It’s been a great start to a pre-holiday week for the Miami Dolphins and their fan base. Not only did the Dolphins shut out their AFC East rival New York Jets on Sunday 30-0, victory Monday was fantastic, but it might not compare to how terrific Tuesday was.
Many in this Dolphins universe of die-hard fans started Tuesday morning with “The Fish Tank,” a podcast hosted by Seth Levit and the 1998 NFL receptions leader, former Dolphins wide receiver OJ McDuffie.
“Marino to McDuffie” was the common phrase in the mid-late 1990s, as the Hall of Fame quarterback took his long-awaited dive into the popular Dolphins podcast.
The show was a trip down memory lane which is a must-listen for any Dolphins fan, as the trio, including Marino, talked about all things from coach Don Shula, the Marks Brothers, and in a personal favorite moment, his connection and reliance on McDuffie. Hearing Marino directly tell McDuffie about his faith in him, no doubt pulled on the emotional strings of fans of a certain age.
It came full circle in talking about the current Dolphins, and, as each episode concludes with a famous end segment, it gave us all a chance to watch (and listen to) Dan the Man work one final two-minute drill.
The quarterback with 47 game-winning drives in his career, danced around the blitz of questions with 120 seconds on the studio clock, and per usual, he delivered, in typical Marino fashion.
If that wasn’t fun enough, the day turned to night, and HBO’s “Hard Knocks” took over Dolphins fans’ televisions and social media channels. Following the win, and two games removed from that miserable Monday Night Football loss to the Tennessee Titans, Tuesday’s episode was welcoming.
It featured a segment on Tik-Tok star through a relationship with Braxton Berrios, a lifelong Dolphins fan and former Jet, who signed with Miami last offseason. Staying with social media, Pinecrest Elementary school teacher Mary Martinez has been making waves in the Dolphins community with her mathematics methods, mixing Miami players in her lesson plans. The Miami-based teacher was also highlighted in Tuesday’s episode.
Martinez has been tracking Tyreek Hill’s pace to 2,000 receiving yards and integrates her class in finding the average yards needed per game to hit that magic number. Bravo to Ms. Martinez and her class and school.
Speaking of class, it was in session when Mike McDaniel hit the film in the Dolphins lecture hall. McDaniel pointed out his own and players’ mistakes, leading to a theme of accountability that even he recognizes and possesses as a head coach.
When talking about accountability, the financial focus shifts to the literal and figurative elephant in the locker room – Christian Wilkins. A polarizing player lately in terms of his value, worth and future in Miami, the main feature of “Hard Knocks” was his teammate and defensive line brother Zach Sieler.
Without any teasing of this aspect of the episode, from the Sieler family to the Wilkins comradery, just tune in if you missed it.
The duo is a team within a team within a unit, and it’s evident that they have chemistry you simply can’t buy or replicate. Yet, you can retain and build around it. The Dolphins have a major decision to make with Wilkins, as they extended Sieler earlier this season.
Wilkins is having a career year after betting on himself following a summer contract conundrum. Both he and his camp have decisions to make as well, as the combo of him and Seiler could just be too good and unique to pass up.
As the show was wrapping up with highlights of the Dolphins grounding the Jets, the night ended as the day started – with Dan Marino, who was in the locker room, celebrating the win, when from his blind side came a near-sack surprise.
Although the game was over for Wilkins, and it’s been a minute since Marino was wrapped up by a defensive lineman, the big man bear-hugged the former gunslinger for a postgame quarterback hit.
And, in pure Marino fashion, he stayed up, didn’t flinch, and delivered a touchdown pass of a podcast…despite Wilkins being all over the greatest Dolphin to ever do it.
What a day, what a night, what a team.
