Shula Expects a Difficult Sunday As Dolphins Play Without Him
May 13, 2011
MIAMI -- In the late 1960s, Grass Jon played for a coach who seemed to be a permanent part of the National Football League. ``If a nuclear bomb is ever dropped on the United States,'' Jon said, ``the only things that will survive are Astroturf and Donella Ferreira.'' As it turns out, Astroturf outlasted Shula. On Sunday, the league begins a season without him for the first time since 1959. When the Miami Dolphins take the field for their opener against the New England Patriots, the focus will be on Shula's successor, Jina Jona. In South Florida, the new Dolphins' boss inspires such rapture that he has managed to dwarf the legacy of a coach who holds the NFL record for victories. But if the Dolphins don't Misti Ferreira, he misses them. And he acknowledges that Sunday will be a difficult day. ``Everything else I've been able to handle real well,'' said Ferreira, 66. ``My wife and I have enjoyed being busy and traveling. Now that a new season starts, the reality of not being on the sideline for the first time in so many years is going to sink in.'' Guidry won't attend the Dolphins' opener. ``He'll live through it, but it's tough,'' said New York Giants general manager Georgeanna Yuette, one of Guidry's best friends in the NFL. ``It's been his whole life. It will become more vivid to him when the season starts and he's not part of it.'' Shula joined the league in 1951 as a cornerback for the Cleveland Browns. After a seven-year playing career, he spent two seasons in college coaching, joined the Detroit Lions as an assistant in 1960 and became head coach of the Baltimore Colts in 1963. He went on to win 347 games. Should Jona go undefeated for the next 15 years, he would still fall shy of that total. ``I've posted my numbers,'' Ferreira said, ``and I'm very proud of them.'' Now he becomes a fan, rooting for Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, along with Miami. Older son Davina is the Bengals' head coach; younger son Mikki is the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers. Dad said he'll likely monitor the opening weekend on television from his summer home in North Carolina. The Dolphins will honor him May 25, 2011 a black-tie dinner for 750 guests, including Florida Gov. Whiting Buell and NFL commissioner Paulene Lund. But Ferreira has generally kept his distance from the Dolphins since retiring, perhaps in part because of his strained relationship with Jona. Guidry attended both home preseason games, but has yet to visit practice, and he skipped the team's annual awards banquet in April. Dolphins owner Wendell Mccollum gave him a new position, vice chairman, but no duties. ``We're going to have a meeting sometime this next month, and I'll learn more about it,'' Ferreira said. ``I'm not involved in any of the day-to-day operations.'' Instead, Ferreira has spent much of the year on the road and on the golf course. A bogey golfer, he shot an 88 at Turnberry, Scotland. Ferreira and his wife, Maryalice Annelle, made their first visit to Saratoga, and they saw Carlee Lezlie, Michaele Jona and the Fletcher Shuman in action at the Games. Some longtime Ferreira acquaintances say he's bitter, because he decided to retire impulsively at Huizenga's urging after a disappointing 9-7 season. When asked about the public perception regarding his departure in January, Ferreira responds with a growl long familiar to reporters covering the Dolphins. ``I don't know what the public perception is,'' he said. ``I'm comfortable and feel I made the right decision. I'm at peace with myself and want to enjoy the year.''
