Last year we filmed an incredible video capturing the biggest #MetLifeTakeover yet, but unfortunately our editor just got swamped and wasn’t able to finish it until this morning. Fortunately he made it just in time for week one so you can watch the video as you get hyped for the first game of regular season!
This video is so much fun and features interviews with Dolphins alumni Nat Moore and Joe Rose as well as interviews with Dolphins Fans of the Year Big E and Dolphreaky, plus as always SoLo D and a ton of Dolphins fans. We did a tribute to Jason Jenkins in the last #MetLifeTakeover recap video, but we wanted to do another one with the interviews with Nat and Joe. Jason just meant that much to us we had to honor him twice.
Hope this makes you guys want to join us at this #MetLifeTakeover! Game tickets are sold out but you can still join us for the all you can drink and eat tailgate! Get your tickets at metlifetakeover.com!
Now let’s go beat the hell out of the Chargers! Phins up!
Posted in Misc Posts | Comments Off on 2022 #MetLifeTakeover Recap Video
I cannot imagine how crazy this week would be for us if it weren’t for the coronavirus pandemic. It would be #MetLifeTakeover week with the maybe best Dolphins team in Dolfans NYC history going against a winless Jets team. Yeah the loss yesterday was tough, but this would undoubtedly be our biggest year ever. Unfortunately, 2020 hit and life might never be the same, but at least we have the Dolphins to look forward to every week and I can’t remember the last time we could say that. It goes without saying that there will be no in person #MetLifeTakeover this weekend, but we can still have a virtual one and raise some money in the process.
The biggest thing of the week is our raffle benefiting the Miami Dolphins Foundation Food Relief Program. The Dolphins sent us a Coach Brian Flores signed helmet as the grand prize and this is one of those times where we are pretty bummed out we can’t enter our own raffle. Our friends at This Is The Year are including a Flo Knows t-shirt in any size to go with the helmet. The second place prize is a mini football signed by one of the greatest centers ever to play the game of football, Hall of Famer Dwight Stephenson. And third place prize is the Don Shula commemorative Yearbook the Dolphins sold during the opening day game back in September as well as some Dolfans NYC patches and stickers. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 tickets for $20 and the drawing will be done after the Jets game.
On top of the raffle we will be doing some giveaways on social media as well. We have a few cool prizes including a Mercury Morris signed photo, another Don Shula Yearbook and an actual seat back from Hard Rock Stadium (technically it was SunLife at the time). Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram for a chance to win those prizes throughout the week.
We will be picking the winners after the game during our VIRTUAL #MetLifeTakover on Zoom! Join us for a big watch party in a giant Zoom meet up!
And that is our other big news — we are doing a game day Zoom watch party! So once you have the game on, come join our zoom party at the link below and we can all watch and celebrate together. We will have everyone muted during the game but will unmute everyone during big plays so we can all celebrate together. Hopefully we can get the fight song going and of course some J-E-T-S Suck chants! We haven’t done anything like this before but hopefully our virtual Zoom chat will work out without too much trouble and we can at least get to see each other a bit during the game. Should be a lot of fun.
I know it’s hard to get excited about Dolphins stuff after a big loss, but this team is headed on the right direction and we have two very winnable games coming up. We should be rolling again when we face the Super Bowl champs in three weeks. I can’t wait to see hopefully the first of many games between Tua and Mahomes. In the meantime, let’s raise some money for charity, win some great prizes and stay excited about the future of the Miami Dolphins. Phins up!
I know most Dolphins fans have been looking forward this day for two years after knowing last year was going to be less than ideal. The day is finally here and instead of watching together at Slattery’s in a packed bar we are spread out all over the place
watching on couches trying to connect with our fellow Phins fans.
Well, today we are announcing our Dolfans NYC Discord server. All you have to do is Download the app Discord or just go to Discord.com and you can join a live Dolfans NYC chat room. If you haven’t used Discord before, it was originally used as a place to play video games with other people but has blown up in the Covid era as a way for people to keep in touch. Our server has chat rooms for the Dolphins, for general NFL and fantasy talk, as well as a place to argue with each other so we can keep the main rooms free from that. We also will have a “Celebrate” channel where you can turn on your audio when the Dolphins score and we can all sing the fight song together! It should be very cool.
Click this link to get invited into our room, and once you are there, just read the chat rules and click the checkmark saying you’ve read them and you are good to go! Can’t wait to talk to everyone on there.
We also have a few other things going on for game day today.
We have a 50/50 raffle to raise money for the west coast fire relief efforts. Tickets are $5 or 5 tickets for $20. We will draw after the game. We only take PayPal so send the money to dolfansnyc@gmail.com.
We made Dolfans NYC gifs! If you search “DolfansNYC” in the Giphy or Tenor gif searches they should come up. Giphy is Twitter’s search so it works on there and Tenor works on our Discord.
Michelle wants to put together a video of people’s game days experience today. So send a little video or some photos of your setup or celebration to dolfansnyc@gmail.com and she is going to edit them together into something. Sing the fight song when we score!
Okay, that’s it for now. We will hopefully have updates soon on what’s going on with Slattery’s once NYC allows indoor dining at the end of the month, and we plan on doing something for the #MetLifeTakeover, although we are not sure what that looks like yet. Can’t wait to see everyone in person again, but until then, see you on Discord!
Hey guys, you might have noticed that our site has been screwed up for a couple of weeks. We had a bad malware attack that we have finally fixed, but it took a while. And don’t worry, since everyone pays with PayPal, we don’t collect any of your info that could have been hacked. We are actually going to be migrating to a new server this week so expect some more downtime while that happens. We have created a temporary #MetLifeTakeover website that will exist until the site is up and running again, but if you can see this post, click here to buy your Takeover tickets.
The other big news is that we are no longer doing a Giants catered tailgate. We unfortunately did not have enough interest. We are still doing a tailgate but it is going to be a BYO situation. If you bought tailgate tickets you will be refunded if you haven’t been already. We are also still providing transportation to the game from our bar Slattery’s and still have bus tickets available for both games at the link above.
Lastly, I thought you guys might enjoy this video I found from our first ever Jets group event. MetLife Stadium didn’t exist yet and there were only 35 of us, so it wasn’t exactly a “Takeover” but it’s a fun look at our humble beginnings!
As part of Play Football, a program designed to celebrate youth football in South Florida, for each home game, the Dolphins identify the high school coach, high school player, youth player and team mom of the week.
In tribute to Don Shula’s 50th season with the organization, the high school coach of the week award honors individuals with long-standing tenures in the coaching community.
Each award recipient is presented with a plaque during an on-field ceremony, receives tickets to a Dolphins home game, and earns acknowledgement in the game program and through the Dolphins’ social media platforms. The team of the week will also stand on the field during the national anthem.
The program concludes at the Dolphins-Eagles game on Dec. 1, during which the Dolphins will honor yearly award winners in each category, with the exception of the team of the year.
Week 11 Award Winners
High School Coach of the Week: Brian Dodds from Park Vista Community High School
High School Player of the Week: Gabe Taylor from Gulliver Preparatory School
Youth Player of the Week: Joe Dailey from Jupiter Mustangs of Jupiter Mustangs Pop Warner
Mom of the Week: Lakeria Phillips from the Pahokee Panthers 6U of Treasure Coast Pop Warner
Teams of the Week: Somerset Academy Silver Palms and Hialeah Gardens High School
Tags: miami dolphins Posted in Misc Posts | Comments Off on Dolphins Announce Play Football Week 11 Award Winners
We are excited to announce that Dolfans NYC has been approved by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to receive 501(c)(3) status. Our rapidly-growing fan club is now officially a non-profit, charitable organization.
Under these new guidelines, we are able to continue raising funds for those less fortunate and hope to make an even bigger contribution in our local communities — both the New York metropolitan area and South Florida.
We are very grateful for the continued support of the Miami Dolphins organization. It is thanks to them that we are able to ramp up our events and take our fundraising goals to the next level. In addition, we are extremely fortunate to have such generous and kind-hearted members of our club, without whom our fundraising efforts would be impossible. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to them for their contributions over the years to all of the causes we have supported, including the Miami Dolphins Foundation, the victims of the Metro-North crash, Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, The Concern Foundation and many more.
In South Florida we have made an impact by donating annually to the Miami Dolphins Foundation, which provides support in South Florida communities under education, health and volunteerism initiatives. We have also made yearly donations to a number of riders participating in the Dolphins Cycling Challenge to raise money for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
We are looking forward to hosting our first fundraiser as a non-profit organization during our watch party on September 10th at Slattery’s Midtown Pub as the Miami Dolphins take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers week one of the 2017 NFL season.
Two weeks later, on September 24th, we are anticipating a record-setting crowd at our annual #MetLifeTakeover. Since 2013 we have brought an average of 1000 Dolphins fans to the Dolphins at Jets game in New Jersey. Part of every ticket sale goes to our charitable efforts and combined with raffle and merchandise sales it is far and away our biggest fundraiser of the year.
Going forward, Dolfans NYC aims to support the respective causes of past and present Miami Dolphins players, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Jarvis Landry), Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (Jay Ajayi) and the Anthony Fasano Foundation to name a few.
For any organizations affiliated with the Miami Dolphins or the NFL interested in partnering with us in our future fundraising efforts, please contact Michelle Kramers and Nate Igor Smith at DolfansNYC@gmail.com.
The line snaked around the charcoal Hugo Boss mannequins, extended past the neatly-arranged display of striped Lacoste polo shirts and tucked between the Calvin Klein and Michael Kors autumn apparel collections.
As cardboard posters bearing Dan Marino’s likeness and career accomplishments padded a makeshift stage on the second floor of Macy’s in the Dadeland Mall, one night before Halloween, hundreds of shoppers dressed in their favorite Miami Dolphins throwbacks and dug out beloved No. 13 memorabilia in hopes of snagging a priceless memory with the greatest player in team history.
Nearly an hour before the meet-and-greet was scheduled to start, a DJ began blasting remixed versions of familiar ‘Jock Jams’ through the department store speakers – Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” was a particular crowd-pleaser – while a fellow employee in an eggplant suit jacket tried to hype anxious fans by rattling off Marino’s impressive highlights.
None of the excitement appeared to faze our 20-month-old toddler, Charlie, who – with his bedtime on the horizon – began acting like a cranky, restless 20-month-old toddler, sprinting in the opposite direction, intentionally grounding crackers and spiking cubes of cheese in protest rather than celebration.
Considering we’d already waited in one line to make a qualifying purchase, followed by another to secure a color-coded wristband that corresponded with our place in the autograph queue, it was hard to blame him. Luckily, with most Macy’s clerks focused on instructing customers and curious onlookers, an unmanned cash register served as a welcome distraction, as Charlie pushed buttons, giggled at the cacophonous beeps and error messages, and quickly discovered how to print blank paper receipts.
Although Marino arrived a half-hour late, to his credit, the Hall of Famer – decked in a slim-fitting black suit and matching tie – made sure to shake each fan’s hand and personalize autographs, listening intently to variations of similar anecdotes he’d undoubtedly heard for decades.
Charlie could barely keep his head up and eyes open by the time it was our turn to meet his our Dolphins hero, gazing silently as an event staffer handed us a trio of black, Hugo Boss embossed footballs and borrowed my iPhone to snap nearly two dozen photos.
After we shared a few kind words with the former NFL MVP – informing him of DolfansNYC’s growth and proud commitment to charitable endeavors – a smiling, nodding Marino high-fived Charlie and gently patted him on the head, penning ‘Go Deep’ above his signature with a silver sharpie.
Photo: Alex Kramers/DolfansNYC
Charlie may be too young to realize the significance of that moment, but one day, he’ll understand not only the meaning of the inscription, but the sentimental value of joining his parents and grandfather in a snapshot of three generations of Dolphins fans alongside their football idol.
And Dan, when that time comes, he’ll be sure to take you up on your offer.
Buried on the depth chart and limited to special teams for much of his first three NFL seasons, Dolphins wide receiver Rishard Matthews acknowledges he momentarily let his emotions get the best of him during the offseason, before a pivotal conversation with a team legend reversed his outlook.
“I talk to Rishard probably once a month … he’s my favorite receiver,” says recently-named Top 50 All-Time Dolphins player O.J. McDuffie. “The things he was going through off the field this year – about the trade talks, the wanting to get released thing – I just told him, ‘Stick to the grind. Continue doing what you’re doing and working hard.’ He came in to the OTAs, mini-camp and training camp with a whole new attitude, and he can’t be denied on the football field now.”
Matthews – who entered his fourth-year campaign as one of only two incumbent wideouts on Miami’s revamped receiving corps – cemented a starting role, separating himself from his peers by utilizing his size and strength as both a pass-catcher and blocker.
“I’m a bigger receiver, so I do more when it comes to coming out of breaks and I take pride in catching the ball over the middle,” he says. “If somebody tries to lay a big hit on me, it doesn’t really affect me. I try to make them feel it more than I feel it.”
Originally a seventh-round draft pick in 2012, Matthews showed flashes of his immense potential early in his career – hauling in 11 catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns in Week 10 of the 2013 season – setting the stage for his eye-opening start to 2015.
“I think people forget that this is my fourth year,” he says smiling. “I was here two years ago when (Brandon) Gibson went down and I contributed a lot. People are acting like it’s the first time I’ve made catches or done something. It’s good to still be here … (be) a part of this great organization, great people and great staff.”
The University of Nevada product has started all six games – already matching his total from his first 38 NFL appearances – and is on pace to not only shatter his career highs in nearly every statistical category, but rack up the fifth-most single-season receiving yards (1,168) and touchdowns (11) in franchise history.
DolfansNYC caught up with No. 18 to discuss his remarkable success, adjusting to fantasy football stardom, enjoying family life and more.
What do you feel have been the biggest keys to your breakout season?
“I would just say opportunity and consistency. I was just able to capitalize on my opportunity when DeVante (Parker) went down (with a foot injury). That’s really the reason I was able to make it hard for the coaches to put me back on the bench.
“When given the opportunity, I’ve taken advantage of it and just continued to be consistent from there. I think the coaches have just gained a lot of trust in me, and I’m going to try to continue to do that.”
Have you set out to accomplish any personal goals this season and beyond?
“I want to start every game, but (if not), play as much as I can and never miss a practice. I’ll just try to keep that (mindset) going in my career.”
How often do you hear fans say you’re on their fantasy teams?
“I’ve been hearing it a lot recently. The other day, I was actually walking in the mall and somebody said the same thing – ‘Oh, I’m starting you!’ It’s new, but I just say, ‘Don’t get mad if I don’t ever get you points.’”
Who were players you admired growing up and modeled your own game after?
“I wouldn’t say (he’s a player I) built my game around, but I really like Anquan Boldin. I think he’s kind of the same receiver as I am – I try to be like him, at least. He does a great job of breaking tackles and whatnot.”
What have been the biggest differences for you and the team since Dan Campbell took over as head coach?
“(He’s) just changing the culture up a little bit – just bringing the fun back to football. Not saying that it wasn’t fun before, but he’s just changing it up. We all understood what happened and with change, you have to make sure you get the attention of the team. He’s done a great job of that during practices and in the locker room.”
I’ve read he’s a big Metallica fan. Does he play any heavy metal music in the locker room?
(Laughs) “Is he? I could see it, now that you said that. That’s crazy though. I didn’t know that.”
What kind of music do you listen to before games?
“I like hip-hop. My favorite artist is Drake.”
What are some of your favorite off-the-field hobbies?
“I just had a son, so I hang out with my son and my dogs. I’m kind of a homebody, so I don’t do too much.”
Congratulations! How old is your son?
“Thank you. He’s seven weeks, so it’s a lot (of responsibility).”
It must be even tougher now to go on the road, but how much does it mean to you to have fan support across the country?
“It means a lot. I’ve seen it a lot. It shows us – and especially the new players who come (to the Dolphins) – that wherever we go, we have love everywhere. You have to be ready, embrace their presence and feed off of it.”
Six years removed from a decade-long NFL playing career, Miami Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell – his broad-shouldered, 6-foot-5 frame and intimidating biceps hard to miss as he rests his hands on his hips at the center of the team’s meeting room – still looks the part of a burly tight end, ready to lace up his cleats and lay out opposing linemen with crushing blocks.
“I have one more (game in me), but then you have to wait four weeks for me to recover, so that’s a problem,” he concedes with a chuckle. “If I could still play, I would be playing because I love the game.”
That same fiery, inspirational passion for football that has galvanized the rejuvenated Dolphins is unmistakable as he addresses a group of website administrators on a Friday afternoon, his booming voice echoing throughout the auditorium.
“Coach Campbell does a good job of getting (everything) out of the players,” says Dolphins fourth-year wide receiver Rishard Matthews. “He was a guy they brought up here a previous time to speak to the team. I think just when he talks – I don’t know how to explain it – you have to hear him speak for yourself … right when he’s done talking, you’re just ready to go.
“He played in the league – he’s more like a players’ coach. He understands when he needs to change it up a little and when he needs to get on us a little.”
It’s no wonder Campbell’s no-nonsense approach has quickly resonated and changed the collective mindset of his players, considering the 39-year-old – who’s younger than five current NFL starters – has experienced the gamut of exhilarating highs and devastating lows in the pros, which include reaching Super Bowl XXXV and later earning his first championship ring.
“I’ve been on winning teams,” says Campbell, a recipient of the 2005 Ed Block Courage Award. “I know what it looks like and what it should look like.”
The Texas native’s appreciation of a winning culture and yearning for on-field physicality trace back to his four-year Giants tenure, during which he helped lead the unified squad to the title game in 2000.
“First of all, we had a really good locker room – we had a majority of guys who bought in,” he recalls. “Guys would play for one another; guys would practice for one another. Our practices got heated. I remember (Michael) Strahan got fired up every day, it seemed like … Things would go back and forth (between offensive and defensive players), but we grew together and we competed, and when we rolled out there on Sunday, we were one.
“Once we got in a rhythm – I think we won seven in a row – the feeling was literally that we could do nothing wrong. At one point, I thought Kerry Collins would just throw it behind his back and it was going to be a completion. You really have a feeling of it doesn’t matter what happens today or what it looks like here, we’re going to win the game. That’s the flow that you have.”
Although Campbell was placed on injured reserve prior to his final NFL campaign, he spent the offseason and start of training camp with the 2009 champion Saints, learning the nuances of the game from an elite coach and future Hall of Fame quarterback.
“I know that head coach (Sean Payton) really well – I played under him for seven years. He is a genius, he’s an excellent motivator – he has all those tools,” says Campbell. “But one of the biggest factors is a guy named Drew Brees. Drew Brees is an ultimate leader. I’ve been around some really good players and some really good leaders, but nobody was like Drew Brees … and that’s one person, so imagine if you have a team full of those. That’s where you start changing things.”
Campbell’s experience in the Bayou was a far cry from a year prior, when he found himself on the opposite end of the NFL spectrum, suiting up for the lowly 0-16 Detroit Lions in 2008. Recognizing a similar disconnect in the Dolphins locker room, Campbell immediately set out to recapture the seamless magic he experienced in New York and New Orleans.
“When you’re not doing well, or you’re on a team where guys haven’t quite bought in, you feel like you can do no right,” he says. “So that’s what we’re trying to flip. We’ve kind of been that other team, (but) we’re trying to get it to where you just can’t do any wrong and things just start happening – turnovers, they become contagious. The ball is flying around, guys are on the ball. The more aggressive you play, the more those things start showing up.”
Not surprisingly, Miami has outscored its opponents 82-36, averaging 468 yards of offense while racking up 10 sacks and returning two interceptions for touchdowns en route to cruising to a 2-0 record under its new leader.
“We have a really good locker room and we have guys who want to win,” says Campbell. “They want to compete, and they’re beginning to take ownership of their team.
“I really believe in those guys. Everything has been about, ‘It’s a new season.’ It started last week. This (was) Week Two … of 12 weeks.”
As many of you already know, I am moving to South Florida in a few weeks. It was a bittersweet decision because while we are thrilled to be moving closer to my family (and the Dolphins!) we are also sad to leave the city, our relatives here and of course, DolfansNYC.
We are working on a new About Us section for our website, so I won’t go into the whole history of the club, even though I really want to. It’s honestly one of the things I am most proud of in my life. What this club has turned into is so incredibly awesome and I still look around on game days in disbelief at what it’s become.
The fact that we have donated over $20,000 to charity in 7 years is nothing short of amazing.
The fact that the Miami Dolphins organization has taken notice and are actively in support of what we do is incredible.
The fact that Jets fans can’t walk within a 5 mile radius of Slattery’s without hearing us singing the Dolphins fight song warms my heart. 🙂
The fact that we have turned MetLifeTakeover into a huge annual event that gives our team home field advantage in another city makes me so happy.
All of this is thanks to you guys.
For showing up.
For bringing your friends.
For buying raffle tickets.
For tailgating with us.
For sitting with us in the cold in the 300 level section.
For posting, tweeting, sharing, tagging and blogging about DolfansNYC.
And much, much more.
You guys have made this club what it is today and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of such a remarkable group of fans. The rest of the league should be jealous.
I will miss everyone so much and will forever look back on all of my wonderful memories of spending game days with my DolfansNYC family.
Love,
Michelle
PS…This isn’t officially goodbye. I will continue working on MetLifeTakeover and will contribute in any way I can to the club. I’m also planning lots of visits! 🙂
I cannot imagine how crazy this week would be for us if it weren’t for the coronavirus pandemic. It would be #MetLifeTakeover week with the maybe best Dolphins team in Dolfans NYC history going against a winless Jets team. Yeah the loss yesterday was tough, but this would undoubtedly be our biggest year ever. Unfortunately, 2020 hit and life might never be the same, but at least we have the Dolphins to look forward to every week and I can’t remember the last time we could say that. It goes without saying that there will be no in person #MetLifeTakeover this weekend, but we can still have a virtual one and raise some money in the process.
