Don Shula may find that the first 325 wins were the easiest.
The glow from Shula's record-breaking victory faded quickly Monday as he began to focus on a quarterback crisis that could spoil the Miami Dolphins' once-promising season.Their starter Sunday against the New England Patriots will be 39-year-old Steve DeBerg, who was unemployed a week ago before signing with the Dolphins. Shula signed yet another free agent backup Monday, eight-year veteran Hugh Millen.
DeBerg succeeds Scott Mitchell, sidelined by a dislocated left (throwing) shoulder in Sunday's 19-14 victory at Philadelphia. Inexperienced Doug Pederson, who replaced Mitchell against the Eagles because DeBerg is still learning the playbook, will remain Miami's No. 2 quarterback.
Mitchell started the past four games as a replacement for Dan Marino, who ruptured his Achilles' tendon on Oct. 10 at Cleveland. Mitchell will be sidelined at least four weeks, and if surgery is necessary he'll miss the rest of the season, including any playoff games.
Until last month, Marino hadn't missed a start because of injury in 145 games. Now DeBerg becomes Miami's fourth quarterback in six games.
"You've got to play the hand you're dealt," Shula said. "I don't know what else to do other than work morning, noon and night to get these people ready to go."
The Dolphins are 7-2 and trying to hang in the race with Buffalo for the AFC East title. Miami has gone 4-1 since Marino's injury, but the toughest part of the schedule looms.
It begins with a Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas, followed by a three-game homestand against the New York Giants, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. That means Miami will face four consecutive playoff-caliber opponents with the oldest player in the NFL at quarterback.
DeBerg, waived by Tampa Bay on Nov. 1, admitted last week that he's past his prime.
"I came here on paid vacation," he joked Monday. "Those plans have changed all of a sudden. But I'd much rather play."
DeBerg has been with seven teams in his 17-year career, which should make it easier for him to learn a new playbook. But some simplification will be necessary, particularly with audibles.
"We can't be as sophisticated as we could be with Marino, who's been here for 10 years, or with Mitch, who has been here for four years," Shula said.
DeBerg took Kansas City to the playoffs in 1990 and 1991, and he said Miami could make the Super Bowl with him at quarterback.
"It's possible. It's very possible," he said. "It's kind of ironic - last week I thought my career was over, and now I'm playing with the best group I've ever played with."
Mitchell said he was optimistic about returning before the postseason. For the time being, he'll join Marino on the sidelines.
"We'll become real good buddies now," Mitchell said with a smile. "Dan had told me to do all the things he did, but he didn't say, `Don't get injured.' He didn't tell me that part."
The new third-string quarterback is Millen, released last week by the Cowboys when they signed Bernie Kosar. Millen arrived in Miami well aware that the Dolphins have had a run of bad luck at quarterback.
"It's been coming in buckets," he said. "Hopefully we can rectify that."
One reason for Shula's success is that he's never been one to dwell on bad luck. He has a record of 29-8 with backup quarterbacks, a better winning percentage than his overall 325-153-6.
With Sunday's win, Shula broke George Halas' record for most NFL victories. The last of the celebrations came Monday night during Shula's weekly live television show, which included tributes from several former players.