PRO FOOTBALL ’95 : A Dolphin Day Afternoon in New England : AFC: Miami defense shuts down Bledsoe, Patriots, 20-3.

The football world can stop shuddering. The rest of the AFC can stick those white flags back in their duffel bags. Deion Sanders has no need to kick himself.

The Miami Dolphins have serious problems.

It may not have seemed that way Sunday in a compelling 20-3 victory over the New England Patriots--a second consecutive triumph by a team already with that Super Bowl glow--but it’s true.

The Dolphins are racked by dissension.

Just peek into their defensive huddle during the game’s critical moment, a fourth-down attempt by the Patriots on Miami’s one-yard line at the beginning of the fourth quarter, with New England behind by two touchdowns.

As the Dolphins gathered in a circle, an argument broke out.

“We were fighting over who was going to make the play,” cornerback Troy Vincent said. “One guy said, ‘I’m making the play.’ Another guy said, ‘Oh yeah? I’m making the play.’ ”

Linebackers Bryan Cox and Dwight Hollier won.

Curtis Martin, Patriot running back, ran left but was pushed in the other direction by Cox. Waiting for him was Hollier, who threw Martin for a two-yard loss.

And with that description, a record has been set in modern American journalism.

A story about a Dolphin victory lasted 10 paragraphs without one mention of Dan Marino.

So who needs a future Hall of Fame quarterback when your defense holds one of the league’s best offenses to 292 yards?

And holds one of its best quarterbacks--Drew Bledsoe--to less than 50% passing and no touchdowns, intercepting two passes?

And stops the Patriots inside the Dolphin 20-yard line on New England’s last four possessions?

Who needs Marino or Coach Don Shula when you have a defense that has become so surly, the players even rip Deion Sanders?

“I could give a . . . about Deion. I’m sick of hearing about him,” said Chuck Klingbeil, Miami defensive tackle.

For two years, this Dolphin defense was told it couldn’t win a championship without signing cornerback Sanders, a Florida native who was acquired by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.

“Every year, everybody says this is ‘The Year,’ but at the end of every year, everybody says our defense wasn’t good enough,” Klingbeil said. “It’s been really disappointing.”

They were even questioned this summer after acquiring free agent defensive linemen Trace Armstrong and Steve Emtman, and defensive backs Louis Oliver and Terrell Buckley, all of whom, by the way, made tackles Sunday.

“You do not need Deion Sanders to win a Super Bowl,” Klingbeil said. “Our defense is playing well now. I’m sick of hearing that stuff.”

They are certainly sick of something.

Before 60,292 at Foxboro Stadium--fans who turned chants of “Drewwwww” to “booooo”--the Dolphins showed a toughness that has been missing in this franchise for most of the last 20 years.

They made sure Bledsoe still hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass this season. They hung on the back of the game’s best tight end, Ben Coates, holding him to three catches.

And maybe Martin is, as Patriot Coach Bill Parcells said last week, a “one-game wonder.” The rookie was grabbed and twisted and held to 40 yards in 18 carries.

The Dolphins have six barrel-chested defensive linemen who can wear opponents down in shifts . . . or frighten them by playing all at once, as they did during that important fourth down.

Their linebackers are led by Cox, who is so intense Klingbeil said, “He is whacked out in his own world.”

And in two games, their secondary has six interceptions.

This defense is so good, the Dolphins won, even though running back Terry Kirby threw as many touchdown passes as Marino.

Marino’s lob to Irving Fryar down the sideline midway through the first quarter resulted in a 67-yard touchdown pass.

But Kirby’s lob, after a handoff from Marino, found Fryar just as open down the sideline in the second quarter for a 31-yard score.

Marino has 332 touchdown passes. Kirby one. Sunday, nobody noticed.

“For the first time since I’ve been here, our defense has better talent than our offense,” Cox said.

Realizing the magnitude of that statement, he quickly turned to his wooden locker.

And knocked three times.