NFL: Ray McNulty ... 2 coaches on completely different planes

There, on the home side of Pro Player Stadium, was Miami Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt, whose fate is in the hands of a team that might not be good enough to save his job.

Across the yard, meanwhile, was Washington Redskins coach Steve Spurrier, whose fate is in the hands of an owner who probably isn't happy with what he has seen but apparently still believes in the man he hired.

So what happened on this nationally televised Sunday night game probably meant more to Wannstedt than Spurrier.

And the reason had nothing to do with the debut of the Dolphins' orange jerseys.

Spurrier, whose team isn't going anywhere this season, wanted to win.

Wannstedt, whose team is scratching and clawing for an AFC wild card, needed to win.

If the Dolphins don't get to the playoffs -- and play their way deep into January -- Wannstedt almost certainly will be gone.

And deservedly so: The Dolphins are going the wrong way.

They were 11-5 and won a playoff game in his first season. They were 11-5 and got beat in the first round in his second season. Last season, they finished 9-7 and failed to reach the playoffs.

This should be Wannstedt's last chance.

Spurrier, on the other hand, is in only his second season since leaving the University of Florida to see if his Fun 'N Gun passing attack will fly in the NFL.

So far, it hasn't.

The Redskins again will watch the playoffs on TV.

But Spurrier still has three years left on his $25 million contract. And, if Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is as smart as he is rich, he'll give "The Ol' Ball Coach" the full five years.

Or at least the next two.

Unlike Wannstedt, who inherited a playoff team from Jimmy Johnson, Spurrier was handed a team in disarray with an offense that lacked the player he needed most.

A top-shelf quarterback.

Spurrier has tried to make an NFL passer of Patrick Ramsey, a second-year player who has shown flashes of brilliance but too often has been victimized by his own inexperience.

And the problems don't end there.

The Redskins don't have enough good players to make a real run in the NFC East, where Dallas' Bill Parcells has taught a new gang of Cowboys how to win and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb has almost single-handedly kept the Eagles in the championship chase.

Spurrier needs players.

He also needs time.

He deserves at least as much time as Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga has given his coach.

Wannstedt's team must show a sense of urgency.

Spurrier's owner should show patience.

Both coaches' fates depend on it.