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Don Shula smiled almost apologetically as he jogged to the Miami Dolphins' dressing quarters under Tampa Stadium. Smiled only because winners are supposed to smile. "It's not like used to be," he whispered into my ear. Shula has coached 161 winning games in pro seasons. The two Super Bowl victories, they were the tops. Sunday's sneaker over Tampa Bay ranked some place around No. 151. We won, that's all you can say," Shula said later. "That's what I told the squad,"
Nick Buontconti said more and said it with more venom. The 35-year.oId linebacker was with the Dolphins in the best of times. This has become a season hard to chew on. "We gave a disgraceful effort," he said, unlacing the last of his padding. 'The whole 43.man team gave a horrible effort. It's a disgrace to put on a Miami Dolphln uniform and play like that. It is the low point in my Dolphin career."
Buoniconti, an attorney, was cut by the Dolphins at the end pre-season training camp. When Shula's linebackers began to collapse like aqua dominoes, the 14.yeat veteran was re-summoned at a $150,000 pay scale.
"If we play this way next week against New England, we'll get beat 50-0," he said. "We lost to Kansas City in overtime last week, so I figured we'd have problems getting rolling against Tampa.
"But nothing like this."
BUONICONTI reminded about Miami's stack of injuries, which have especially shot holes in a once-mighty defense. It was ailments, I'd been led to believe, that had changed the old No Name Defense to what has almost become the No Game Defense.
"I'd say the injury thing is a copout," Buoniconti said. "If somebody gets hurt, you just have to forget him. Line up somebody else and do your best. The Dolphins have faced adversity before and won championships doing it. This may sound funny, but we Just have to mature again."
The squat, 220-pound former Notre Dame player made it clear he was downing the Dolphins and not cheapening the effort of the Buccaneers in a near-successful effort to eliminate the zero from the first half of their record.
"WHILE WE poor effort, Tampa was putting out a great one, he said. "Steve Spurrier does okay at quarterback. I thought the Tampa running backs were excellent, especially (Louis) Carter. Look, there's no reason Tampa can't play well. Spurrier can do the Job, They can in some games. All Tampa has to do is make up its mind that it can win. They just can't accept that stuff about an expansion team not being able 10 compete. They can win, believe me.
Maybe it was Miami's least inspired effort since Shula brought success to the Dolphins in
1970. But, still, Sunday's overall show worked well for the Buccaneers. It healed many of the wounds from losing the big one to the other little one, Seattle.
TAMPA STADIUM was a fun, exciting joint on this Sunday. The 61,437 who came got their 12, 10 or eight bucks' worth. Or is it Bucs' worth? The 4,204 who purchased tickets but didn't show may have second thoughts, -After the Buc-Seahawk smellarini of a week before, the game was a competitive classic.
Parnell Dickinson quarterbacked excitingly until being lamed. Steve Spurrier had rights to tingle proudly inside. After entering the game to a choir of mostly boos, the 31-year-old quarterback played zippily and a victory came close to happening. The total Buc effort was exception.
It was a day, apparently, when the defeated trudged home with a far deeper feeling of pride than the victor. For the Bucs, the hard times are now, the good ones down the track. For the Dolphins, the good days are gone and the hard ones here. But Shula, the eternal winner, refuses to hang an "out of business" sign in his football shop window.
"We're still in it," he said of the NFL championship race. "We're supposed to be a proud football team. We're getting what we deserve from the way we're playing, that's the sad part."
SHULA RECALLED a dressing room from his days as a player for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns had just lost a playoff game on Christmas Eve, one they were supposed to win. Shula must have considered saying words Sunday akin to what his coaching idol, Paul Brown, said that Christmas Eve to his squad, “Have a Merry Christmas, if you can."
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