This Time, Denver Is Too Sharp for Miami

The Broncos and Dolphins appear headed in the same direction--to Miami, where the Dolphins can begin their off-season and Denver can defend its Super Bowl title.

The Broncos still have to beat the winner of today’s New York Jet-Jacksonville contest to officially earn a trip to Pro Player Stadium, but Saturday in Mile High Stadium before 75,729, Denver appeared unstoppable, running over Miami, 38-3, and even taking a merciful knee at the Dolphin three-yard line with more than two minutes to play.

“Denver played like they will repeat as Super Bowl champions,” Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson said. “Denver was gunned up and ready to go; we had a tough time doing anything against them.”

Tight end Shannon Sharpe, who stuck to his prediction that the Broncos were 10-to-14 points better than the Dolphins after Miami’s 31-21 victory on Dec. 21, will have to learn not to be so conservative in his prognostications, but maybe a little more tactful in his postgame remarks.

“The Dolphins are a sorry group,” Sharpe said. “[Dan] Marino looks like he needs to get his retirement papers ready.”

Denver’s victory busted up Johnson’s three-year plan to rebuild the Dolphins and have them playing at home in this year’s Super Bowl, but more than that, it deprived Marino once again of adding a championship to his resume.

Marino, who lost his only Super Bowl appearance 14 years ago, has 108 more regular-season touchdowns, 7,438 passing yards and 640 more pass completions than John Elway, who came into the league with Marino in 1983.

But Marino, who completed 26 of 37 passes for 243 yards with a pair of interceptions, lacks the exclamation point to his career--a Super Bowl win. Elway, meanwhile, is in position with one more triumph to not only win two in a row, but become the first quarterback in NFL history to start five Super Bowls.

“This had nothing to do with me beating Dan,” said Elway, beating Miami for the first time in his career after two losses and giving him a win against every team in the league. “We had something to prove because they embarrassed us in the last game.”

More than anything at this time, the difference between Elway and Marino is Terrell Davis: Elway has him, and Marino is on his own.

Davis, named the NFL’s most valuable player shortly before kickoff, ran for a Denver postseason-record 199 yards in 21 carries--only one of which came in the fourth quarter. Davis, limited to 29 yards in the earlier game with Miami, had 129 by halftime, including touchdown runs of one and 20 yards.

“That’s a pretty good experience to win [the MVP award],” said Davis, who is averaging 5.9 yards in 146 career postseason carries. “I look at John Elway and I see him every day, I talk to him all the time, and he’s really been a model for me.”

The Dolphins averaged 1.1 yard a carry in contrast to Denver’s 6.6, and finished with 14 yards in 13 rushes.

“We had two weeks to prepare and we were fired up,” said Denver linebacker Bill Romanowski, who had Marino so frustrated, Marino tried to kick him. “Dan came to me after the game and apologized, and I told him I didn’t care--it only got me more pumped up to beat them.”

Denver owner Pat Bowlen suggested after the loss in Miami a few weeks ago that Coach Mike Shanahan had essentially bagged it, streamlining the team’s game plan and doing nothing special to offset the Dolphins’ enthusiasm.

After showcasing an unbalanced offensive line and unleashing a series of different blocking schemes that appeared to befuddle the Dolphins, Sharpe said the Broncos showed it all this time, but should have piled on.

“We got up kind of big and I noticed Mike wasn’t as aggressive in his play-calling as he normally is,” Sharpe said. “I guess he didn’t want to pour salt into the wound. I wouldn’t make a good coach because I would have tried to put another six on them.”

The Dolphins, looking lifeless after a thrilling wild-card win last week against Buffalo, dropped Marino’s first two passes on the opening drive, forcing Miami to punt. They would never be in the game again.

Denver took control on its first possession at its eight-yard line and glided down the field with Elway completing five of six passes for 48 yards and Davis running seven times for 38 yards and a one-yard touchdown plunge.

“When [O.J.] McDuffie dropped a pass on the first play I went up to him and told him he was scared,” Romanowski said. “I think he thought about that for a while.”

The Dolphins got the ball back, punted again, and Denver scored again. Wide receiver Ed McCaffrey made a spectacular diving catch for a 33-yard gain, and Davis eventually went the final 20 yards for the score, putting a move on Miami cornerback Sam Madison that has Madison still wondering where Davis went.

“You never know what’s going to happen when T.D. has the ball,” said Shanahan, which should console Madison.

The Dolphins threw in the towel a short time later. On third and two from the Denver four-yard line, Marino threw incomplete, and although training 14-0 and unable to stop Denver, Johnson settled for a 22-yard field goal. Had he run the ball on third down and failed, he could have run again on fourth down in an effort to remain in striking range of the Broncos.

“We can’t run the ball,” admitted Johnson, although he spent much of the season dedicated to doing just that. “I don’t want to take anything away from Denver, because they played great, but after last week, our tank was pretty much empty coming in here.”

Or, to put in Sharpe terms: “That was just a good old-fashioned butt-kicking.”

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Running Wild

Top rushing games in postseason: *--*

Yards Player Team Year 248 Eric Dickerson L.A. Rams 1986 206 Keith Lincoln San Diego 1963 204 Timmy Smith Washington 1988 199 Terrell Davis Denver 1999

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