COWBOYS' DEFENSE HAS LAST WORD ON MARINO : DALLAS 20, MIAMI 0.

Byline: David Moore Dallas Morning News

All the talk about a good relationship gone bad, about what could have been if Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson had stayed together until death do them part, faded into the background once Thursday's Dallas-Miami game kicked off.

Miami quarterback Dan Marino faded right along with them.

The Cowboys' 20-0 victory at Texas Stadium was a tribute to the Dallas defense. The 6-5 Cowboys sliced, diced and shut out one of the league's top teams with five interceptions and a struggling offense that came to life in the fourth quarter.

And they did it against Johnson, making his first coaching appearance here since an acrimonious split nearly six years ago.

``It was important to beat that team out there today,'' Jones said. ``Because Jimmy Johnson was coaching, because we beat a good football team that has a shot at the Super Bowl. . . . You can put them in any order you want. But it added up to really needing to compete at the highest level, and we did.

``I think we got all we could get out of this thing.''

Johnson refused to discuss Jones during his postgame news conference.

``It felt different during pregame warmups,'' Johnson said just before kickoff. ``Now that we are into the game, it doesn't feel different than any other ballgame.''

Johnson stepped back onto the field at Texas Stadium just more than an hour before kickoff, his trademark stone face and well-coiffed hair in place. He was met with a mixture of cheers and boos from the half-full stadium.

The visible mode of the coach changed quickly when he spotted Stephen Jones, the son of his former boss. Johnson jogged to him, smiled and enthusiastically shook his hand.

The Cowboys certainly got all they could out of the defense. The five interceptions kept Marino and the Dolphins (8-3) in a hole they couldn't escape. Cornerback Deion Sanders had two of the interceptions, one in the end zone that ended Miami's best scoring chance.

Outside linebacker Dexter Coakley also picked off two passes. The first came with 7:08 left in the third quarter of a scoreless game and resulted in a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown.

``We've got to give Dexter Coakley some love for that interception,'' Sanders said. ``He really broke the game wide open.''

There were others. Receiver Raghib ``Rocket'' Ismail suffered a mild concussion on the opening series and wasn't expected to return. But he was cleared to return in the second half and finished with 125 yards on five receptions.

It marked the first time since Michael Irvin went down in early October that any Dallas receiver has had a 100-yard game. A 51-yard completion to Ismail early in the fourth quarter got the Cowboys out of the shadow of their own goal posts. A 65-yard touchdown pass to him midway through the final period - on the same formation the Cowboys used to beat Washington in the season opener - iced the victory.

The list continues. The Cowboys' Emmitt Smith ran for 103 yards. Quarterback Troy Aikman returned from a two-game absence and after a slow start finished by completing 16 of 29 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) Blockers for Miami quarterback Dan Marino watch as he's sacked by Dallas' Brandon Noble.

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

(2) Cowboys' Dexter Coakley, left, celebrates an interception with teammate Signor Mobley as Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino walks off the field in the fourth quarter.

Bill Janscha/Associated Press