Shula Criticizes Johnson

[Dolphin North]

Where's the link to the article? I'd love to see it. JJ sucks.

 

[poppy]

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.

Excellent analysis. I have that 83 Niner/Fin game at candlestick on tape. You are absolutely correct.

 

[poppy]

Shula needs to shut up here. Really. Shula has never got over the fact JJ fired his son when JJ was in Dallas.

No franchise has won games because they praised the history of a franchise! And JJ trampled the franchise history? How? When? Why? Where? Talk about a little overreaction by Don!

I'm not defending JJ here by any means. But, what the hell did Shula do the last few years of his carrer? Nothing! He was inept on every level. Wouldn't fire Olividotti. Didn't build a decent team around one of the greatest players ever.

There is enough blame to go around. A lot of blood on JJ's hands as well as on Shula's hands! There is a reason this franchise has ONLY won 1 road playoff game since the early 70's I believe! Who gets the blame for that Don?

And if I have to hear about that perfect season again, get over it already. Yes, it was a great accomplishment. Maybe the greatest, but stop clutching and grabbing at it.

Inept???!!!!! How the heck is 12-4 and 2nd round of playoffs, 8-8, 11-5 AFC east champs and AFC title game, 9-7 with no Marino, an injured Scott Mitchell, Steve Deberg (who also was injured), and Doug Pederson, 10-6 and a crushing 2nd round loss to Chargers, and finally 9-7 during his last year. A period of excellence? NO. But to call it inept makes your post seem , well, INEPT!!!! :yell: :fire: :yell:

 

[finfansince72]

Well Shula might not have gone out the way he wanted but at least it wasnt a 50+pt beating in a playoff game to a mediocre opponent. JJ was completely outclassed coaching wise he last couple of seasons. The wasted draft picks on highly questionable talent-Avery, etc, hiring terrible coaches like Kippy and refusing to implement a real offense when the league was moving towards passing offenses. Stupid. Shula may have been passed by some but JJ was even worse. Look at Shula, he passed when he had Marino, ran with Csonka and Co., he knew how to use players. Frankly JJ was extremely lucky he got that Herschel trade, he never would have won a title without that gift from a stupid Gm. He also had the #1pick and got a nobrainer in Aikman and lucked into emmitt in the mid first round. Hes not the coach Shula was, never will be. Shula also never quit like JJ tried to do, the guy was a loser his last few seasons here. Shula went out fighting for a title, JJ went out like a loser.

 

[brparkway]

"Said Shula: "Green Bay is pretty proud of [its] history. The Bears are proud of their history. The Giants are proud of their history. We have more to be proud of than any of them."

I'd be more care if I were Shula when comparing team history. The Packers have won 12 NFL championships, more than any other team. They've won 3 in a row twice; no other team has done it once. I'm no GB fan for sure, but I also don't try to compare my Orioles' history to the (grrr) Damn Yankees.

 

[finfansince72]

Yea and GB has had looonnnng stretches with losing seasons. Most of those championships were before the Phins were even a team, we were an expansion franchise. We've been at least as good if not better than GB since we've been a team.

 

['Deep]

It`s unfortunate that Shula said those comments so long after the fact. It doesn`t matter anymore imo. I`ll never forget the day Shula was out, and JJ was in...talk about mixed feelings. Like everybody, I thought the game had probably passed Shula by, especially with the way that `95 season ended, we had tons of talent (most thru FA), but those guys weren`t a TEAM. So when JJ was brought in, I thought it was a good move, but JJ didn`t have the luxury in Miami of trading one star player for ten (or whatever it was) draft picks like he did in Dallas, and with Dan declining (although he played great in `98) it just didn`t pan out. I give Shula alot of credit though for keeping quiet about JJ when JJ came onboard, and Don probably said things that were on his chest, and hopefully he feels better about saying them, I bet JJ doesn`t give a rats a** though. That was a tough period in Dolphins football, and it`s only gotten worse, but I think it`s great Shula speaks highly of Saban...It probably means something to Saban too.

 

[akanapo]

Whats up fin fans

Long time fan 1st post:

Jimmy Johnson only did 1 thing wrong......... BRING WANNY TO US

I am not old enugh to have seen the 72 team....so all I saw from Shula was him wasting the best QB in NFL history. His drafts and FA pickups were not half as good as JJ's and he spent the better part of a decade thinking defense and a running game was not needed to win a a superbowl.

You learn that teams win with defense and clock possession in the pop warner leagues. But Don must have forgotten that.

JJ built our defense and passed on to Wany a team that was on the cusp of serious contention. Wanny as we all know was a nightmare, but the post 70's Shula was far from the hall of fame coach my father told me about.

JJ might be a jerk but I believe if he stuck with our team as oppose to handing the reigns over we would not still be waiting for our moment in the sun......

LETS GO SABAN!!!!!
LETS GO TO A NEW DOLPHIN ERA!!!!!

 

[brparkway]

Yea and GB has had looonnnng stretches with losing seasons. Most of those championships were before the Phins were even a team, we were an expansion franchise. We've been at least as good if not better than GB since we've been a team.

And since 1992 GB has won more divisions, played and won more playoff games & Super Bowls. You can pick & choose, but history is history. If the Phins had been around as long as the Packers, I guarantee they would have had more bad coaches & more bad teams. And unfortunately will again in the future. :cry:

 

['Phins & 'Canes]

Let's be honest, Winning Cures ALL!

I'm just as sure that Tom Landry, God rest his soul, probably also hated Jimmy Johnson for bringing "his style" to the Cowboys - and replacing him, but nobody seems to have a problem with it since three super bowl wins followed. Had Jimmy had even one super bowl in Miami, this would be a non-issue. As another poster pointed out, Don was way overdue to be replaced. Looking back on it, Jimmy wasn't the answer and in Jimmy's self-admitted biggest mistake, he kept the offense the same to appease Dan when it should have been torn apart with more attention given to the running game and the OL - something that STILL haunts us to this day.

So yes, Jimmy wasn't the right choice at that time, Don WILL continue to be bitter at his successor from 1996 and he WILL get some nods on the matter since Jimmy wasn't successful here and in the end....it won't mean squat! You can't blame Jimmy Johnson or any coach for coming into a franchise and applying what they've done in coaching over the years to their new situation. That's what Nick will do too. Maybe Jimmy should have said as much instead of the "it doesn't matter what our history is, I gotta do it my way" stuff. But even without those words, isn't that what EVERY new coach does when they come in? In truth, Don needs to get over it because he was done coaching long before he actually got released. Fans love to relish the history of their team if it's a good one, but in truth, a new coach won't get one victory in the future just because of winning that occured in the past.

Whether it be Don, Jimmy or us fans, we really do need to move on and understand that 1972-73 won't bring us any wins in 2005 no matter how much a lot of us enjoy looking back on that time.

 

[Dol-Fan Dupree]

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.

yea that Jax game. That was all Marino.

Oh yea, defensive break downs were all Marino. Oh yea, KAJ Being one of the worst starting runningbacks in the league was all Marino.

 

[jlfin]

Sort of what I was wondering, doesn't seem to classy to bash a person through the media for something many years ago. Maybe he was asked by a reporter or something.

I'm surprised he waited so long. I was at that banquet when JJ made that remark and I remember being taken aback by it.
It needed to be said. Shula was right on target; JJ gave this franchise nothing to add to its illustious history. Only a lot of cheap talk.

 

[EightyTwenty]

So let me get this right...Shula didn't win a Super Bowl for the last 22 or 23 years of his coaching career, and he's cracking on Johnson?

 

[jlfin]

So let me get this right...Shula didn't win a Super Bowl for the last 22 or 23 years of his coaching career, and he's cracking on Johnson?

Winningest coach in NFL history. Coached in 4 SB's (one with the Colts). Undying loyalty to the Dolphins. He was not a mercenary coach, like JJ.
Name one other coach that could have handled the pressure of coaching for that period of time. Parcells has mentioned it as well, that Shula was one of a kind. Those of us old enough to remember his ENTIRE career, are forever grateful for the wonderful memories and the pride in being a Dolphin fan.

 

[wazzy]

I think JJ was an a$$ but I still think he was a good coach a good talent evaluator which led him to draft well and I think if he stayed long term he could of brought us to a SB. the key word in my last sentence is "could"