Jimmy Johnson promised to run and he ran.
He promised to play rookies and he played rookies.
He thought he would win and he did.
He wondered why nobody believed.
They forgot.
While doubters scoffed at Johnson’s brash predictions about turning around the Dolphins despite the loss of so many good, old, expensive players, the coach delivered big-time in his 24-10 debut victory over the Patriots in New England.
Of all the big-name high draft-choice running backs, none outgained the Dolphins’ Karim Abdul-Jabbar, a relatively low third-round pick from UCLA. His 115 yards on 26 carries backed up Johnson’s vow to take the pressure off Dan Marino by sticking with the run.
It also beat a notable list of rookies all drafted ahead of him:
– Rams’ Lawrence Phillips, 46 yards, 21 carries.
– Panthers’ Tshimanga Biakabutuka, 69 yards, 26 carries.
– Oilers’ Eddie George, 50 yards, 21 carries.
– Cardinals’ Leeland McElroy, 63 yards, 17 carries.
Johnson even teamed Abdul-Jabbar with fellow fourth-round rookie blocking back Stanley Pritchett, who was Marino’s leading receiver with six catches.
Fifth-round rookie middle linebacker Zach Thomas, the replacement for the Bears’ Bryan Cox, made nine tackles and a sack.
Top choice Daryl Gardener, ridiculed as an underachiever, had a sack.
Jimmy had a good chuckle.
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Tomczak gets nod: The report card on ex-Bears quarterbacks:
The Steelers’ Mike Tomczak tried to rescue starter Jim Miller and Kordell “Slash” Stewart but threw an interception on his first attempt in a loss to Jacksonville. Still, Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher said Monday that Tomczak will start next week against Baltimore.
The Colts’ Jim Harbaugh returned from a bruised right forearm against the Cardinals and now leads the AFC in passer rating with a 98.1. In the fourth quarter of the 20-13 victory, he was a perfect 158.3. While Harbaugh was out, he was ably replaced by another ex-Bear, Paul Justin, who was 5 of 8 passing for 58 yards.
The Rams’ Steve Walsh was booed in the third quarter, but down 16-7, he scrambled 13 yards for a first down and the Rams outscored the Bengals 19-0 the rest of the way.
Moon outlook: The Vikings won’t know until Thursday whether quarterback Warren Moon will be able to face Atlanta on Sunday. Moon sprained his right ankle and the top of his left foot Sunday against Detroit. He also has a turf toe on his right foot, prompting him to wear a splint resembling a ski boot Monday.
Raider football: The Raiders kept their reputation as one of football’s stupidest teams by committing 12 penalties in their loss to the Ravens.
Here’s a sample:
On third and 5, Aundray Bruce jumps offside to keep the Ravens’ first touchdown drive alive.
On third and 11, Pat Swilling jumps on the play before the Ravens’ first TD.
On first and goal, rookie Rickey Dudley nullifies a touchdown with illegal motion.
On third and 4 at the 2-minute warning, Swilling jumps offside, enabling the Ravens to run out the clock in a five-point win.
The sloppiness keeps coach Mike White on the skids. He has now lost seven in a row. But he has good company among the coaches-in-trouble fraternity:
– The Lions’ Wayne Fontes, always the leader in the clubhouse, gets off to another rotten start.
– The Jets’ Rich Kotite watches his new multimillion-dollar line give up nine sacks against his new multimillion-dollar quarterback, Neil O’Donnell, who completes zero passes to his new multimillion-dollar No. 1 draft choice, Keyshawn Johnson.
– The Patriots’ Bill Parcells suddenly wishes he had cut two years off that contract instead of just one. Wouldn’t he have rather commented on Johnson from the comfort of the TV booth?
– The Bengals’ David Shula sees his team commit an astonishing 16 penalties against the Rams, while Ki-Jana Carter makes his long-awaited debut forgettable, 14 yards on 14 carries.
– The Saints’ Jim Mora, in the last year of his contract, finds it no easier to beat the 49ers in San Francisco than it ever was.
– The Giants’ Dan Reeves takes the Bills to overtime, only to lose on a fumble.
Turnovers still key: Some things never change. On opening day, only three teams overcame a turnover deficit to win–the Colts beat the Cardinals, the Eagles beat the Redskins and the Chiefs beat the Oilers. All other victors won or tied the turnover margin.
Jackson faction: Now we know why Packers General Manager Ron Wolf always thought tight end Keith Jackson could be the “go-to” receiver to replace Sterling Sharpe. Not that Robert Brooks didn’t quickly fill the void last year, but with Jackson in the fold for an entire season, quarterback Brett Favre might have an unfair number of targets.
Of Jackson’s three touchdown catches against the Bucs, one came in a two-tight-end set with Mark Chmura, who was a Pro Bowl player last year, and the other two came with Jackson as the only tight end.
Ouch: Steve Tasker, the Bills’ special-teams star and recently a valuable cog in Buffalo’s three-receiver offense, will miss a few weeks–maybe more–with a sprained left foot. The former Northwestern player hurt it on his first reception Sunday night against the Giants.
What expansion? Free agency and salary cap were supposed to enable the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers to shed their expansion label earlier than any new teams in NFL history.
Can we consider it shed after one year and one game?
The Jaguars came up with their most impressive victory, pounding the AFC champion Steelers 24-9. It was only their fifth win in their history and the most lopsided. Illinois rookie linebacker Kevin Hardy had an interception and a sack.
The Panthers walloped the NFC playoff team Falcons 29-6. It was the most points the Panthers ever scored. It indicates they have corrected the offensive shortcomings to complement a defense that ranked seventh last year. The defense swarmed the Falcons’ run-and-shoot with seven sacks, two by newcomer Kevin Greene.
The Bears, who beat both teams last year (barely), have to be happy they play neither this year.
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