to quit trying.
If Huard kept playing and failed, Marino would be apt to convince himself he will be
better at age 39 than he is at 38.
With the running game Johnson so needs and desires beset by injuries to his
kiddie-corps backs, the Dolphins are going to have to win through the air. What better way
for Marino to go?
In Tampa, all the Bucs require of their quarterback is to hand off and avoid mistakes.
King appears to do both very well and more. Against Detroit and Minnesota, King was behind
at halftime and threw TD passes to win both games.
A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., King is the hero returned home. This is the guy who
took Tulane to a 12-0 record, yet was not deemed a No. 1 draft choice because he was a
little smaller, a little less polished than Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith, Daunte
Culpepper and Cade McNown.
Remember when Marino fell to the bottom of his class, selected after John Elway, Todd
Blackledge, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, and Ken O’Brien?
Dungy and his staff coached King in the Senior Bowl last year and got to know him
beyond the measuring sticks. They were impressed.
"I think some guys just have it," Dungy said. "I remember my last year
playing (in San Francisco in ’79), when Joe Montana was a rookie. … In practice,
you just felt like this guy is pretty good. You didn’t know what to base that off of.
It was just how he was."
Said King: "I’m not big on personal goals in a team game. When surrounded by
great players, I’m a piece of the puzzle. I don’t have to win the game."
At least one scout, C.O. Brocato of the Tennessee Titans, went on record before the
draft in support of King. Said Brocato: "In five years, the best quarterback in this
draft’s going to be Shaun King."
Rookie quarterbacks usually are irrelevant this time of year. Either they aren’t
playing or their teams are out of the playoffs. The last rookie quarterback to guide his
team to the playoffs was Seattle’s Kelly Stouffer in ’88. Before that, it
happened in ’85, with Bernie Kosar in Cleveland and Canadian import Dieter Brock for
the Rams. Before that it was with John Elway in Denver and Marino in Miami in ’83.
Does Marino see this as his last gasp?
"I’ll look at that when the time comes," Marino said. "I don’t
think it will have anything to do with the next three weeks. I’m concentrating on
trying to win this game."
For King, it’s only a first step.
"I’m just really happy for a lot of people in Tampa Bay," King said.
"I wanted to show them I appreciate their support and everything they do to make me
feel comfortable as their quarterback."
Editor's note: Don Pierson covers pro football for the Chicago Tribune. |
