LOSING HIS GRIP? : Dolphins’ Dan Marino Was Once the NFL’s Dandiest Quarterback, but Now He Struggles

Slump? What slump?

Ask Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino what’s wrong with his passing this season, and he will act as though the question is meant for someone else.

“I think I’ve been doing fine,” Marino said by telephone from Miami. “I’m just not putting up the same numbers as in the past.”

Whether Marino really believes these words is something only he knows. Certainly they will come as a surprise to anyone who has observed him in 1988.

In the Dolphins’ first 6 games--they are 3-3 going into Sunday’s meeting with the Chargers in Miami--Marino has completed 55.3% of his passes, averaged 6.65 yards per attempt and thrown 8 touchdowns and 7 passes that were intercepted.

Statistics such as these aren’t bad for an average NFL quarterback, but for Marino, they qualify for the shredder. This is the guy with the highest career computer rating of any passer in the history of pro football.

Consider Marino’s resume for his first 5 seasons after he joined the Dolphins out of the University of Pittsburgh. He completed 60.6% of his passes, averaged 7.8 yards per attempt and threw 168 touchdown passes and only 80 interceptions. In 1984, he had a touchdown-interception ratio of 48-17.

The pre-1988 career numbers give Marino 94.1 rating points, compared with 92.5 for runner-up Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers. Dan Fouts, who retired this year after 15 seasons with the Chargers, ranks 14th with 80.2 rating points.

For more contrast, check what Marino did in the first six non-strike games last season. He completed 62.1% of his passes, averaged 7.16 yards per pass and threw 17 touchdown passes and just 5 interceptions.

After the Dolphins’ 24-14 victory over the Raiders at the Coliseum last Sunday, Bob Oates of The Times theorized that Marino had been intimidated by a growing “get-the-quarterback” attitude in the NFL.

The injury toll among quarterbacks this year has been alarming, and Oates wrote, “The new Marino is as jumpy and as inconsistent as any other quarterback. Beyond much question, he has been brought down by the change in defensive play in his time.”

Asked about this, Marino said, “I don’t think I’ve changed at all. I haven’t been producing the big plays the way I like to, but I’m still the same quarterback I’ve always been.”

Of the rash of casualties among his contemporaries, Marino said, “Quarterbacks sometimes get hurt a little more than other players, because they’re just standing there. They’re accepting all the punishment without being able to return any. That’s the hazard of the position, and we have to accept that.”

Marino’s report card in the Raider game included 14 completions in 36 attempts for 175 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. It was his worst showing since the season opener in Chicago, in which he contributed to a 34-7 loss with 9-for-22 passing for 113 yards.

But Marino reacted to the bad day against the Raiders much the same as he did to his subpar season as a whole.

“We moved the ball pretty well, but then something would happen and we’d screw up,” he said. “Luckily, the defense played well and kept getting the ball back.

“I know we’re not getting the touchdown passes we used to, but if I don’t throw any touchdowns and we win, it’s OK with me.”

Marino did deviate from his “everything’s-all-right” stance to note two factors:

- Rival defenses have been denying him the long ball to speedsters Mark Duper and Mark Clayton.

- The injury to All-Pro center Dwight Stephenson has handicapped the overall offense.

“They’re taking the two Marks out of the game, so I have to throw to my backs a little more,” Marino said. “And the fact that Stephenson isn’t there hurts the continuity in the offensive line. He knew exactly what was going on, and he’s not there anymore.”

One more possibility, and those close to the situation consider it valid, is that Marino isn’t the same without Don Strock at his side. Strock, the Dolphins’ longtime backup quarterback, was like a guru to Marino. He was released before the season started and is now with the Cleveland Browns.

Marino didn’t affix any direct blame on Strock’s departure but said, “Anytime you lose someone like Strock, it’s going to be upsetting. He was a close friend of mine, and something like that is bound to affect you.”

Unlike Marino, Coach Don Shula is quick to admit that his ace has been struggling. Still, he wouldn’t say he was concerned.

“By the standards he set in the past, Dan hasn’t thrown the ball as well as usual,” Shula said. “But we’ve had problems in the offensive line, our receivers have dropped some balls, and our running game hasn’t been what it should be to give us another weapon.

“As long as Dan stays healthy and Duper and Clayton stay healthy, I feel we’ll be able to throw the football.”

In any case, as big a hero as Marino has been in Miami in his spectacular first 5 seasons, he is now feeling the sting of public criticism.

Edwin Pope, sports editor of the Miami Herald, wrote the following after the Raider game:

“You wouldn’t believe this was Dan Marino unless you saw it in person or through the tube.

“The big guy is agonizing. He has had games worse than Sunday’s, but never such a sloppy 6-game stretch. This can’t be Marino, but it is. Someone must have sneaked off with his right arm and grafted on the merely mortal wing of any of a thousand journeymen.

“It can’t be Marino’s fault. He can’t possibly be this bad on his own. The all but melodic regularity of a Marino doesn’t vanish overnight. But it has, as far as anyone can see.”

Pope went on to write that Marino seemed out of sync with his offensive line, was hurrying passes needlessly and, because he was struggling, had lost some of the swaggering confidence that had characterized his play in the past.

Even Dolphin fans have gotten into the act. These rips of Marino appeared in a column called “Fan Hot Line” in Monday’s Herald:

- “They should bench Marino for at least a half. He should watch Ron Jaworski move the ball and see if it does him any good.”

- “Trade Marino for an offensive line and put Jim Jensen at quarterback and run the option.”

- “Don Shula’s stubbornness to keep Marino in the game, even when his timing is off and he is ineffective, makes me begin to question Shula’s coaching ability.”

- “Marino’s pocket is dragging him back. It’s too heavy with all the money in it.”

Remember, now, all this flak came after a Miami victory. What would have happened if the Dolphins had lost?

Marino’s difficulties have come at a time when the Dolphins finally have assembled a decent defense. In 1986 and 1987, he had to put up big numbers to keep the Dolphins competitive. They finished with records of 8-8 and 8-7.

In view of this, Marino was asked if he felt he had to carry the franchise. He laughed and said, “No, not at all. All I try to do is the best I can.”

Mike Charles, the Charger nose tackle, joined the Dolphins with Marino in 1983 and was a teammate for 4 seasons. To him, Marino is still a breed apart.

“He’s special because he has so much confidence,” Charles said. “He feels that he can throw into any coverage. I know his stats are off, but his down games are highlight games for somebody else.”

DOWN YEAR FOR DAN?Dan Marino’s averages in NFL before 1988:

60.6% completion of passes attempted.

7.8 yards gained per pass attempted.

6.7% of passes attempted were touchdowns.

3.2% of passes attempted were intercepted.

Dan Marino’s averages in 6 games this season:

55.3% completion of passes attempted.

6.6 yards gained per pass attempted.

4.1% of passes attempted were touchdowns.

3.6% of passes attempted were intercepted.

Career rating before 1988: 94.1, best in NFL history.

Current 1988 rating: 74.6, fifth best in AFC.