N tOltes
Miami looks to end losing ways in the Meadowlands
By BARRY WILNER
AP Football Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—
Here's a switch: The guys from
Florida, needing to regain their
health, are heading north.
Nobody makes an NFL team feel
better than the New York Jets. So
Sunday's visit for the Miami Dol
phins might be looked at as a little
R&R in the Meadowlands.
Sparked by a staunch defense,
the Dolphins jumped to a 3-0
record. They struggled defending
the pass in Game 4, but still won
26-23 against Cincinnati. Ever
since, the defense has been out to
Struggling
QBs meet
in divisional
showdown
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
GREEN BAY, Wis.— Minnesota's
Warren Moon is flustered because
he's completing lots of passes, but
not enough drives. The Green Bay
Packers are frustrated because
quarterback Brett Favre is having
to do too much.
Both teams promise changes
Sunday when they meet at Lam
beau Field.
Moon said he wants to throw
deep more often to help snap the
Vikings (3-3) out of their season
long scoring slump, a suggestion
that hasn't sat well with Vikings
coach Dennis Green, who contends
it's the running game that needs to
improve.
"Throwing for 300 yards doesn't
mean an awful lot if you can't get
down and score," Green said.
"That's why we have to be more
opportunistic in the red zone this
week. Bottom line is we have to be
able to run the ball better."
Robert Smith averaged 5.7 yards
a carry in the first four games, but
only 2.9 yards in the last two.
Moon threw for 332 yards
against Tampa Bay, but the
Vikings scored just one touchdown
and turned the ball over three
times inside the Buccaneers' 25-
yard line in a 20-17 overtime loss.
That's been the story of Minneso
ta's season.
Despite an offense that ranks
right behind Dallas and San Fran
cisco, the Vikings are again strug
gling to score inside opponents' 20-
yard line. Minnesota was the sec
ond-worst team in the NFL in that
category last season and is 17th
this year.
Moon said he would start taking
more chances. Because he's been
bothered by a sore throwing shoul
der and because Green has empha
sized the run, Minnesota mostly
has used a short to medium-range
passing game.
"I've got to be more aggressive
... and we need to make more big
plays," Moon said. "We can't afford
to nickel-and-dime it down the field
all the time."
Moon, 38, scoffs at those who
think his skills have deteriorated.
"I feel great," Moon said. "I just
need to do a better job when we get
in the red zone and get more balls
in the end zone, and I think that
will shut everyone up."
While Moon wants to do more,
the Packers would like to see Favre
do less.
Favre's burden is heavy. He lost
his top receiver, Sterling Sharpe, to
spinal surgery, the defense has
struggled to generate turnovers
and the running game hasn't gotten
untracked. Their running backs are
averaging just 3.2 yards per carry.
As if he wasn't doing enough
with his arm, Favre's also got the
team's longest run from scrim
mage of 40 yards and he leads
Green Bay with two rushing touch
downs.
Still, the Packers (4-2) are off to
their best start since 1978 and rank
10th in the NFL in offense.
The telling statistic is Favre's 7.3
yards per pass attempt, which
shows that Favre is being allowed
to throw downfield more like
Moon wants to do.
It also means the receivers, led
by Robert Brooks and Mark
Ingram, are getting yards after the
catch.
"I think we have pretty good
speed at our wide receiver posi
tions now," Packers coach Mike
Holmgren said. "Brett is certainly
making real solid decisions. His
decision-making pas really
improved over the years."
Favre spread the ball around in a
30-21 victory over Detroit last
week, when five receivers caught
at least four passes.
The 30 points, 436 total yards and
nearly 38 minutes of possession
time were all highs for Green Bay
in the eight games since Sharpe's
career ended with a spinal injury
lunch and the Dolphins have
slipped to 4-2.
"I think we need to stop reading
the press clippings and start play
ing football," middle linebacker
Bryan Cox said. "We're overanalyz
ing things, getting to almost a
panic and not getting things done.
Everybody is trying to find reasons
why instead of going on the foot
ball field and catching the ball and
hitting people."
Cox can complain all he wants
and there are grounds for worry
ing, given the Dolphins' weak per
formance the last six periods. But
Miami's woes didn't come close to
the Jets' dire situation. While
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Miami is a contender for the AFC
East title and perhaps a Super
Bowl trip, the Jets are the leader in
the first-pick sweepstakes for next
spring's draft. And they're pulling
away.
So what could be more timely
than a trip to New Jersey?
"What happened to us last week,
going to New Orleans to play an 0-5
team, nowhere in this league can
you go in and say, 'No way are we
going to lose this game.' " Cox said.
"We should not have any problem
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our own problems right now, we're
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"It is a concern because of the
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nature of the way we started to
unravel the last two weeks. We def
initely feel we can get ourselves
going again. We need our team to
come here with the right frame of
mind. We certainly were disap
pointed we lost two games, but we
learned our lessons."
The Dolphins will try to teach
the Jets a lesson even without Dan
Marino and Eric Green. Marino
isn't expected to play as he contin
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Tight end Green, one of Miami's
premier free-agent signings, is out
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The Jets also are banged up
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Quarterback Boomer Esiason still
is feeling the effects of a concus
sion suffered two weeks ago. His
replacement, Bubby Brister, has a
sore thumb. Two starters on
defense also are out.
"The only thing we can do is play
for pride and win a few games,"
center Cal Dixon said. "The guys
are getting fed up. As football play
ers, nothing is worse than this."
It figures to get a lot worse if the
Jets don't make an immediate U
turn. Four of the next six games
are against teams with winning
records.
The first of those opponents is
Miami, which will use Bernie
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Kosar in Marino's place. That does
n't comfort the Jets.
"Bernie is an outstanding quar
terback who does a lot of things
that fit into their system," coach
Rich Kotite said.
Kosar threw for 368 yards and
four touchdowns at New Orleans.
but the Dolphins had five
turnovers. And the defense once
again was shoddy against the pass.
"We had three strong perfor
mances in a row, then the last three
we have struggled," coach Don
Shula said.
And that is why the Dolphins
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