Buffalo at Miami


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Breaking down the Bills and Dolphins


Focal Point: Flutie vs. Miami corners


Scouting report


Inside the Dolphins playbook


Cowart to stand up to childhood hero

DAVIE, Fla. -- In recent years, this is as close as Dan Marino has gotten to the Super Bowl.

	Dan Marino hasn't reached the Super Bowl since the 1984-85 season, his second in the NFL.

Marino and the Miami Dolphins seek their first playoff victory in four years when they face the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild-card game Saturday.

"We have a chance to win three games and go to the Super Bowl," Marino said Tuesday. "That's what all the work is for, and it's going to be fun. I believe we have a chance, I really do."

The Dolphins lost first-round games in 1995 and 1997 and failed to make the playoffs in 1996. Although Marino holds numerous NFL records, including career passing yardage and touchdowns, his lone Super Bowl appearance was 14 years ago in a loss to San Francisco.

The 37-year-old Marino hasn't committed to playing in 1999, but friends predict he'll be back, and he's not characterizing this season as his last chance at a championship ring.

"We'll have this shot, and I think we'll have some more shots down the line, because we have a young team with a lot of good athletes," he said.

The Dolphins finished 10-6, and despite coach Jimmy Johnson's efforts to bolster the running game, the offense relied as heavily as ever on Marino. He threw 537 times, just 11 fewer than in 1997, and his 23 touchdown passes were seven more than a year ago.

Marino has topped 300 yards passing each of the past three weeks, and he threw for four touchdowns in a 31-21 victory over Denver on Dec. 21. Injuries to the offensive line have derailed the running game, so Marino might be forced to throw a lot again Saturday.

"If we keep things going smooth early on, Marino can really get on fire," guard Kevin Donnalley said. "We showed that against Denver. We gave him some time early, and the rest of the game he was great."

The toll of injuries over a 16-year career has robbed Marino of what little mobility he once had. But his arm remains strong, as does his desire.

"Danny is a tremendous competitor," Johnson said. "I see the same competitiveness, the same determination that I saw a year ago, or three years ago. And everybody knows he's a Hall of Fame player."

He's a future Hall of Famer without a Super Bowl ring, which makes unlucky No. 13 the focus of Miami's postseason drama.

The Dolphins are just 3-6 against teams that made the playoffs, and they're coming off their worst game of the year, a 38-16 loss at Atlanta. But the combination of a stingy defense and the most prolific passer in NFL history makes Miami dangerous.

"We're a team that can beat anybody," Marino said. "We've proven that during the year. It's a matter of us not stopping ourselves. If we don't do that, we can go pretty far."

Although he reached retirement age several seasons ago, Marino just wants to keep playing.