The Miami Dolphins announced today that the team has agreed to appear on this season of HBO’s popular reality series “Hard Knocks,” which will give fans an exciting inside look at everything from the team’s front office decisions to grueling practice field drills through the first six weeks of training camp.

“The series will highlight the outstanding men who comprise our team and represent our organization admirably, both on and off the field, as they compete for a coveted position on our roster,” said first-year Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to connect with our fans, and it’s a chance for us to show the new direction (and) identity of this football team.”

With a revamped offense and new-look coaching staff, a three-way starting quarterback competition between Matt Moore, David Garrard and rookie Ryan Tannehill, and Reggie Bush’s quest to win the NFL rushing title, the series will have no shortage of interesting storylines from Miami. The Dolphins, coming off a disappointing 6-10 season, certainly hopes to follow in the footsteps of the last two teams to appear on the show — the Cincinnati Bengals in 2009 and the New York Jets in 2010 — both of whom reached the playoffs.

Whether the decision to put Miami in front of the cameras was owner Stephen Ross’ call, as many have speculated, or came from Philbin ultimately makes no difference, as fans will get unprecedented access to their favorite team each week while the upstart Dolphins get the national spotlight over the summer.

General Manager Jeff Ireland and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle are also no strangers to the show from their stints with the Dallas Cowboys (2002) and Bengals, respectively.

The first of five episodes is scheduled to air at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 7.

The Miami Dolphins are hosting a kids’ summer camp, giving children a chance to enjoy a safe, fun and educational program which focuses on both sports and academics. Click here for additional information, including videos and photos from past events, and view the camp dates, times and locations below via the Dolphins.

Please enter the Promotional code “fanclub2012” on the registration form to receive $25 off the price, and be sure to note that you heard about the camp from DolfansNYC.

Camp Summary:

Boys and girls, ages 5-15, can participate in an interactive, week-long football experience featuring appearances by current and former Miami Dolphins’ players. The camp focuses on football training, teamwork building and the importance of education. The goal of the Miami Dolphins Football Camp is for the children to develop skills that will help them succeed on and off the field.

Girls, ages 5-14, learn from the pros! In a non-competitive environment, these little ladies will learn dances and cheers, and attend etiquette and glamour classes taught by both current and former Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders. Age Groups: 5-7, 8-10, 11-14.

All camps are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Friday.

Camp Dates:

Session 1: June 18-22 • Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Session 2: June 25-29 • Training Facility, Davie, FL
Session 3: July 9-13 • Southwest Florida Camp, Estero, FL
Session 4: July 9-13 • South Dade Camp: Felix Varela High School
Session 5: July 16-20 • Palm Beach Camp: Jupiter High School
Session 6: July 23-27 • Boca Camp: Boca Raton High School

The Miami Dolphins finally selected a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft for the first time since 1983 (Dan Marino), taking Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill with the eighth overall pick.

As Commissioner Roger Goodell walked up to the podium at Radio City Music Hall and announced the selection last night, more than 20 members of DolfansNYC were captured by television cameras, cheering and chanting from the stands.

Check out the video below from NFL.com to see us singing the Dolphins fight song and showing our support for the aqua and orange in New York around the one-minute mark.

While Tannehill comes with a lot of questions marks – he incredibly started more games at wide receiver in college (30) than quarterback (20) and passed for 5,450 yards with 42 touchdowns and 21 interceptions – he also played under Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman for four years and has the size, arm strength and athleticism to become the franchise QB the team has long desired.

Asked about the inescapable Marino comparison, Tannehill called it “humbling” and said he’s looking forward to getting some tips from the Hall-of-Famer.

“He’s a legend and was a great quarterback for the Miami Dolphins franchise, and I’m excited to hopefully reach out to him and learn from him,” he said. “I don’t think I’m trying to fill his shoes – I’m my own player and I have a lot to learn and I’m excited to get started.”

We’ll have plenty more thoughts and analysis down the line, including whether Tannehill should be the opening day starter over Matt Moore, but for now, let’s all welcome the newest member of the Dolphins to South Beach.

Last night, newly-hired Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin participated in a teleconference call with the team’s season ticket members, and DolfansNYC had the opportunity to listen in on the interesting Q&A session.

During the 45-minute call, Philbin touched on a variety of topics, ranging from the team’s biggest needs in the upcoming Draft to his visions for the offense, openly asking the fans to have “faith and confidence” that he will deliver results in 2012.

*Philbin said he’s happy with three quarterbacks on the roster – Matt Moore, David Garrard and Pat Devlin – and praised Moore and Garrard for being proven, winning players. He did, however, note that the starting job is still a wide-open competition between all three QBs.

“We haven’t promised anyone anything,” he said, suggesting that the winner may be the player who learns the offense the quickest and exhibits the most comfort in the system.

*Regarding the Draft, in which the Dolphins have the 8th overall pick, Philbin disclosed the Dolphins are in final preparations and that the team’s biggest needs are at pass rusher and wide receiver (somewhat surprisingly, not QB).

“You can never have enough pass rushers,” he said. “Probably 30 teams out of the 32 are talking about acquiring pass rushers and guys that can put pressure on the quarterback.”

*As for Miami’s receivers, a topic which was understandably asked about several times during the call, Philbin reiterated he plans to develop the current corps on the roster — including Clyde Gates, Roberto Wallace, Julius Pruitt — but noted the Dolphins may still bring in a free agent.

*Phiblin hopes to take advantage of Reggie Bush‘s talent and versatility and use him at running back, as well as wide receiver, in different formations to create more mismatches for opposing defenses.

“With Reggie, we want to be multiple – we’re not just going to hand the ball to him,” he said.

*Philbin said while the West Coast Offense has a lot of unpredictability and that the ball will be spread around, the Wildcat is not a likely option.

*Philbin’s praised the coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Mike Sherman and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle, and revealed that the team will use a more collaborative approach in calling games.

“This is not going to be a one-man operation on any side of the ball,” he said.

*Philbin declined to predict whether the Dolphins will make the playoffs or his expected win-total, stating, “you’re never totally sure exactly what you have” with the roster.

“It’s a disservice, I think, to the guys that you coach to sit around here on April 3 and say, ‘We’re going to be a 7-9 team and that’s good enough, or 9-7,” he said. “We have a broader perspective at this point in time, but we’re excited about getting started, we’re optimistic.”

All in all, the head coach offered an intriguing inside look into the team’s plans and philosophy in the first of several calls that he, as well as owner Stephen Ross, will hold this offseason with Dolphins the season-ticket holders.

After striking out in their pursuit of Peyton Manning (never wanted to come to Miami), Matt Flynn (apparently low-balled by the front office) and Alex Smith (will likely now re-sign with San Francisco), the Dolphins turned to their fourth (fifth? sixth?) fall-back option: former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard.

A Pro Bowler in 2010, the 34-year-old was unexpectedly released prior to last season’s opener and missed the entire year with a herniated disc. He declined to sign with Miami last year when he couldn’t land a guaranteed contract, and his current one-year deal is, fittingly enough, fully non-guaranteed.

From 2007 to 2010, Garrard started 58 out of 64 games, completing 62.7 percent of his passes and sporting a respectable 71-to-41 touchdown-to-interception ratio. During the time-span, he also led all QBs with 1,109 rushing yards and tied for second in rushing scores (11). In 2007, Garrard led the Jaguars to an 11-5 record, throwing 18 TD passes and tying an NFL record with only three picks.

But again, he’s 34 and coming off major back surgery.

Through Garrard will reportedly have a chance to compete for the starting job with Matt Moore, the signing likely means the Dolphins will, finally, draft a QB in the first round, with Ryan Tannehill behind mentioned as the most likely possibility.

Perhaps just as importantly, Miami has a gaping hole to fill after the trade that sent WR Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears last week. The deal is more understandable now, given that details have emerged about Marshall’s inexcusable run-in with a woman in a nightclub, but with top-tier WRs Vincent Jackson (Bucs), Brandon Lloyd (Patriots), Mario Manningham (49ers) and Pierre Garcon (Redskins) headed elsewhere, it’s slim pickings on the free agent market. It’s unlikely the team could land restricted free agent Mike Wallace — especially since his Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Ryan Clark Tweeted that “no one” wants to play for the Dolphins, apparently because of GM Jeff Ireland (good times!) — leaving the likes of Brandon Edwards, Early Doucet and (brace yourself) Tedd Ginn, Jr. as the best players available.

Are you excited yet?

Perhaps we’ll know more about Jeff Ireland’s master plan within the next few days (hours?), but as it stands right now, the Dolphins have traded Pro Bowl WR Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears for two third-round picks. Miami, of course, gave up two second-round picks for the talented but controversial wideout two years ago.

It’s possible, albeit unlikely, that the move was done to clear salary cap space to sign Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Pierce Garcon, Dallas Clark, Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley, Qadry Ismail and every other past and present Indianapolis Colts pass-catcher who hopes to take his talents to South Beach.

If – at this point, let’s face it, when – Manning signs elsewhere, the Dolphins would conceivably turn their focus to Matt Flynn, as well as hopefully another top-tier WR to replace Marshall (as much as I like Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and Clyde Gates and all). And let’s not even think about what this team will look like if Miami strikes out there.

I’ll reserve further judgment until the dust settles, since as Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero reports, a team source said to “be patient” (possibly my two least favorite words).

Brandon Marshall admitted he came into the Pro Bowl with the goal of winning the MVP award, calling it his Playoff game.

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.

I just wanted to make sure you guys saw this Sun Sentinel article from last week talking about “roving Miami Dolphins fans” who go to away games. The article talks about Dolfans NYC and they interviewed me and used a bunch of my photos for the article. It was pretty cool. One of the photos was on the front page of the business section last week. I meant to blog about it then but I ran out of time and then we lost the Eagles game and I was caught up in the whole Tony getting fired thing and I forgot about it.

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!

Barely 72 hours later, it still feels surreal.

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.

For most Dolphins (and Cowboys) fans, a Dallas-Miami Thanksgiving match-up conjures up images of Leon Lett’s infamous blunder in 1993. Down one point with 15 seconds left on the clock, Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich lined up for a 40-yard field goal to win the game, but slipped on the ice and had his kick blocked by Dallas defensive tackle Jimmie Jones. As the Cowboys players and coaches began to celebrate, Lett inexplicably attempted to fall on the rolling football, only to lose control of it as he slipped on the ice. Miami recovered the ball on the Dallas one-yard line, and Stoyanovich nailed a short field-goal as time expired to give Miami an improbable 16-14 victory.

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.

(more…)