AFC Championship Game : Pittsburgh’s Defense Concerns Shula

It has been five years since the Pittsburgh Steelers last played in a Super Bowl and just two years since the Miami Dolphins reached the National Football League’s championship game.

Yet, with the emergence of second-year quarterback Dan Marino, it is the Dolphins whose character has undergone a major alteration in the years since they were beaten, 27-17, by Washington in Super Bowl XVII. They have, in fact, undergone several transformations since Super Bowl VIII when Bob Griese was calling the signals in their three consecutive Super Bowl appearances.

The Steelers, who have won all four Super Bowls they’ve played--the most recent a 31-19 victory over the Rams in Super Bowl XIV--have only four starters remaining from that Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s: nose tackle Gary Dunn, linebacker Robin Cole, cornerback Dwayne Woodruff and safety Donnie Shell. Linebacker Jack Lambert, who missed most of the season with toe and ankle injuries, was reactivated by the Steelers Friday and should see action as a reserve.

Yet they are winning now the way they did then--with defense.

“There’s been a big transition in Pittsburgh’s personnel,” Miami Coach Don Shula said entering today’s AFC Championship game against the Steelers. “They’ve got a lot of young players. But they’re still playing great defense and that’s what they played in the ‘70s. Gone are Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Andy Russell, Jack Ham, Dwight White, Mike Wagner . . .

“Offensively, you can see the identity that they’re taking on. And with Mark Malone coming on at quarterback, you see them doing a lot of the same things that they did so successfully in the past. The play-actions they ran in the past are still very big in their offense, their drop-back passing, their running game . . . “

The running game is no longer Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. The passing game is no longer Terry Bradshaw to Lynn Swann. John Stallworth, who spent so many years playing in Swann’s shadow before becoming an All-Pro himself, and center Mike Webster are the only starters from the Steelers’ Super Bowl offense.

Now, it’s Frank Pollard and Walter Abercrombie running with the ball and Stallworth and rookie Louis Lipps catching it from Malone who replaced the injured David Woodley during the season.

There was a time when, despite the brilliance of Griese, the Dolphins’ passing game seemed to be little more than an afterthought compared to the ground attack.

“Griese was a very patient guy who understood the importance of the running game,” Shula said. “We had people then like Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris, Jim Kiick. We took on that identity. It was successful for us, so we just stayed with it.”

When Woodley came along as a Dolphin rookie in 1983, Miami changed its offense to take advantage of his mobility. They rolled out, pitched out and relied heavily on the short, safe pass.

“With David Woodley, we had another identity,” Shula said. “We developed then to take advantage of Woodley’s ability. When (backup) Don Strock plays quarterback, his own personality comes out in his play-calling.”

Now, of course, he has Marino, who broke almost every major passing record in his second pro season and his first full one throwing for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns.

In 1984, Miami’s offense was first in the league, but its running game was only 16th out of 28 teams.

Part of that was because of the loss of Andra Franklin, the Dolphins’ rushing leader the past two years, who was sidelined in the second game with a knee injury.

But mostly it was Marino.

“Our offensive philosophy is completely different,” Shula said. “We’re throwing the ball--that’s the basis of our offense, utilizing the strength of a Marino. But it’s not only him. Along with Marino, Mark Duper came on and now, this year, Mark Clayton has developed. But I still believe you have to have a running game.”

This year’s was led by former New York Jets reserve Woody Bennett, who ran for 606 yards. Tony Nathan added 558.

And the defense, once the NFL’s strongest and most consistent in the days of Jake Scott, Dick Anderson, Manny Fernandez, Bill Stanfill, Nick Buoniconti, Vern Den Herder and the rest of the “No-Name Defense,” finished 1984 ranked a mediocre 19th overall and 22nd against the rush.

“What you’re supposed to do is get better as the year progresses,” Shula said. “On defense, we were doing well to begin with, but then we had to start fighting just to maintain the level. We slipped. . . . But the Monday night game (a season-ending 28-21 victory over Dallas) and last Saturday’s win (31-10 over Seattle in the divisional playoff) were satisfactory.

“We’ve got some players back and healthy--Don McNeal at cornerback, (end) Kim Bokamper--and (nose tackle) Bob Baumhower and (end) Doug Betters were struggling for a while and now they’re better.”

Overall, the Steelers’ run-oriented offense (Pollard, 851 yards; Abercrombie, 610) ranked eighth in the league and their defense was fifth. But against the pass, the most potent of Miami’s weapons, Pittsburgh was a weak 15th.

Steeler Coach Chuck Noll said the best way to stop Miami’s pass offense is to keep the Dolphin defense busy.

“There’s no question about it--we have to keep Dan Marino off the field, because when he’s off the field, they can’t score,” he said. “I guarantee you he’s going to sit back there and throw.”

He did just that on Oct. 7 in Pittsburgh, completing 16 of 24 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns in Miami’s 31-7 victory, the Steelers’ worst loss in Three Rivers Stadium.

“We tried to use some pressure defense before, but we didn’t get much pressure,” Noll said.

The Dolphins and Steelers have met once before with the AFC championship at stake. In 1972, Miami won 21-17 when Csonka caught a touchdown pass and Kiick ran for two short-yardage scores.