What Went Wrong With Jimmy Johnson And The Miami Dolphins In The 90s?

[@90sSportsNostalgia]

Thank you so much for watching this video. A couple names I want to mention that I was not able to get to in the video that helped out the Dolphins: Trace Armstrong was a really good defensive end for Miami from 1995-2000. Furthermore, Robert Jones, had a really good season for Miami in 1998. Lastly, this video is mainly about Jimmy Johnson and his draft picks while with Miami and why he wasn't able to achieve the success in Miami like he had in Dallas. Thank you once again.

[@MannyMensah94]

Hey Bro. Keep up the good work. Can you do the Utah Jazz in the 90s. Especially not winning the titles besides losing the Bulls? Take care.

[@rodneymercado7195]

I support and 2nd this motion!

[@jpmnky]

Jimmy Johnson tried to get a running game going in Miami. And Jabbar was good for a minute. He drafted some great defenders too. Even as a teenager during his first couple years in Miami I knew that 1992 was the last real chance the Marino led Dolphins had at a Super Bowl appearance. Never imagined that by 2024-25 they never got anywhere close to contending again.

[@brando7266]

Shocking that it's 32 yrs, since the last afc championship, plus when Marino got hurt in 1993, we would have made another afc championship, at least,

[@Mike_oliver1313]

Don Shula did not retire. He was forced out, so Jimmy Johnson could cosch

[@rodneymercado7195]

Entertaining video. Just one critique. Johnson didn't join Miami because Marino was - they're was actually widespread speculation that Johnson was going to do a Herschel Walker deal but with Marino. Johnson tried to win with ground game but it ate him up inside that Marino always had to bail him out no matter how many carries the revolving door of RBs were given. Marino and Johnson were never friends, especially after Johnson fired long-time offensive coordinator, Gary Johnson.

[@kennylc2193]

I thought the main reason he joined Miami was because he lived in S Florida and wanted to stay there

[@rodneymercado7195]

@kennylc2193 besides the fat salary and location, he was also given complete control over the roster. In other words, it was the money and power. I would go do far to say he never liked Marino. He wanted to win his way and use Marino as little as possible. And while he did build a stellar defense, Johnson couldn't draft offensive players to save his life. All of his guys he drafted were busts and disappointments under him.

[@kramalerav]

He was hired to win, not to make friends.

[@rodneymercado7195]

@kramalerav so he failed at his job. And you succeed at a job through working together, trusting each other, and that comes through building and having good relationships. I can't EVER recall a team winning a championship where the HC actively sabotaged his starting first ballot Hall of Fame QB - can you? Relationships are important!

[@MandyGoldenGoddessFan]

Good video as always 90s Sports Nostalgia

[@90sSportsNostalgia]

You're the best. Thank you so much. Have a wonderful Sunday.

[@alexanderrobinson8079]

I think this a great example of "fit" meaning more than talent or coaching ability. Marino got old fast, but taking the ball out of his hands is probably his only major coaching mistake. He built a great defense. I think in today's NFL, we see the obvious. Very few, if any teams, could have matched Marino with that secondary for the Dolphins. Forcing the other team to fold was one of Johnson's specialties. He clearly saw the ace in the hole with Marino, but failed to capitalize. Also, with his great wall of dallas, why not draft an amazing line and help the running game and Marino.

[@Supremor-tj9dv]

We were in salary cap hell in 1996 amd had to shed many veterans and couldn’t resign free agents. Jimmy couldn’t draft offense worth a damn. No Herschel Walker deal for us. The defense, while good, was usually exhausted by the end of the season. Jimmy didn’t want to return for the 1999 season but was arm twisted into it by Huizenga and Marino.

[@PeteyThePanda]

JJ built a championship caliber defense in Miami that kept the team relevant for a few years after his and Dan Marino’s departure but he was unable to do the same on the offensive side of the ball the way he did in Dallas. Marino’s best days were behind him and JJ never found an Emmitt Smith or Michael Irvin type to compliment him on offense.

[@rasulsamad5860]

True defense was good on madden for year good corner backs

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Me Shula went to the super Bowl with 4 qbs thats never been Done

[@blakebrown84]

The Dolphins’ problem was they didn’t have a strong running attack from John Avery and Karim Abdul-Jabbar. Dan Marion was an aging quarterback who disagreed with Coach Johnson. Some of the players didn’t agree with his coaching style or his philosophy

[@brando7266]

Didn't johnson also waste a first rd pick on j Johnson, a complete bust ( rb)?

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

If Robbie keeps Czonka Warfield Kick And Morris Wins atleast 3 straight

[@jonyb123a]

Yatil Green could have been a difference maker.

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Shula won division in 4 decades he was fantastic if he worked for Al Davis a big spender he wouldve won probably 4

[@cassidy109]

The overriding factor that prevented the Dolphins from achieving the heights of success that the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys reached was that Jimmy was never able to build a complimentary offense to pair with the phenomenal defense that he built down in Miami. Jimmy's specialty going back to his days coaching College Football was the defensive side of the ball. I never felt that he had quite the same eye for talent and feel for offense as he did for defense. In order to win a Super Bowl you have to be lucky, healthy and good. The Jimmy Johnson Dolphins while good, never had the requisite luck and health on offense, particularly with respect to personnel acquisition and development, to realistically compete for a Super Bowl. When Jimmy got to Dallas the Cowboys while putrid did have some notable pieces on offense for him to build around. Michael Irvin, Mark Tuinei, Nate Newton and Kevin Gogan were all future All-Pro and/or Pro Bowl players that were holdovers from the Tom Landry era. Additionally, in 1989 Dallas had the first overall pick, which they used on Troy Aikman, as a byproduct of having the worst record in the league during Landry's last season. In the 1990 NFL draft Emmitt Smith basically fell into Jimmy's lap. Jimmy went into that draft with the goal of acquiring an impact defensive player, think Junior Seau and Cortez Kennedy. As a result of taking Steve Walsh of all people in the Supplemental Draft in 1989 Dallas forfeited the first overall pick in the 1990 draft. By the time it was Dallas's turn to pick in the middle part of the 1st round all of those guys were long gone. Ultimately a scout for the Cowboys was so convinced of Emmitt Smith's ability that he literally stood up on a table and demanded that Dallas take him. The rest as they say is history. However, it must be pointed out that it wasn't until the Cowboys hired Norv Turner as OC that Dallas figured out how to put it all together on offense. Jimmy really kind of bungled things his first couple of seasons on offense in Dallas. He got saddled with Dave Shula as his OC, wasn't sold that Aikman was the long term answer at QB until the end of the 1991 season, honestly believed that the aforementioned Steve Walsh was a viable starting caliber QB in the NFL, and at one point tried to trade Michael Irvin to the Raiders, and was only talked out of it by Al Davis of all people.

[@aaronjackson9385]

This is one of the best and most informative posts that I have ever seen. Thanks for sharing this!! ❤❤

[@cassidy109]

@ Thanks for the kind words. 🙏🏻 I just wanted to add that the Cowboys’ scout that literally pounded the table for Emmitt Smith was Walt Yaworsky, who had been with the club since the 1970s. Purportedly his scouting report claimed that Emmitt Smith would “someday make Cowboys fans forget about Tony Dorsett.” I just felt that a man who was so consequential in his team’s success, but relatively unknown, deserves to have his accolades. Nevertheless, it wasn’t my intention to hijack the conversation about the Dolphins lack of Super Bowl success under Jimmy Johnson, but rather to juxtapose his success in Dallas to his relative failure in Miami. It’s been a topic I’ve long been fascinated by. I think it displays just how incredibly difficult it is to put together a SB winning team, much less a dynasty like the early ‘90s Cowboys, and how outright luck plays an outsized role in a field like professional football. Lastly, Jimmy Johnson while an outstanding coach and talent evaluator had his weaknesses. Ultimately I think his lack of ability to acquire offensive talent and his luck running out just caught up with him down in Miami.

[@aaronjackson9385]

@@cassidy109 your brilliant research and knowledge is greatly appreciated, again. I learned a whole lot about football history from your posts.

[@whatever_it_takes6691]

Jimmy was a great coach but you gotta have the players.

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Meant Super Bowls with Davis

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Jimmy had lots of. Smarts but that alone won't cut it

[@marcocarbajal9299]

Simple. Lack of great running game and an aging Marino

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Yes i agree doesnt belong in the hof

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Yes jimmys speciality was defense not impressed with his offensive Shula knew ofense and defense played both in the nfl

[@tgriffin3059]

Nothing went wrong. The media said he was Midas. He WASN'T.

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Don Shula could win big with anything Jimmy could only win big with people like Smith Aikman Haley

[@keenakaur6314]

Then why the hell _didn't_ Don Shula "win big"? What did he ever do after those back to back Super Bowls in the early 70s? Besides, waste Dan Marino's entire career with no running game or defense? I assure you, if Jimmy Johnson had Marino for all those years, in his prime, the Dolphins win a minimum of two Super Bowls. No coach wins without talent. No Shula, not Jimmy, not Belichick. Jimmy was far better at building a roster than Shula could ever dream of.

[@brando7266]

​@@keenakaur6314shula went to 2 sbs in the eighties, and made 2 other afc championship gms, in fact ,the dolphins haven't made an afc championship gm since 1992, haven't u noticed what's happened to the dolphins without shula, they r totally irrelevant and haven't won a playoff gm ,in 24 yrs, , even when shula was past his prime, he was still winning playoff gms, and having winning seasons, unlike Tom Landry,

[@keenakaur6314]

@@brando7266 Tom Landry was more overrated than even Shula, and that's saying a lot.

[@brando7266]

@keenakaur6314 he did have that streak of playoffs/ winning seasons, I still have in the top 5, ( Lombardi, belicheck, Shula, Reid, Landry), what's your top 5?

[@PeteyThePanda]

Anything? Who was Shula’s starting QB for those Super Bowl winners? Bob Griese - HoF. Who was the RB for those Super Bowl winners? Larry Csonka - HoF. Who was the #1 receiver? Paul Warfield - HoF. Don’t make it sound like Shula won with no talent because he absolutely had talent - 6 HoFs as starters for both his SB winning teams as a matter of fact.

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Shula in my veiw probably wouldve won 4 super bowls in Washington and with Davis in La after larry Czonka joe Robbie and the personel department didnt get a stud running back jimmy didnt get a stud running back in Miami

[@JT-zh1oz]

Johnson was burned out already …

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

You people who Rag on. MR SHULA forget after the 74 seaonson cheapskate owner joe Robbie let Warfield Czonka kick a Morris leave foe the Wfl 2 were future hofs thats Not Shula thats the dingbat ownet Shula went to Super Bowl 17 with David Woodley johnson have done that 😮

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Jimmy never got past rond 2 in the sunshine state with good defense Sam Madison Taylor Rodgers etc jimmy.was overated

[@MarkHermann-u5p]

Jimmy didn't Get the right running backs success in one town doesnt guarantee success in another taking the ball out of Marinos hands was a mistake

[@kevinfinnerty8414]

Don Shula and Jimmy Johnson as Coaches. Plenty of talent around him. And Marino could only make it to 1 Super Bowl? Lame. Elway carried 3 lesser Bronco teams to 3 Super Bowls.

[@chadlebato7943]

Lesser, wrong John didn’t win one till he had Shannon sharpe and Davis at running back 😂

[@Zman82]

Instead of saying lame you should really realize that life ain't fair. Dan Marino is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. It's hard to make the playoffs It's even harder to win in the playoffs and it's definitely hard to win in the Superbowl. Vikings went to four super bowls across the whole decade and lost every one. Bills went to four in a row and lost all four. I don't hear you say anything about Jim Kelly.

[@casiemny1219]

Plenty of Talent???? After 84 his defenses pretty much sucked until his last few seasons when he was past his prime..and his receivers weren’t great after the 80s. Running game sucked…This was a terrible take

[@keenakaur6314]

The OP said he "carried" the Broncos to 3 Super Bowls, which is a fact. He never said he "won" 3 Super Bowls. The OP is also correct, that Dan Marino only making one Super Bowl for his entire career is VERY lame. This isn't the NCAA Basketball Tournament, you win 2 playoff games and you are in the Super Bowl. For an alleged all-time "great" QB, that shouldn't be very difficult. Tom Brady made 11 Super Bowls. Elway made 5. The fact is, Dan Marino could only play well in perfect conditions, which usually isn't the case in January. Couldn't throw in the wind, the snow, the rain, or even the cold. You could argue that guys like Elway and Brady got _better_ the worse the elements got. Like Peyton Manning, Marino was visibly frustrated by bad weather, and it showed on the field. Don Shula and Jimmy Johnson are easily far better coaches than Dan Revees or Mike Shanahan. To take it even farther, how many times did Dan Marino even wind up in the AFC Title game? I can think of three, which is even less impressive than only making one Super Bowl. Which is why Jim Kelly is also a far better QB than Dan Marino. And to answer the question of this video, "What went wrong with the Jimmy Johnson era Dolphins", it's quite easy. Dan Marino. I don't buy into the notion that Jimmy wanted to coach Marino. Jimmy had unreal success in South Florida, with the Miami Hurricanes, and wanted to go back home, after the Cowboys. I think he thought he could pull off a similar trade as he did in Dallas, and the one obvious guy to trade would've been Marino. But Wayne Huizenga made it clear to JJ, the one and only guy he couldn't trade or cut, was Marino. Too bad, because I think JJ would have traded him, and had substantially more success with the Miami Dolphins, and would've stayed around a whole lot longer than he did. I'm disappointed in Jimmy that he gave up so soon. At the very least, he should've gone back to The U and won a few more National Championships. Can you imagine HIM, coaching that 2000-01 Miami Hurricane roster? OMG!

[@tgriffin3059]

@@keenakaur6314 That's a brilliant comment. Interesting that you'd include Manning....I'm a lifelong Colt fan, and I fully agree...he could look as good as anybody, when he saw what he prepared for all week in the film room....but in postseason football, you get bad weather, and you usually get more physical defense. Manning didn't like EITHER. When his receivers were thrown off their routes and their timing, he was no better than Neil O'Donnell. As for Miami...I'd have been curious to see what they might have looked like if they had gotten Ricky Williams while Marino could still play. Admittedly, between Dan's age and Ricky's personal foibles, that would have been a narrow window, but it might still have been interesting to see....

[@scotts6264]

Dumbing down offenses didnt work.

[@samuraibeastwarrior2886]

can you do a video on why the Packers did not win super bowl 32

[@keenakaur6314]

No video needed. The Broncos were the better overall team, and the Packers believed the hype that they'd blow them out in the Super Bowl.Terrell Davis was the best player on the field. Denver had him, the Packers didn't. There's your video.

[@samuraibeastwarrior2886]

@ ok

[@tgriffin3059]

@@keenakaur6314 I think the cracks were there in the NFC dominance, in hindsight....The 5 years or so prior to this had seen the NFC level of superiority fall off quite a bit. Buffalo lost 4 Super Bowls, not because they lacked talent, but because of their unusual spasticity....mental errors killed them....Then Green Bay got their ring the previous year owing to a kick returner. Any game where the difference is a couple of big returns is hardly a dominant win.

[@davidmitchell6873]

Overrated and really should not be in the hall of fame.

[@PeteyThePanda]

Look at his draft record in both Dallas and Miami then come back and say he’s overrated