Quick Kicks

Dan no longer The Man

The overriding goal of teams who play the Miami Dolphins this year has become stopping the run and forcing Dan Marino to throw.

Forcing Dan Marino to throw?

Yes, it sounds strange and it probably will until the NFL’s all-time leading passer retires a year or two from now.

But the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-0), who face Marino and the Dolphins (3-1) tonight, know it probably is the best way to win against an offense that Jimmy Johnson has revamped to focus on the ground game.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s kind of weird,” said rookie safety Donovin Darius, one of at least a dozen Jacksonville players who watched Marino set records while he was in elementary school.

“But Jimmy Johnson made a statement that they’re going to be a very physical, running football team. Even though they have a Pro-Bowl, Hall of Fame quarterback, they’re not putting everything on him. He’ll hand the ball off and get it into a receiver’s hands when he has to.”

The formula seemed to be working through three Miami wins. But a 20-9 loss to the New York Jets last weekend brought some of the discontent over the new offense to the surface.

Marino was cranky in a midweek telephone interview with reporters, especially when asked whether he felt restricted about not being able to call as many audibles in the new offense.

“You know, that’s a pretty easy answer, isn’t it?” he said. “It really comes down to, we’ve done that in the past and I’ve been doing it my whole life and I could continue to do it. That’s just not the approach that we’re taking in this offense right now.”

Marino has just 528 yards passing this year and a quarterback rating of 72.0.

Realignment on tap

The NFL will consider two realignment plans at its owners meeting this month in New Orleans.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, in response to a report on CBS-TV’s “NFL Today,” said Sunday separate realignment strategies for the 1999 season, when the Cleveland Browns begin play, will be presented to the owners.

“There are two different ideas we’re going to discuss,” Tagliabue said. “One will be that Cleveland will be in a division in the AFC Central with six teams. The other idea set forth is that we’ll have four divisions in the AFC with four teams each.”

Tagliabue said the NFL is more likely to remain with the three-division alignment in both conferences, at least for the immediate future. With 31 teams next season, at least one team will be off every week.

Rams’ Conwell knocked out

St. Louis Rams tight end Ernie Conwell sustained a concussion when he was knocked unconscious in the first quarter against the New York Jets on Sunday.

Conwell, who played in college for the Washington Huskies, was still a bit foggy after the game, although he expects to play next week at Miami.

“I remember the first couple plays of the game, and that’s it,” Conwell said. “When I took a shower, I didn’t know who we were playing or anything, but now I’m starting to get my mind back.”

The last word …

“We have the best 30th-ranked defense you’ve ever seen in your life.” San Francisco linebacker Winfred Tubbs, whose team limited New Orleans to 167 yards in a 31-0 victory.