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| Red McCombs |
Billionaire Red McCombs felt restless. Another football season had come and gone. From his estate in San Antonio, Texas, he had watched the 2017 Minnesota Vikings lose to the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles 38-7, and even though the Eagles were the home team at Lincoln Financial Field, McCombs knew home field advantage didn’t really matter: His own 1998 Minnesota Vikings lost in the NFC Championship Game to the 1998 Atlanta Falcons at home in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 30-27 in overtime on January 17, 1999.
But the 1998 Vikings were better than the 2017 Vikings, and McCombs felt the need to make amends for the Purple and Gold. He wiped the nacho chip crumbs from his v-neck sweater and picked up the phone. He called former Minnesota Vikings season ticket-holder Joe Robbie.
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| Joe Robbie |
Robbie, meanwhile, was also in a funk. He’d watched the 2017 Miami Dolphins finish 6-10 on the season, and he pined for 1984, the last time the Dolphins won 13 or more games, when they finished 14-2 but lost Super Bowl XIX to the San Francisco 49ers 38-16. And now the American Football Conference, the remnants of the good old American Football League, appeared to be on the decline.
The phone rang. Robbie answered, and after a few laughs and yucks, McCombs paused and lowered his voice: he meant business. The 1998 Minnesota Vikings would travel to play the 1984 Miami Dolphins at the Orange Bowl, and the broadcast would be on both ABC and FOX with a five-man booth featuring Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, Joe Theismann, John Madden, and Pat Summerall.
“Bring your gjallarhorn,” Robbie said. “And tell your Vikings to bring their sunscreen. Your hides will be tanned one way or another.”
*
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| The Miami Orange Bowl circa 1984 |
Under partly sunny skies and in 82-degree heat, the loudspeakers at the Orange Bowl blared Tina Turner’s "What's Love Got to Do with It" and Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose,” while an already-sweating Dennis Green led his 1998 Minnesota Vikings in a pregame prayer. Dolphins head coach Don Shula, meanwhile, stood in the shade of the tunnel to the locker rooms and had a soul-searching conversation with his quarterback, Dan Marino, a record-setter without a Super Bowl ring.
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| Don Shula and Dan Marino |
“Take that off,” Shula told Marino.
The young quarterback twirled his University of Pittsburgh class ring around his middle finger.
Shula said, “This ain’t the Sugar Bowl.”
After a strange, crooner-style rendition of the national anthem by Van Halen front man David Lee Roth, the team captains met at the 50-yard line, and the Vikings won the toss.
At 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time the game began. Dolphins German-born placekicker Uwe von Schamann delivered the opening kick to the 12-yard line, and Vikings return specialist David Palmer slipped past the gunner for 22 yards before he was tackled.
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| Cris Carter |
Minnesota's offense took the field for their first drive from their own 34 yard line. As expected, the Vikings began by having halfback Robert Smith buck the line, but after two straight runs for zero yards, he ordered quarterback Randall Cunningham to take to the air. The Dolphins were ready, and left outside linebacker Bob Brudzinski rushed the pass, but Vikings left guard Randall McDaniel held him off long enough for Cunningham to connect with flanker Cris Carter on a short pass. Carter kicked on his afterburners and bolted for a 61-yard long gain for a touchdown. Placekicker Gary Anderson split the uprights for the extra point. One minute into the game, Minnesota led 7-0.
With momentum clearly in the Vikings' favor, the Dolphins responded weakly with a three-and-out on off-tackle runs and flat passes. The Vikings also petered out on their second drive, but Minnesota punter Mitch Berger nailed a 45-yard punt that pinned the Dolphins back to their own 11-yard line on a fair catch.
Marino stood on the sidelines and glanced sideways at Coach Shula. Marino suggested that maybe they should “air it out.”
Shula chuckled. he patted Marino on the shoulder pads and said, “Follow the script."
Marino took the field.
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| Marino on his back |
With the end zone crowd at his back and cheering him on, Marino called the play in the huddle and walked up to the line. Backed up near their end zone, of course they would run the ball, and Marino recognized a key on halfback Tony Nathan.
Marino scanned the defensive backs. He liked the matchup between Minnesota cornerback Corey Fuller on Miami flanker Mark Clayton, so he called an audible: pass.
Marino barked the snap count and he took a seven-step drop. Vikings’ middle linebacker Ed McDaniel immediately rushed the line and swam past offensive left tackle Jon Giesler. Before he could pull his arm back to throw the ball away, Marino found himself on his back in the end zone for a sack and a safety. Minnesota 9, Miami 0.
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| Ed McDaniel |
You’ve never seen anger in a punter’s eyes until he’s asked to walk onto the field for a free kick. Dolphins punter Reggie Roby’s irritation was palpable in the high humidity, and with a few headbutts with his teammates he stoked his anger. He then launched a 68-yard punt, and Miami’s gunners stole down the sidelines to meet Palmer, a diminutive return-man, at the Minnesota 12-yard line. He waved his arm for a fair catch.
The fans in Miami didn’t come to watch a sport-fishing tournament, so as the Vikings offense took the field, the crowd erupted to drown out Cunningham's signals. After a failed run and two incomplete passes, Minnesota punted. Berger’s kick shanked high and short, and Miami found themselves with the ball in Minnesota territory on the 47-yard line.
When Miami's offense returned to the field, Nathan glared at Marino as if to say, “Don’t you trust me, man?”
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| Tony Nathan |
With Shula’s post-safety scolding still ringing in his ear-hole, Marino stuck to the script, and on the first play of the drive he handed it to Nathan, who hit the off-tackle hole for a 20-yard gain.
Marino continued the drive following Shula's dink-and-dunk play script, and Dolphins tight end Dan Johnson battled Vikings left linebacker Dixon Edwards in the corner of the end one for a 12-yard touchdown. Von Schamann converted. Minnesota 9, Miami 7.
The Vikings responded with a three-and-out.
When the Miami offense took the field again, Marino smiled at Nathan and thought perhaps in this afterlife of sorts, he would finally have a decent running attack to support his arm. “Let’s do this!” Marino said, and they ran an off-tackle play to Nathan.
But the Vikings were ready, and they met Nathan at the line. The ball popped free, but Marino didn’t dare jump into the dog-pile of purple helmets that surrounded the ball. Minnesota recovered the fumble.
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| LeRoy Hoard |
The Vikings started twith great field position, and Smith decided he would show Nathan and the Dolphins how to carry the ball. With long strides, he burst through an off-tackle hole for 20 yards, and three plays later, halfback LeRoy Hoard bucked the line behind a great block by Randall McDaniel, busting 6 yards for a touchdown. Anderson converted. Minnesota 16, Miami 7.
Three-and-out Miami. Then Minnesota. Then Miami. Then with 13:30 remaining in the second quarter, Minnesota decided to get serious. Green ordered short runs and passes to the flat. Miami's defense, meanwhile, started to take things personally and committed two personal fouls. With the Vikings at the Dolphins' 15-yard line, it looked like Minnesota would increase its lead, but Brudzinski stood up Vikings right guard David Dixon and squeezed the pocket, and Cunningham threw too short on a pass to Carter. Dolphins cornerback Don McNeal snatched the ball for an interception.
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| Randy Moss |
The crowd in the Orange Bowl felt juiced, and the beer vendors couldn't keep up with demand.
But Miami failed to capitalize on Cunningham's mistake. Roby punted, and the Vikings marched 78 yards on big pass gains to Palmer, to split end Randy Moss, and to tight end Andrew Glover. The drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Moss, and Anderson converted. Minnesota 23, Miami 7.
While the Dolphins offense took the field after the kickoff, the crowd got to its feet and stumbled to the restrooms. The lines going up the steps were long, and they couldn't move fast enough, because on Miami's very first offensive play from its own 18-yard line, Marino shot a bullet to Clayton in the flat, but an alert Vikings left linebacker Dixon Edwards snatched the ball for an interception and a 5-yard gain. Minnesota took over at the Miami 13-yard line, but after a holding penalty and a successful pass rush and sack by Dolphins left end Doug Betters over Vikings right tackle Korey Stringer, and after two incomplete passes, Minnesota settled for a 46-yard Anderson field goal. Minnesota 26, Miami 7.
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| Mark Clayton |
Sweat stung Marino's eyes as he slid his wet helmet over his mane. Only 3:00 remained in the half, and he knew from experience that he needed to ramp up the passing game. From Miami's 22-yard line, Marino shot a short pass to split end Mark Duper, who angled past the secondary for a 48-yard long gain. But things fell apart, and Shula, who couldn't trust Von Schamann for a 34-yard field goal when the team was behind by nearly three touchdowns, decided to go for it on 4th and 9 from the Minnesota 17-yard line with 45 seconds left on the clock. After using the hard count in an attempt to draw the Vikings offsides, Marino called for the snap and dropped back into the pocket. The seconds ticked by as Minnesota surrounded Miami's receivers. In desperation, Marino threw a short pass to Clayton, who was double-teamed, and the pass dropped incomplete.
Cunningham finished the half by kneeling on the Minnesota 16-yard line.
*
After a halftime show that featured Hank Williams Jr. singing his 1984 smash hit “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight,” the Dolphins ran onto the field with a new resolve and with their asses freshly chewed. With Robbie, the owner, standing with arms folded in the corner of the locker room, Shula didn't pull any punches. He'd let everyone have it.
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| Mark Duper |
The Dolphins fielded the opening kickoff at their own 17-yard line, and Marino strung together a series of 13 pass attempts, including a clutch 11-yard catch by Duper on 3rd and 11. The drive stalled, however, at the Minnesota 23-yard line when Vikings right linebacker Dwayne Rudd knocked down a pass to Clayton in the flat.
On 4th and 10, Shula once again chose to trust Marino’s arm over Von Schamann’s leg, and Marino put his trust in Clayton once again, but the pass fell short, for a turnover on downs.
The Vikings took the field with confidence, and on second down, Cunningham threw a short pass to Moss--but Moss had cut right instead of left--and Dolphins cornerback William Judson snagged the pass from behind Moss's back.
Again on offense, Miami pushed its way back toward the Minnesota end zone. Marino snapped a 12-yard pass to Johnson and Nathan strode off-tackle for a 9-yard run, but other efforts fell short. Once again Shula found himself having to choose between his kicker's shaky leg and his young quarterback's Hall-of-Fame arm. On 4th and Goal from the Minnesota 4-yard line, the coach once again pressed Marino to score on a pass, but a Vikings cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock batted the ball away from Duper in the end zone to end Miami's momentum.
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| Robert Smith |
The Vikings responded with a 37-yard drive that included two off-tackle bursts by Smith, first for 17 yards and later for 9 yards, but then on a flat pass to Hoard, Miami right outside linebacker Charles Bowser snagged an interception and Hoard pulled him down after 3 yards.
With 3:15 left in the third quarter, Marino made short work of a short field. After a 17-yard pass to Duper and a 16-yard pass to Clayton. Nathan finished the drive with off-tackle runs of 2 and 3 yards, on the last play, he bowled over Vikings left linebacker Edwards for the touchdown. Von Schamann converted. Minnesota 26, Miami 14.
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| Randall Cunningham |
Cunningham knew he could trust Hoard, so on the next drive and on the very next play, he threw the ball again to Hoard in the flat and the halfback snagged it for an 18-yard run. Cunningham then hit Carter for 15, but the drive stalled, so on 3rd and 11 from the Miami 44, Cunningham called Moss’s number. After the snap, however, Cunningham had to shift around in the pocket on the play while fullback Chuck Evans held off Bowser on the pass rush, so when Cunningham finally tossed a 50-50 ball to Moss, the big receiver tangled with Judson for a 20-yard completion, and Judson landed poorly. The injury kept Judson sidelined for the remainder of the game. Three plays later, the Vikings settled for a 41-yard Anderson field goal to put Minnesota ahead 29-14.
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| John Randle |
During the ensuing kickoff, Marino watched the Vikings sidelines. Minnesota right end John Randle just wouldn’t shut up, and his wisecracks had Moss and Carter in stitches. Marino knew the Vikings were having too much fun. He slipped on his helmet and snapped his chinstrap into place even before he stepped on to the field.
Marino attacked: Short pass to Duper for 17; Duper for 14; Clayton 15; Duper 16. The Dolphins' offensive line held back Randle and the Vikings’ pass rush, and after 10 plays, Marino slipped a short pass to Clayton for a 7-yard touchdown. Von Schamann converted. Minnesota 29, Miami 21.
"Oh, you think you're a pretty boy now, huh?" mocked Randle as Marino trotted toward the sidelines. The young quarterback kept his lips tight.
Minnesota's offense took the field following a razzle-dazzle 28-yard return by Palmer, but from scrimmage, the Vikings couldn’t get it together. They did manage to reach the outer limits of Anderson’s leg, however, so the placekicker attempted a 54-yard field goal on 4th and 2, but he missed, and the Dolphins took over on the Miami 37-yard line.
Marino got back to work: Clayton for 16; Duper 16; Clayton 9. In short order, the Dolphins drove to the Minnesota 7-yard line, but the Vikings put on the pressure: On consecutive plays with Vikings right tackle Tony Williams and right end Randle blitzing, Vikings cornerbacks Hitchcock and Fuller both knocked down passes to Duper and Clayton respectively. And once again Miami went for it on 4th and Goal, and they failed. Minnesota took over on their own 7.
With 5:00 left on the clock, Moss swaggered to the huddle. He flashed his gold tooth. “Let’s give ‘em straight cash, homey,” he said. Carter rolled his eyes. Cunningham stayed cool. He called Smith’s number, to run off the clock: Off-tackle right for 7; off-tackle left for 8; flat to Moss for 9; Carter 5; Moss 7; Carter 5. Cunningham engineered a clock-chewing dink-and-dunk, and with 1:45 left on the game clock, Miami committed a personal foul on a 19-yard pass to Moss to bring the Vikings to the Dolphins’ 23-yard line. But after three more plays, including two Miami timeouts, the Vikings stalled at the 18-yard line, and Anderson missed a 35-yard field goal. Miami took over on downs.
With 30 seconds left on the game clock, Marino called a long pass to Duper, but Vikings left tackle Jerry Ball slipped past right guard Ed Newman and Marino was forced to run. He was tackled at the line of scrimmage.
After a final timeout and with 15 seconds remaining, Marino launched a long pass to Duper for a 70-yard long gain, but Hitchcock dragged him down at the 12-yard line.
Minnesota stood victorious 29-21.
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| Frank Gifford |
Frank Gifford provided the post-game analysis:
“On a hot day in Miami, Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green won this game on the leg of his kicker Gary Anderson, while Dolphins coach Don Shula lost because he just couldn’t trust placekicker Uwe Von Schamann, who made only 47 percent of his field goals in 1984. And while this isn’t the Super Bowl or even a conference championship, the 1998 Minnesota Vikings can rest easy now that Anderson’s missed field goal in the 1998 NFC Championship game was, in fact, a fluke, and they should have won that game. The 1984 Miami Dolphins, meanwhile, will continue to question whether they ever had a championship team around Marino.”
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F
MIN 16 26 26 29 – 29
MIA 07 07 14 21 – 21
1998 MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Cunningham 33 att., 24 comp., 288 yds., 2 TD, 3 int.
Receiver/Rec./Yds. – Glover 1/14; Carter 9/144; Moss 8/103; Palmer 5/24; Hoard 1/3
Rusher/Att./Yds. – Smith 20/66; Hoard 5/25, 1 TD; Cunningham 6/-10
KR – Palmer 4/61, 28 Lng.
PR – Palmer 5/8, 9 Lng.
Punt – Berger 3/106, 45 Lng.
Sacks – McDaniel 1, Randle 1
Int - Edwards
Scoring Summary
6 + 1 - Cunningham pass to Carter 61 yds. (Anderson XP) 14:00 Q1
2 - McDaniel safety 10:30 Q1
6 + 1 – Hoard run 4 yds. (Anderson XP) 3:30 Q1
6 + 1 – Cunningham pass to Moss 10 yds. (Anderson XP) 6:00 Q2
3 – Anderson FG 46 yds. 3:15 Q2
3 – Anderson FG 41 yds. 13:45 Q4
Penalties
Holding – declined (x3), Holding 10 (x1), Offsides – declined (x1), Offsides 5 (x2), Offsides 2 (x1)
1984 MIAMI DOLPHINS
Marino 42 att., 30 comp., 339 yds., 2 TD, 1 int.
Receiver/Rec./Yds. – Johnson 7/47; Clayton 10/106; Duper 13/186
Rusher/Att./Yds. – Nathan 12/35, 1 TD; Marino 4/-9
KR – Walker 2/37, 21 Lng.; Heflin 2/22, 11 Lng.
PR – Walker 3/20, 20 Lng.; Clayton 1/21, 21 Lng.
Punt – Roby 4/169, 52 Lng.
Sacks – Betters 2
Int – McNeal, Judson, Bowser
Fumbles – Nathan 1 (lost), Walker 1
Injury - Judson
Scoring Summary
6 + 1 – Marino pass to Johnson 12 yds. (Von Schamann XP) 7:30 Q1
6 + 1 – Nathan run 3 yds. (Von Schamann XP) 2:15 Q3
6 + 1 – Marino pass to Clayton 7 yds. (Von Schamann XP) 10:45 Q4
Penalties
Offsides 5 (x2), Offsides – declined (x1), Offensive pass interference 10 (x1), Offensive pass interference – declined (x1), Facemask – declined (x1), Personal foul 15 (x4), Illegal procedure – declined (x1), Illegal contact 5 (x1)
