After catching a Pro Bowl record four touchdowns — two less than he had during the entire regular season — to go with 176 receiving yards, Marshall had his wish, driving out of the stadium with a brand-new SUV as his prize. Marshall joined Ricky Williams (2002) and Garo Yepremian (1973) as the third Dolphin to earn the honor.

Sure, Marshall’s impressive statistics can be viewed as meaningless when the two teams combined to score 100 points, but just look at the highlight-reel catches the Dolphins wide receiver made in the game. One TD came when he was able to keep his concentration after the ball sailed through two defenders and bounced off Marshall’s own foot. On his final score, he once again caught the ball in traffic, twisting his body in the back of the end zone and dragging both feet inbounds while being held by the defender.

When he was interviewed mid-game by NBC sideline reporter Alex Flanagan, Marshall wasted no time in crediting the Pro Bowl quarterbacks for making spectacular plays, simultaneously throwing every Dolphins signal caller under the bus.

“Down in Miami, getting a feel for different quarterbacks — had three or four of them throughout my two years there — and the (Pro Bowl) quarterbacks make it easy for me,” he said. “These guys are just putting it in the right places and I’m making the plays, so it’s easy right now.”

If you’re counting, the “three or four” Miami QBs would be Matt Moore, Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen and Chad Pennington (for a few snaps), as well as J.P. Losman, for good measure. And just in case he wasn’t abundantly clear the first time around, Marshall reiterated that the Pro Bowl quarterbacks were responsible for his MVP performance after the game.

“Since Jay Cutler (with the Denver Broncos), I’ve had a few different quarterbacks, and being in the Pro Bowl, you have these elite quarterbacks you’re playing with,” he said. “It’s all them — they put (the ball) in the right spots and it’s easy for me to make the catch.”

It’s not that Marshall is factually wrong, since the five Dolphins QBs he’s played with were mostly mediocre. But Marshall didn’t exactly help matters, dropping 12 passes (officially) during 2011 season and making countless mistakes on the field. It should also be noted that Moore finished 12th in the NFL in Passer Rating, and that Marshall caught 59 passes for 901 yards and five TDs in Moore’s 12 starts.

It’s obvious that Marshall, as well as owner Stephen Ross and every Dolphins fan, want an upgrade at the QB position. But calling out his teammates on national television with a wide grin — especially since there’s still a chance that Moore could be back next season — isn’t the right time or place to make his point or help the organization in its search. Marshall’s acrobatic catches and record-setting numbers speak much louder than his words for any interested free agents.

Marshall also chose to praise former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano while referring to Joe Philbin simply as, “the new coach.” Make of that what you will.

“When you look at what Coach Sparano was able to do, the foundation was built. A lot of people don’t give him enough credit, but we have a solid locker room, high character guys and leadership there,” said Marshall when asked about the Dolphins’ future. “The new coach coming in, he’s inheriting a strong team.”

It’ll be interesting to see who that team will add to throw the ball to the never-outspoken MVP-winner.

Anyway this week I know a lot of you will be tempted to stay in bed and crawl to your couch after a night of heavy drinking on NYE. With the game on TV it might make it hard for some folks to get to the bar. That’s why we are giving you a reason to leave your house for one more Sunday! We are going to say goodbye to the 2011 Dolphins in style!

We are going to have some sort of breakfast food waiting for you when you get to the bar. At the very least there will be bagels and Bloody Mary drink specials and we could have more stuff like eggs and bacon and delicious things to help you get rid of your damn hang over.

We are also going to be doing our last raffle of the year! We want to raise a little bit more money for charity so we are going to be getting rid of all the rest of the stuff that we have been holding on to.  Last night I went to Jay Fiedler’s 40th birthday party and he signed a couple items for me for the raffle. We also have a few Nat Moore autographs left over from the Nat More meet up. We also have some assorted things like a Jim Mandich t-shirt and some actual game day Dolphins socks! We might even have some Garo Yepremian signed stuff too. I have been told by one of Garo’s business partners that it’s in the mail but I am not sure if it’s gonna come in time.

No matter what we should have a great time on New Years Day and get to say goodbye to everyone for a while. But don’t worry, you won’t have to wait all off season to see everyone because we have some special events we are working on including a 1972 Dolphins reunion in North Jersey and of course our yearly draft party. Things are looking up! Go Dolphins!

Oh yeah and then there is this…

It is after 6am right now and I am just going to bed getting ready to wake up in 5 hours and head down to Third and Long to watch the Dolphins sweep the Bills for the first time in a while and climb out of the cellar in the AFC East. I hope to see you all out there.  We only have a few games left and I know a lot of people won’t be around for the Christmas eve game. Anyway, we have an event planned for the Jets game on New Years Day that I will let you know about soon but until then, let’s get crazy tomorrow.  Go Dolphins!

Anyway, I shot a roll of actual film at the game and I just got it developed. Check out real life 35mm film photographs of the amazing game below. RIP Jim Mandich.

Last time I was in Miami I had a chance to head down to Bokamper’s in Plantation for a live taping of The Finsiders where I got to meet Dolphins greats Sam Madison and Keith Simms. Sam is one of my favorite players of all time and played for the Giants so he knows what it’s like to live in the area so I had to ask him for a Dolfans NYC shout out. As always number 29 delivered.

Check out the video below and make sure you check out the podcast we did with Sam we recorded the next day!

Michelle and I, along with a couple of our friends, had the opportunity to go to a Tracy Morgan charity comedy show in Miami, which was presented by Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano to benefit Veteran’s Housing. Thanks to the event organizers, Lunar Sports Group, we had invites to the pre-show VIP party, backstage passes and tickets to the after-party at the Shore Club.

We were informed beforehand that several of Fasano’s teammates could come out for the show, and sure enough, Reggie Bush, Davone Bess, Brian Hartline, Jared Odrick, Clyde Gates, Steve Slaton, and ex-Dolphin Lousaka Polite were among a dozen or so players in attendance. Michelle and I volunteered to check-in the VIP guests, meaning we had to put tiny orange bands around the massive wrists of professional football stars and the tiny wrists of their supermodel girlfriends. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

 

I made sure to tell Polite that he remains one of our all-time favorite players and that we miss chanting “Louuu!” whenever he’d get a first down.  He thanked me and said that he’s continuing to work out, waiting to “get the call.”

Once the pre-show party concluded, the players and VIP guests were ushered down the hall, where Morgan came out to welcome everyone to the show. Well, he didn’t so much welcome them, as much as launch into an impromptu stand-up act, explaining that he’s the sole reason why both the NFL and NBA lockouts had ended. That’s probably the one part that I can repeat with a straight face, much less reprint here.   Let’s just say the majority of his topics had a lot to do with bodily functions and bedroom acts most people would probably never want to try. Morgan walked up and down the hall, cracking everyone up with his unique sense of humor, driving home the point that absolutely nothing and no one was off limits (more on that shortly).

Before he went back to his dressing room, I made sure to shake his hand and tell him how much I enjoy his work, figuring it would be my one chance to speak to him.

The Dolphins walked to another section of the theater to pick up food and beverages before the main act, where MiamiDolphins.com beat writer Andy Kent introduced us to Bess, Michelle’s favorite player. Bess was extremely nice and personable, openly talking about Miami’s heartbreaking last-second loss on Thanksgiving, and taking the time out to pose for pictures. Michelle was star-struck and giggling in delight after Bess walked away – pretty much exactly how I’d react if I ever talked to Candace Parker.

As for Morgan’s actual stand-up, he began the routine by pulling no punches about Bush’s relationship with Kim Kardashian and her E! reality show, and continued to spew (heh) unfiltered raunchiness and crudeness for the next hour-and-a-half. I don’t think there’s a person on earth who can get away with anything he said or make such absurd topics so hilarious. My face actually hurt from laughing so much.
Soon afterwards, we walked several blocks to the Shore Club, where none other than Tracy Morgan and a few of his friends sat on a bench outside, with no bodyguards or bouncers in sight. When he saw us, he dove right back into his comedy act, telling us a few jokes he forgot to say during the show.

At one point, he said (I’m paraphrasing for language, clearly) that men can’t live with or without women.  Michelle laughed and told him I was learning all about that.

“Nah, he’s a good boy,” said Morgan. “He’s domestically trained, like me. He knows not to pee inside the house.” I can’t argue with this.

He then asked us if we were coming inside (as if we’d miss it for anything), at which point one of his friends told Morgan that I look like Jesus.

“He’s got the long hair, the beard – all he’s missing is the sandals,” he said.

Morgan took it a step further, declaring that I actually look like Moses’ mother. I still have no idea what to make of that, but it was fantastic. He then asked me if I’d seen the original Planet of the Apes, and for whatever reason, I told him I hadn’t. It didn’t matter – he went right into a Charlton Heston impression from some movie none of us knew; regardless, we laughed hysterically.

Inside the club, I spotted one of the comedians who opened for Morgan and had to get a picture with him, obviously because of that amazing mustache. Somewhat disappointingly, his act barely mentions the sweet ‘stache, with just one quick line about Super Mario being on stage.

We hung  around in the back for a while, where some of the guests played pool and hit on scantily-clad women, and went home around one thirty in the morning. After spending some time with him, I can safely say that Morgan basically plays himself in 30 Rock (within the confines of network television, of course) – an outrageous and unpredictable character who’s always on and lives for making others around him laugh.

Needless to say, it was an unforgettable experience with the hands-down funniest person I’d ever met.

Third and Long was not exactly packed as you might expect when your team loses seven straight games to open a season but the die hards are there every week and by the end of the first quarter the bar was bumping. This was the most fun I have had watching a Dolphins game since I had second row seats to watch the Phins beat the Jets at the Meadowlands to lock up the AFC Championship in 2008. It was a great day.

I took a few pictures that are not exactly the most flattering shots of our bunch. Earlier in the year we tend to have a lot more cute girls out. But hey a win is a win and shots all around. Go Dolphins!

If you want to save a picture double click the slide show below and it will open up in a new window!

18 years later, the video remains just as, if not more hilariously fun to watch.

The 1993 Snow Bowl is one of four Fins-Cowboys Thanksgiving games – Miami has won two of the other three contests on the holiday and leads the all-time series 7-5.

November 22, 1973 – Dolphins 14, Cowboys 7

The Dolphins jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on a Larry Csonka one-yard run and a 45-yard touchdown strike from Bob Griese to Paul Warfield. Griese threw only 10 passes all game, as Csonka rushed for 80 yards and Mercury Morris chipped in with 49 to lead the Miami ground attack.

November 25, 1999 – Cowboys 20, Dolphins 0

This is one that the Dolphins, and especially Dan Marino, would like to forget. After a scoreless first half, the Cowboys took a 7-0 lead when Dexter Coakley returned a Marino interception 46 yards for the score. Troy Aikman later connected with Rocket Ismail for a 65-yard touchdown, and Emmitt Smith finished with 103 rushing yards. Marino completed only 15-of-36 passes for 178 yards and tied a career-high with five picks (good for a 17.8 quarterback rating). He was pulled late in the fourth quarter for backup Damon Huard. Let’s move on.

Novemeber 27, 2003 – Dolphins 40, Cowboys 21

That’s better. The last time these two teams met on Thanksgiving, the 8-3 Cowboys, led by QB Quincy Carter, never stood much of a chance. Miami took a quick lead on a Jay Fiedler one-yard scramble, and wide receiver Chris Chambers would go on to catch a career-best three TD passes. The Dolphins picked off Carter three times, and Jason Taylor returned a fumble for another score.

Novemeber 24, 2011 – Tomorrow’s match-up is setting up to be another memorable game, with both the Fins (3-7) and Cowboys (6-4) entering the contest sporting three-game winning streaks.

The Dolphins have outscored their opponents 86-20 during the stretch without allowing a single touchdown.  Matt Moore has completed 71% of his passes while throwing six TD passes, and Reggie Bush has chipped in with four scores and 259 total yards from scrimmage.

The Cowboys, who needed overtime to secure a win over the Washington Redskins (the same team that Miami defeated 20-9 two weeks earlier), have been lead by Tony Romo, who has eight TD passes and no picks during the winning streak, and rookie RB DeMarco Murray, who has averaged 135 rushing yards per game in his five starts.

Can the Dolphins defense, which has held the last three opponents to 206 passing yards and 73 rushing yards per game while forcing four turnovers, keep the potent Dallas offense in check? Can Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess burn a Dallas secondary that gave up 166 yards and two scores to Jabar Gaffney and Donte’ Stallworth?

Turkey Day can’t get here fast enough.

Dolphins TE Anthony Fasano joins us to discuss hosting his upcoming charity comedy show featuring actor Tracy Morgan; analyze Miami’s three-game winning streak; and share his thoughts on DolfansNYC.  Anthony leads the team in TD catches (four) and ranks fourth in receiving yards (258) on the season.  To learn more about the Anthony Fasano Foundation, visit the official website.

Subscribe to the DolfansNYC Podcast via RSS.

Music Credit: Solo D, “DolfansNYC Anthem”