A television behind him showed the NFL playoffs. Wannstedt asked for an update and was told the St. Louis Rams had just beaten Minnesota 49-37.

Wannstedt smiled. "The Rams couldn't score 63, huh?" he said.

No, Miami's 62-7 loss Saturday at Jacksonville is still the most eye-popping score of the postseason. But despite that rout, Wannstedt said the team he inherited when Jimmy Johnson retired is close to Super Bowl caliber. He doesn't anticipate a major turnover in personnel this offseason.

"I'm going to look at the positive -- we got to the second round of the playoffs," said Wannstedt, the Dolphins' assistant head coach last season. "We've got a good solid foundation here. I like the nucleus of our team. We're basically a young team, primarily on defense. We just need to add to the mix."

Owner Wayne Huizenga agrees that the Dolphins are the verge of title contention. He promoted Wannstedt because he sought continuity.

"We had a horrible day Saturday," Huizenga said. "We have to refine some things. But I'm confident we're close."

Skeptics scoff, noting that Johnson failed to win an AFC East title, much less a Super Bowl, in his four years at Miami. This season the Dolphins lost seven of their final 10 games, barely made the playoffs and were eliminated with the most lopsided defeat in the 34-year history of the franchise.

Miami is $6 million under the salary cap, a vast improvement on the financial mess Johnson inherited from Don Shula in 1996. But in the NFL's toughest division, the Dolphins face a daunting 2000 schedule, and they have no first-round draft pick this year.

Even before coaching a game in Miami, Johnson promised a Super Bowl title. Wannstedt makes no such promise and chooses a more modest goal -- winning the division.

"That's something we haven't done around here in a few years," he said. "To have any chance at all of not having to travel like we did in the playoffs this year, we've got to get that done."

The biggest question mark on the roster is at quarterback, long a position of stability. Dan Marino hasn't decided whether he wants to return for an 18th season, and Wannstedt hasn't said whether he wants the future Hall of Famer back.

Marino, whose salary cap figure is scheduled to be about $7.5 million in 2000, may be asked to accept a pay cut.

"Dan and I will talk," Wannstedt said. "We're going to do the right thing."

If No. 13 retires, his likely successor will be Damon Huard, who went 4-1 as a starter this season when Marino was hurt.

Most of the offseason focus will be on improving an offense that ranked 20th in the NFL. As always, Miami is in the market for a running back, and a shakeup in the aging offensive line is likely. Wannstedt will try to succeed where Johnson and Shula repeatedly failed -- by developing a run-oriented attack that takes pressure off the quarterback and defense.

"You play great defense when you run the ball and control the clock," Wannstedt said.

Despite the collapse at Jacksonville, Wannstedt is happy with a defense led by All-Pros Zach Thomas at linebacker and Sam Madison at cornerback.

The Dolphins have eight unrestricted free agents, and the team would like to retain at least three -- center Tim Ruddy, fullback Stanley Pritchett and one of two free-agent safeties, Shawn Wooden or Calvin Jackson. Free agents most likely to depart are cornerback Terrell Buckley, who lost his starting job in November, and punter Tom Hutton.

Wannstedt fired three offensive assistants Sunday, including coordinator Kippy Brown. Chan Gailey, fired last week as the Dallas Cowboys' head coach, may be a candidate to replace Brown.

With Johnson's title as general manager vacant, Wannstedt wants to hire someone to oversee the personnel and scouting departments. One candidate is Tom Donahoe, who resigned under pressure last week as director of football operations for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Wannstedt knows what it's like to be fired -- he was let go by the Chicago Bears in 1998 after compiling a 40-56 record in six seasons. And with a three-year, $3.9 million contract, he knows he must produce quickly in Miami.

"I feel totally prepared to step forward with this challenge," he said.