CINCINNATI, Ohio -- That this night was special could not be determined from Don and Dave Shula's pregame hug, seeing as it was announced on a printed schedule and accompanied by 57 photographers.


It was not evident as both men stood solemnly on opposite sides of the 50-yard line during the national anthem, seeing as an intruding camera made it impossible for Dave to see Don.


That this night was special did not become clear until three hours later, in a scenario that was not made for television, with an act that could not have been scripted. Through most of the second half of his Miami Dolphins' eventual 23-7 victory over Dave's Cincinnati Bengals, Don did not have the heart to knock his son out.


Or maybe he had too much heart.


After playing coach halfway into the third quarter while the Dolphins took a 17-7 lead over the Bengals, Don Shula suddenly played father.


Five times in the game's final 24 minutes, the Dolphins took possession of the ball after a turnover. But not once during that stretch did the NFL's top-ranked offense capitalize with a touchdown.


Not once did the Dolphins even act like they wanted to score a touchdown.


Only once in that stretch did Dan Marino complete a pass of longer than 10 yards. The American Football Conference's second-leading quarterback averaged only 7.8 yards on his 26 completions, compared with his usual 14.9 yards.


"We did what we had to do,'' said Marino, who totaled 204 yards in the air.


Eleven times in the Dolphins' final 28 plays, Shula chose to hand the ball to someone named Bernie Parmalee.


Only twice did they actually score, both times on field goals.


So upset were the Dolphin offensive players that on consecutive plays midway through the fourth quarter, tight end Keith Jackson screamed and shook his hands, followed by receivers Irving Fryar and Mark Ingram throwing their helmets.


All three men had been open and in position to score a touchdown. All three men had been ignored by Marino.


The strange ending was complete by the postgame reaction of Don Shula's wife, Mary Anne. Her husband had won, yet she was crying.


And so this first father-son coaching meeting in professional sports history was probably as it should have been. About a father and a son.


"This was hard, very hard,'' Mary Anne Shula said. "This was very emotional. Don is a great defender of all his children.'' When asked whether her husband had decided to take it easy on his son, she laughed.


"I think that would be a human thing to do,'' she said. "But my husband would not think like that for one minute.''


Yet during the postgame news conference, Don did little to dispel that notion that he was more concerned about Dave's defeat and 0-5 record than he was about his own victory and 4-1 mark.


You have never heard a team that lost five turnovers and could not move the ball past its opponent's 29-yard line after the game's first minute praised so much. "What do you want me to say, seriously?'' Don said. "I'm just very sorry for Dave.''


What Don did not say was that he reneged on his earlier pledge to avoid Dave before the game. They were laughing together at a family barbecue Saturday night.