First, the good news: Karim Abdul-Jabbar had a career game Sunday. Had it on the first drive, actually. He took the football left, took it right, always took it straight down the gut of the New York Jets’ defense on five game-opening runs, six first-drive carries, including the final four yards of those initial 47 into the end zone.
“I’ve had more than six straight carries before here, haven’t I?” he asked after the Dolphins’ 24-17 victory.
Heads shook all around him.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
Funny he should mention the next time. Because this brings up reality check of Sunday’s stellar performance: Abdul-Jabbar’s reward for having this big game is to repeat it the next game. And then the one after that.
That’s if this season is to be a kept promise, if January is to be a football month in South Florida _ and, most of all, if Abdul-Jabbar is to distinguish himself as anything more than an average NFL running back.
Because the worst thing anyone does on a Dolphin Sunday _ especially these young Dolphins and especially over this strange stretch of late _ is to make conclusion-jumping a weekly event.
You know the overreactions. Last week: Dan Marino is done. This week: He can play forever. Last week: Officiating is killing the Dolphins. This week: They have most-favored-franchise status among referees (And, let’s be honest, the late-game call ruling New York receiver Wayne Chrebet dropped the ball kept this game from whatever ending it deserved).
Finally, last week: The Dolphins have no running game. This week: Abdul-Jabbar has blossomed.
He had a good game. He had a good game in running for two touchdowns and 103 yards. The Dolphin offensive line had a good game. It started on the first drive. It continued after guard John Bock replaced ailing Keith Sims, who continues to try to hold (nudge, nudge) onto his job.
And this running-game effectiveness carried into the second half, when Abdul-Jabbar carried seven times on the opening drive, caught a 12-yard pass and ended it with a 5-yard running dive into the end zone.
“When we are going good, and we are not down 14 points, we can run the ball,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “We can do it all day.”
Which doesn’t explain Buffalo last week.
Or the Bears game the week before.
Sunday was just the second time this year the Dolphins have rushed for more than 100 yards. Given the way Jimmy Johnson has pushed the run, this is a doomsday stat for this offense. Another one: They ranked 29th in rushing before Sunday.
So you can’t take their performance any further than they had a good day. And the fact that Abdul-Jabbar hasn’t had more days like this deep into his second season is probably conclusion enough about his being an average back. Sunday can’t change that.
He isn’t big, isn’t fast, doesn’t possess uncanny balance or exceptional vision. The good backs in this league have at least one of these characteristics and the great ones have two.
Make no mistake, Johnson’s offense needs a great back. It demands production on the ground. He refuses to rely on Marino’s arm, which is the best way, the smart way, the only way to keep the legend at peak efficiency. Like he was Sunday.
There Marino was, outplaying the 11th Jet starting quarterback of his career, and in so doing turning the offensive play of the day. Abdul-Jabbar set the tone for Sunday’s win. But let’s be clear who made the money play.
Down 10-7, with momentum a fading issue, in the final seconds before half, Marino completed the engineering of a perfect hurry-up drive by delivering a perfect 23-yard touchdown pass to Brett Perriman. It was a drive to keep on video to end any argument about his continued worth to this franchise.
“This puts us back in contention,” Marino said, walking softly on his sprained ankle. “But the sad part is it makes you sick that we lost to Chicago and Buffalo.
“We really could be in great shape.”
They are tied for first place in the AFC East. They play New England twice from here, but no one else with talent to note. They need a running game, need a running back, need Abdul-Jabbar to live up to his name’s legacy _ which, of course a problem earlier this week.
The other sporting Abdul-Jabbar, the basketball one spelled Kareem, sued him for name infringement.
“I didn’t take that name _ it was given to me,” Karim said, referring to his Muslim conversion. “It was given to him, too. His name was Lew Alcindor.
“Some guys wonder why I wear No. 33 [like his namesake). I’ve worn it since I was 8. I loved the Cowboys and Tony Dorsett.”
Abdul-Jabbar isn’t Dorsett. He had a Sunday like Dorsett often did, though. The question that will shape this season’s end is whether he can have another one next week. And then again the week after that.
