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Bob Hill , published 1988
Other than Mark Clayton`s post-touchdown impersonation of Michael Jordan, style took a backseat to substance Sunday at Tampa Stadium. But complain the Dolphins didn`t.
One week after losing an offensive thriller to the Jets, the Dolphins just needed a win, fancy or not. They got it by staggering to a 17-14 victory against Tampa Bay. They didn`t beat the Buccaneers as much as they survived them, winning a game void of first-half scoring and space-age excitement, but one that had to be won if playoff hopes were to remain intact. They did it by:
-- Getting five turnovers and making none.
-- Turning three of those turnovers into 17 points in a span of 4 minutes, 49 seconds in the third quarter.
-- Surviving the league`s oldest player, quarterback Joe Ferguson, who engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives of 80 yards and a last-minute threat that ended with safety Bud Brown deflecting a possible touchdown pass.
Brown`s play was easily the game`s biggest. It came with 59 seconds remaining and Tampa facing fourth-and-6 at the Dolphins 39-yard line. The Bucs and Ferguson had scored on their two previous possessions, and Ferguson was working on a 210-yard passing performance in the second half. ``It was getting scary,`` Brown said.
It would have gotten downright ghoulish had Ferguson completed his long sideline pass to second-year wide receiver Gene Taylor. A completion would have moved Tampa into easy field-goal range if it didn`t score a touchdown. ``I was sure it was a touchdown,`` Taylor said. ``I had beaten the cornerback (Rodney Thomas). It was a second away from my hands. I don`t know where he came from. I never saw the guy. It was just a blur in my vision.``
Brown came from halfway across the field to make his flying tip -- and walked away disappointed in himself. ``I was ready to make a pick on it,`` he said. ``I`ve let some interceptions go through my hands lately. But I was happy with the way things turned out.``
Ferguson wasn`t. Playing his first regular-season game in nearly two years, Ferguson was commendable for three quarters and brilliant for one. He finished with 26 completions in 37 attempts, 291 yards, touchdown passes of 5 yards to running back Lars Tate and 27 yards to wide receiver Bruce Hill, and one interception. Other than the interception, by linebacker Rick Graf to end a second-quarter threat, Ferguson`s last pass was the only one he regretted. ``If I saw what I wanted on the play, I was going to go deep,`` Ferguson said. ``I wanted to look the safety off on the play, but I apparently I didn`t do it well enough. It was probably a big mistake on my part, but I`ll take the blame. I wanted to win the game.``
Because he didn`t, the Dolphins won their won fourth game in five weeks to improve to 5-4 and remain in playoff contention. The Dolphins` next five games are against AFC East teams. A loss would have rendered those games practically meaningless. ``We weren`t going to be able to be in a wild card position unless we won this game,`` linebacker John Offerdahl said. ``We have to beat teams like this. We had to beat Tampa and get some momentum going into the home stretch.``
The Bucs dropped to 2-7 with their fourth straight loss. They dominated the Dolphins for much of the first half and could have built an imposing lead. That turnovers were their undoing wasn`t a surprise. The Bucs entered the game last in the league in turnover ratio (minus-15). The Bucs` butterfingered performance didn`t sit well with coach Ray Perkins.
``I don`t think it takes a Phi Beta Kappa to figure out what happened to us today,`` Perkins said. ``We couldn`t get the ball in the end zone. We`re allergic to the end zone. In the first half we stopped ourselves with penalties and turnovers.``
The Bucs padded their league lead with five turnovers in six possessions. The rancid run began with Kerry Goode`s fumbled handoff on the Dolphins 21-yard line with 7:15 remaining in the second quarter. Jarvis Williams recovered. Graf made his first career interception on the Bucs` next series, stepping in front of Taylor on a third-and-14 pass from the Dolphins 21. ``I don`t think Ferguson ever saw me,`` Graf said.
The Bucs opened the third quarter with turnovers on their first three possessions and three of their first five plays. Tate was the guilty party twice, first dropping a pitchout that T.J. Turner recovered, and then losing control when safety Liffort Hobley hit him and Graf recovered. Fullback William Howard made the second fumble when linebacker Hugh Green poked the ball away and nose tackle Brian Sochia fell on it.
The Dolphins took quick advantage of the turnovers. They converted after the first in six plays, scoring on the first of two touchdown passes from Dan Marino (27 of 46 passing for 266 yards and no interceptions) to Clayton. Marino received great protection on the play and had to plenty of time to find Clayton open in the back of the end zone. After making the catch, Clayton dunked the ball over the crossbar, earning a 5-yard penalty for an illegal celebration. ``That was sweet,`` Clayton said. ``Michael Jordan would have been proud of me.``
Marino and Clayton hooked up for another touchdown 191 seconds later. The 8- yard score came when Miami coerced the Bucs into covering Clayton with a linebacker, former University of Miami star Winston Moss. Clayton enjoyed his second great game in two weeks. He had seven receptions -- all in the second half -- for 80 yards.
Had the Dolphins lost, the biggest culprit would have been kicker Tony Franklin. He missed field goal attempts of 42, 52 and 38 yards. He also missed a critical 37-yard attempt and an extra point last week.
The one field goal he did make Sunday was a 31-yarder with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter. It came seven plays after Tate`s second fumble and increased Miami`s lead to 17-0.
At that point, it appeared the Dolphins were on their way to a rout. But then Ferguson got hot and the Dolphins got worried. Ferguson, subbing for regular starter Vinny Testaverde, completed 11 consecutive passes during one span, and 18 of 25 in the second half. ``He played well,`` cornerback William Judson said. ``But at the end, when it counted and we had to make the plays, we did.``
But the game shouldn`t have come down to the last minute. ``We just don`t know how to put one away,`` coach Don Shula said. ``But we`ll take it.``
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