Shula Criticizes Johnson

[Muck]

Don was probably just taking a shot at JJ for spoiling the franchise. Maybe Don shouldn't have retired while Marino was still the QB. That's pretty lame now that I look back at it.

It's not lame. The game had passed him by. We drafted horribly that year. We loaded up in free agency, signing every talented "character" under the sun. We had 19 former 1st round picks on that team. And we finished by giving up 341 rushing yards to Buffalo in the Wild Card game. 341.

It was time for change. Heck, depending on who you talk to, Shula didn't decide to retire as much as he was nudged out.

 

[popularwar]

This is my 1,000th post!

JJ had so much talent on the team, with Marino under center he really should have gone a lot farther. A young and strong defense with JT, Zach Thomas, Madison, Surtain and a legend on the offensive side of the ball, we should have done more.

1,000!

 

[aj13]

did shula really need to bring this back again??? i love shula more than anybody, but this happened nearly 10 years ago!!!!!!!

 

[Avalanche of Wins]

don should never have been "nudged out"...my feeling is that marino winding down his career had a huge impact on shula. don is a legend here also, but as the sands of marinos career were winding down, the fins management really felt the heat to get dan another shot as the ring...if not for dans pursuit of the superbowl, its my opinion shula would have been aloowed to coach here until he himself saw it time to retire, and noone would have given this a second thought...its a shame shula left like he did

 

[MikeO]

JJ had so much talent on the team, with Marino under center he really should have gone a lot farther. A young and strong defense with JT, Zach Thomas, Madison, Surtain and a legend on the offensive side of the ball, we should have done more.

1,000!

This will piss everyone off. The years JJ was in Miami, Marino was an average to bad QB!

If JJ got rid of Marino the day he arrived in Miami, this team would have been in a Super Bowl by now. I stand by that and will always believe it.

JJ couldn't do things his way. Marino was bigger than the team and JJ had to make decisions based on how they effected "dan" and you can't run a team that way.

 

[MikeO]

don should never have been "nudged out"...my feeling is that marino winding down his career had a huge impact on shula. don is a legend here also, but as the sands of marinos career were winding down, the fins management really felt the heat to get dan another shot as the ring...if not for dans pursuit of the superbowl, its my opinion shula would have been aloowed to coach here until he himself saw it time to retire, and noone would have given this a second thought...its a shame shula left like he did

Shula was awful at the end. Should have left after teh 1988 season. Damn sure should have left after teh 1992 AFC Championship loss at home. By 1995 it was time for him to go. He was quickly turning into Tom Laundry or the modern day Joe Pa. Just a figure on the sideline who was so out of touch with the modern player and game that he couldn't compete.

 

[T.K.O.]

Good for Shula



I can not stand JJ

 

[fishfan34]

don should never have been "nudged out"...my feeling is that marino winding down his career had a huge impact on shula. don is a legend here also, but as the sands of marinos career were winding down, the fins management really felt the heat to get dan another shot as the ring...if not for dans pursuit of the superbowl, its my opinion shula would have been aloowed to coach here until he himself saw it time to retire, and noone would have given this a second thought...its a shame shula left like he did

Exactly, I couldn't agree more. There is NO WAY Shula should have been pushed out the way he was. Shula is the Miami Dolphins, and whether you like it or not, ALWAYS will be.

Why did Shula bring this up now, because, he was asked a question, and in true Don Shula fashion, he answered it honestly, whether it's what you wanted to hear or not. JJ couldn't hold Shula's jock when it comes to coaching, and history and tradition are what make a team or business or company. It's what fans have to look back at proudly, and why some people decide to root for that team. Ask the Bengals, Seahawks, or the Saints if they'd trade their history and tradition for ours if it doesn't matter to anyone and we should just "let it go" and stop "holding on to it"... That History and Tradition are what make our past few season as unacceptable as they are to us as fans. We are not the Bengals or Cardinals who's history is one of failure and losing. They do not know any different, so while i'm sure their fans hate losing, I am sure it doesn't affect them to go 4-12 quite the way it affects us, and the biggest reason why, is that they are USED TO IT, and we are not.. that's because our history and tradition is not one of losing. Obviously when JJ got here and he asked us to forget the past, it was because he felt it would be easier to suffer through 62-7 playoff loses (Thanks Jimmy), or Dave's hiring (thanks Jimmy) which led to some of the most embarrassing moments as a Dolphins fan, ending in a 4-12 season last year.. (thanks Jimmy).. yeah, we've had some DECENT defenses and players.. but we haven't been the Ravens or Bucs on defense either.. So forgetting our storied history and tradition of winning would make what was to come in the Post Shula era, so much easier to swallow.. sorry, I can't forget it or let go of it.. it's a part of who we are.. and allows us to stand proudly as Dolphins fans and expect and demand success not be content with 4-12... Shula spoke his mind, that's what makes him Don Shula... Jimmy did far worse things to this franchise and it's history and tradtition than he did good. Thanks Jimmy, Thanks for Nothing!!!

 

[Disnardo]

Regret? If it wasent for JJ we wouldnt have ZT or JT.

Same reasoning I can say that if it was not for Dave, we would not have Chambers and Mc Michaels...

 

[first&goal]

I didnt like the way JJ handled Marino, talking trash in the press to him, not letting him audible and basically blaming him for losses and I also didnt like that he talked trash about Shula before he got the job. I never really liked the guy, but I think I was probably a little excited when he showed up. But once the crap with Marino started I was calling for his head.

Totally agree with you, also was difficult to me to understand why he never rispect the Dolphins tradition.

 

[Marino420TD]

Despite JJs "updated" defense, statistically his defense over his 4 yrs gave up the same number of points/game as Shula's defense the last 4 yrs. Unfortunately, JJ's offense was something out of the 1920's...

 

[Dolphin North]

Thats very interesting. I really hated JJ as the coach of the Cowboys because he was a ****y a-hole and he ended up bringing his attitude to Miami as well. The only problem was that the attitude was there but the Super Bowls were not.

Absolutely!

 

[fishfan34]

Same reasoning I can say that if it was not for Dave, we would not have Chambers and Mc Michaels...

Yeah I know, thank god for those guy, I mean, some other coach might have actually come in here and drafted Moss and Brees... might have made the trade to Denver for Portis with Surtain, then where would be be? Can you imagine? Brees at QB, Moss at WR, and Portis at RB? Whew, thank god we got Dave and JJ, and not someone who would could have possibly put that trio on our offsense...

 

[Marino420TD]

Not entirely accurate. If Shula could not draft, he would have been out of the league by the late 70's after the players from the perfect season retired. The killer B's were built entirely under Shula, and we had a very good team in the early 80s. He also completely rebuilt the team in the early 90s to one of the best in the AFC. Again, if his drafts stunk, we would never have done this.

The late 80s were bad, but part of that was due to some bad personnel luck. Not drafts, I mean D. Overstreet (died), L. Gordon (died), C. Bowser (injured), AJ DUhe (injured), B Baumhower (injured), A. Franklin (injured), D. Stephenson (injured), H. Green (injured). Impressive list of people who's career was cut short in the 80s that cost us.

He definitely had some bad drafts - after the 82 SB loss, he went through ~5yrs of drafting great defensive athletes (who were not good football players).

It's fine for Walsh to rip his players before the 84 SB, but in 83 at San Fran, the defense shut down Montana, and Miami won 20-17 with most of the same players. The difference was that in 84, Duhe/Baumhower were shells of their former selves due to injuries, so we had no playmakers.

 

[rkdinorl]

did shula really need to bring this back again??? i love shula more than anybody, but this happened nearly 10 years ago!!!!!!!

Everyone seems to be saying why did he wait so long to say this. He is just comparing how Saban is handling taking over the franchise compared to JJ. I think he's more giving Saban praise than roasting JJ.