The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 28

C-4 The Orlando Sentinel, Monday, January 17, 1983 Dolphins game Charger circus performance: Clowns under the 'big flop' DOLPHINS 34, CHARGERS 13 7 r)t Cl SAN DIEQO MIAMI SS I Firstdowns 17 29 JT AA Cj I Rushes-yards 17-79 56-214 I A I I Pasangyards 168 19 Vv 1i Vj Returnyards 34 58 I Passes' 15-34-5 18-23-1 IT 1 'l I By Jerry Greene UM-' OF THE SENTINEL STAFF Fv 71 nr-r Sacks By Punts Fumbles-lost Penalties-yards Time of Possession Sen Diego Miami MIA Moore 3 pass from Woodley (von Scha-mann kick); MIA Franklin 3 run (von Schamann kick); MIA Lee 6 pass from Woodley (von Schamann kick); MIA FG von Schamann 24; SD Joiner 28 pass from Fouts (kick failed); MIA FG von Schamann 23; SO Muncie 1 run (Ben-irschke kick); MIA Woodley 4 run (von Schamann kick); A 71 ,383 M'ii I Iff 1 Vs. Of Individual stats SAN DIEGO Rushing LG 5 16 5 TO 0 1 0 0 No. Yds. Avg 1 5 50 12 56 4.1 3 9 30 1 3 30 Player Cappelletti Muncie Brooks Fouts 73 4.3 16 17 Team Passing i I St Co. ml Yds.

TO 15 5 191 1 Art. 34 Player Fouts Team v5 UNITED PflESS INTERNATIONAL MIAMI From sandlot football on up, "losers' walk" is the loneliest trip of all. And it's the ugliest, too, when you've just lost to the Miami Dolphins in the Orange Bowl. The exits from the field are designed so that fans are close enough to gesture and shout obscenities, even spit in your face as you head for the locker room. All that happened to the San Diego Chargers immediately after they were beaten Sunday, 34-13.

The gestures, the curses, the spit. They ignored it all. There was nothing that could be done by the less civilized portion of Miami's fans that would penetrate the gloom surrounding the Chargers. Once again, the Chargers were their own worst enemies. For the fourth straight year, San Diego had taken its version of "The Greatest Show on Earth," into the NFL playoffs.

And, for the fourth straight time, the big top collapsed before the Chargers could get their act into the Super Bowl. "The older you get, the more it hurts," said quarterback Dan Fouts, 31. Some performers work without a net. The Chargers work without a defense. And there is the growing belief they will never make the Super Bowl as half a team.

Sunday, all the parts of their team were missing. Their world's greatest offense ran into what may have been the world's greatest defense, at least for a day. And the Charger special teams turned into clowns, setting up 10 points for Miami by fumbling two consecutive kickoffs. As for the defense, well, coordinator Tom Bass may have sensed a premonition when he came to Miami with a copy of a book entitled "Prelude to Terror." "No, we don't need a lot more players, we need a lot more time," Bass said after the lightly regarded Dolphin offense picked apart his unit for 413 yards. Most observers believe the Charger defense needs speed more than anything else.

Miami employed two tight ends for blocking purposes and began running and throwing around the Chargers, who appeared too slow to protect their flanks. "Everyone can use a little more speed, even you and said Bass, who devised a superior "bend-don't-break" defense at Tampa Bay before moving to San Diego this season and inheriting a defense already in pieces. It takes time for a defense to mature, and, all the -while, the offense keeps aging. How long can the Receiving 1 LG TO 22 0 Yds. 38 53 28 18 21 25 No.

2 6 1 1 2 2 1 Player Chandler Muncie Joiner Winslow Sievers Brooks Hoiohan 18 28 18 16 14 Team Interceptions Yds. LG TO 18 18 0 No. 1 Player Fox 1 Don Coryell isn't happy will his team ever make the Super Bowl? Chargers wait before becoming a full team? The doubts are spreading. "We're not perfect," said James Brooks, who is a brilliant runner when he doesn't fumble. "We can't score 50 or 60 points each week." "The Chargers are human," said wide receiver Charlie Joiner, who caught his first and last TD pass of the season on Sunday.

"You just can't ask everything of us, every game." But how many more chances will the Chargers-have? Joiner is 35. Three starters on the offensive; line are 35, too. San Diego is the oldest team in the NFL. "Will I be back? I don't know," said Joiner. "I've; just got to decide if I can compete with the younger players for another year." That thought must haunt the entire team.

If San Diego was going to have a dynasty, these should, have been the years. There comes a day when everyone is too old for the circus and that's when the circus moves to another town. RED HUBERSENTINEL Miami defender Gerald Small deflects a Charger pass. Miami special teams get vindication against Chargers By Jerry Greene fir? Team 1 18 18 Punt returns Player No! Yds! LG TO Brooks 3 16 10 0 Team 3 Til 10 0 Klckoft returns Player No! YdT LG TD Brooks 7 78 24 0 Bauer 1 0 0 0 Sievers 1 15 15 0 Team 7 93 24 0 MIAMI Rushing Player No. Yds.

Avg LG TD Nathan 19 63 47 13 0 Franklin 23 96 4 2 11 1 Bennett 7 14 2.0 12 0 Woodley 3 14 4.7 7 1 Orosz 1 11 11.0 11 0 Vigorito 1 2 20 2 0 Jensen 2 -6 -3 -3 0 Team 56 214 13 2 Passing Player Alt Co! tail Yds. TD Woodley 22 17 1 195 2 Nathan 1 1 0 20 0 Team 23 il 5 215 2 Receiving Player No! Yds. LG TO Hardy 3 45 20 0 Nathan 8 55 10 0 Moore 1 3 3 1 Vigorito 2 21 17 0 Lee 16 6 1 Celalo 2 69 53 0 Harris 1 15 15 0 Team 18 215 S3 2 Interceptions Player No! Yds! LG TD Small 1 16 16 0 G.Blackwood 2 19 19 0 McNeal 1 20 20 0 L.Blackwood 1 -1 -10 Team 5 54 20 0 special-team excellence. "Last year, we buried ourselves with our special-team play." Less dramatically, there was vindication, too, for Miami place-kicker Uwe von Schamann, who had 2 field goals blocked in last year's loss to the Chargers. He had two chances and made both Sunday, although the outcome did not ride on his kicks this time.

"That's fine with me," said von Schamann. 1 THE: end 4 XS NEM OF THE SENTINEL STAFF MIAMI Every team has a guy who is called "The Animal." And they always play on special teams. Steve Shull, second-string linebacker and first-string head hunter, is Miami's "Animal." He and the other kamikaze performers on Miami's special teams vindicated themselves Sunday in the Dolphins' 34-13 playoff victory against San Diego. Wes Chandler's 56-yard punt return for a TD was just one of many special-team errors by the Dolphins in last year's 41-38 overtime playoff loss to the Chargers, remembered here as "The Miracle that Died." "We've been waiting, hoping that we would get the Chargers again," said Shull, speaking for the Miami special teams. "We had a lot to prove today." And they turned the game around in the second quarter when crushing hits forced Charger fumbles on two successive Miami kick-offs.

The Dolphins recovered both fumbles and put 10 points on the board for a 24-0 lead. Shull was responsible for the second hit that caused the clinching fumble. "The key to our team today was that the special teams made the big plays," said Miami Coach Don Shula, who has always demanded Next Sunday's opponent for the AFC title is hardly an unfamiliar one. The New York Jets are a constant challenge to the Dolphins, but Shula is proud that they made it into the conference final, too. "Well, both teams are from the East (division)," said Shula.

"The Jets are a solid football team and (quarterback) Richard Todd is at the top of his game. Their defense is playing great, and what more can you say about (receiver) Wesley Walker?" Obviously, Shula is not about to say anything that the Jets can use for motivation. Tickets for the AFC championship game went on sale at the Orange Bowl immediately after the Dolphins beat San Diego. The Dolphins did not think they had suffered any serious injuries and should have all personnel ready for the Jets. 1 Punt returns l-m MX LG TD 6 0 No.

2 Yds. 4 Player Vigorito Team Kickott returns Player Walker Hill LG TO 17 0 12 0 No. Yds. 2 28 1 12 I A I Hi. RED HUBERSENTINEL A Dolphins fan holds up a warning Sunday for the New York Jets.

How they scored MIAMI From C-1 SAN DIEGO SECOND QUARTER The Chargers finally score on a 28-yard Dan Fouts pass to Charlie Joiner for the TD. James Brooks returns a Miami punt to the Dolphin 43 to start the drive, and a 15-yard penalty against Ronnie Lee moves the ball to the 28 to set up the score. Scoring drive: 28 yards, 3 plays. Miami, 24-6. SECOND QUARTER Two Miami penalties a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on Kim Bo-kamper after he argued vehemently for an interception and a 20-yard pasd interference penalty on Glenn Blackwood moves the ball to the Dolphins' 40.

Wes Chandler catches a 22-yard pass from Fouts at the 1 to set up Chuck Muncie's dive for the TD. Scoring drive: 76 yards, 5 plays. Miami, 27-13. MIAMI FIRST QUARTER An interception of a Fouts pass deep in Charger territory sets up a 3-yard TD pass from David Woodley to wide receiver Nat Moore. Scoring drive: 26 yards, 5 plays.

Miami, 7- 0. SECONO QUARTER Tony Nathan runs of 12 and 13 yards and a Nathan 10-yard reception are the keys to this drive the longest of the game. Andra Franklin gets the TD on a 3-yard dive. Scoring drive: 89 yards. 13 plays.

Miami, 14-0. SECOND QUARTER The Charger kickoff return team's troubles pick up where they left off last week. Hank Bauer replacing Brooks, who tumbled twice last week fumbles the kickoff, and Miami kicker Uwe von Schamann recovers at the Charger 23. Woodley hits Ronnie Lee tor 6 yard and the TD. Scoring drive: 23 yards, 7 plays.

Miami, 21-0. SECOND QUARTER This time Brooks tumbles the kickoff, and Rich Diana recovers at the Charger 45. A late-hit penalty on Charger Bruce Laird gives the Dolphins possession at the 30 and sets up a 24-yard von Schamann field goal. Scoring drive: 30 yards, 7 plays. Miami, 24-0.

SECOND QUARTER Jimmy Cefalo catches a 53-yard pass Irom Woodley that moves the ball to the Charger 4 Four plays later, the Dolphins call on von Schamann tor a 23-yard field goal. Scoring drive: 70 yards. 7 plays. Miami. 27-6.

FOURTH QUARTER Glenn Blackwood intercepts Fouts deep in Miami territory and returns it to the Dolphin 38. Woodley hits Tom Vigorito tor 8 yards and Bruce Hardy tor it yards to set up VooOley'l 7-yard run for the TO. Scoring drive: 63 yards, 8 plays. Miami, 34-13. away from the Dolphins.

Their defense was exceptional. I think we were as well prepared as we could have been." Prepared or not, the Chargers never got into the game. The Dolphins had a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after Woodley threw a 3-yard TD pass to Nat Moore. Thanks to the fumbled kickoffs, Miami Scored 3 straight times in the second quarter on a 3-yard run by Franklin, a 6-yard pass from Woodley to tight end Ronnie Lee and a 24-yard field goal by Uwe von Schamann. But there were 3 more scores in the last 4 minutes of the first half, 2 of them Charger touchdowns on a 28-yard pass from Fouts to Charlie Joiner and a 1-yard run by Chuck Muncie.

Von Schamann squeezed in a 23-yard field goal between the 2 Charger TDs, so Miami had a less-than-comfortable 27-13 lead at halftime. "Sure, we were confident in the third quarter, we were only 14 down," said Fouts. "When we talked at halftime," said Shula, "we decided to play it as though it was 0-0. We wanted to win the second half." The crowd understood. It was chanting DEE-fense" before the second-half kickoff.

Woodley's one bad pass of the day was intercepted by Tim Fox, giving San Diego possession on the Miami 38. But Glenn Blackwood broke up a pass; linebacker Earnie Rhone, who was credited with 10 unassisted tackles, held Muncie to 4 yards and Fouts was sacked on third down by Doug Betters and A.J. Duhe. Minutes later, the Dolphin offense failed to apply the killing blow when Nathan fumbled on the Charger 6 and Wood row Lowe recovered for San Die-SO. Tight end Kellen Winslow, such a hero here a year ago, made his only catch at this point Sunday for 18 yards as Fouts quickly reached the Miami 36, But Glenn Blackwood got one of his two interceptions to stop San Diego once again.

"We couldn't get it done," said Fouts. Miami went on to score on a 7-yard quarterback draw by Woodley early in the fourth quarter for a 21-point lead. And, by this time, everyone involved knew this was not going to be anything like the game of Jan. 2, 1982. It was the same old Chargers but the Dolphins were something else.

"The best I've seen," said Fouts. 17 of 22 passes for 195 yards and 2 TDs. Tony Nathan got back into the attack with 83 yards rushing and 55 more receiving. Andra Franklin remained the workhorse with 96 yards rushing on 23 carries. The Dolphin total was 413 yards, a sum worthy of even the Chargers' No.

1-ranked offense. THE "DOLPHIN KICKOFF TEAM. Miami broke open the game in the second quarter when it recovered two successive Charger fumbles on kick-offs to set up a TD and field goal for the 24-0 lead. The Chargers fumbled two straight kickoffs against Pittsburgh the week before but managed to win. "All 11 guys on our kickoff team were awarded game balls," said Miami Coach Don Shula.

"Last year we buried ourselves with our special-teams play. "Overall, it was a great team effort to beat a club as explosive as San Die- Charger Coach DJn Coryell had little to say. "You cant take this win RED HUBERSENTINEL Andra Franklin churns upfid Dolphin fullback totaled 96 yards rushing..