WEBVTT - Nat Moore Discusses 1985 Dolphins-Bears MNF Classic 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:06.160 Practice were Alfis Pafford drawing hot into the textow what 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:11.320 a win for this Miami Dolphin. What is up? Dolphins? 0:00:11.440 --> 0:00:14.920 And welcome to the Drivetime Podcast, part of the Miami 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:19.919 Dolphins official podcast network covering your Miami Dolphins. I am 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:22.720 your host, Travis Wingfield, and as always, I am here 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:26.239 to bring you your daily dose of Miami Dolphins football. 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:28.680 And on today's show, we're throwing it back on this 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:34.000 Thursday Tonine to revisit the Monday night SmackDown of the 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:36.960 Chicago Bears. I'll be joined by a member of that 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:40.000 team and a member of the Miami Dolphins Ring of 0:00:40.040 --> 0:00:43.440 Honor on this Thursday, April the second edition of the 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:50.199 Drivetime Podcast Dolphins. And we're gonna get to my interview 0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:52.240 real quick here in just one second. But a couple 0:00:52.240 --> 0:00:54.920 of news items off the top of this show today. 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:57.000 First off, I really hope that everyone out there is 0:00:57.040 --> 0:00:59.840 staying safe and staying protected from this virus that has 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:02.760 in the nation by storm, this pandemic that has really 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:05.679 put a damper on our lives, our sports world, and 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:09.520 everything in between. Hopefully this podcast and other podcasts and 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:12.280 other sports outlets out there have brought you some joy 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:15.760 and some entertainment during these difficult times, as I certainly 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:18.759 know for myself that the Tiger King on Netflix, better 0:01:18.840 --> 0:01:22.199 call Saul, the new season of Ozark, and brock Meyer 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:24.839 as well have really brought me some entertainment. I hope 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:27.000 this Drive Time podcast and all the things we do 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:30.400 at Miami Dolphins dot com, on the socials, the Audible, 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:33.440 the Fish Tank podcasts, all the content we provide, hopefully 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:35.840 it's giving you some relief during these difficult times. But 0:01:35.920 --> 0:01:38.120 I want to get some positive news on here, or 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:40.440 at least a report from Ian Rapp report of the 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:43.600 NFL Network, as he tweeted out on Tuesday that the 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:46.520 NFL says the schedule release will likely be around May 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:50.280 the nine, no later than that, so plan your calendars accordingly, 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:53.400 and hopefully that's a positive sign that we get football 0:01:53.440 --> 0:01:56.200 back sooner rather than later, because I know we all 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:58.800 love this game, We love this team, and especially this 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:01.160 year heading into a new season where I think there's 0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:03.720 a lot of hope around Brian Flores, Chris career and 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:07.400 this Miami Dolphins operation. On the topic of hope and 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:09.799 a good football team, let's go ahead and go back 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:13.720 now to night. It's Throwback Thursday, we're gonna do these 0:02:13.720 --> 0:02:16.760 podcasts and articles up on Miami Dolphins dot com and 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:19.400 relive some of the best games and best moments in 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:23.840 Miami Dolphins history. And tonight we're going back to and 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:26.880 I think most Dolphins fans do recall that game pretty well, 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:29.600 especially those that were around to watch that game back 0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:31.600 in eighty five. But if you haven't seen it, go 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:34.000 to YouTube. The game is up there, and you're gonna 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:37.320 watch Dan Marino in his prime, in the first couple 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:39.400 of years of his career, where I think there's a 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:41.720 bit of a misconception about what kind of player Dan 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:44.760 Marino was early on in his career. And on that topic, 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:48.560 I'm really speaking specifically about the mobility, because in this game, 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:51.720 you see a twenty four year old Dan Reno running 0:02:51.720 --> 0:02:54.480 a right out there, extending plays, getting out of pressure, 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:57.520 and converting huge first downs on third and a mile, 0:02:57.919 --> 0:03:00.400 and that's just not what the NFL was us at 0:03:00.440 --> 0:03:03.639 that time. And Marino was so revolutionary in the way 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:06.560 he was playing the game and converting third and eighteen, 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.680 third and sixteen, throwing the football all over the field. 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:11.880 I don't have to tell most of you Dolphins fans 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:14.200 what that was like. But if you haven't seen it, 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.760 I highly recommend going back because you want to talk 0:03:16.880 --> 0:03:20.000 about revolutionary play. I really think you'd be hard pressed 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:22.000 to find anybody in the history of the league that 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:24.960 really transformed the game the way Dan Marino did. And 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:27.480 now the game we see every single Sunday across the 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:30.840 entire NFL landscape has kind of taken on the mentality 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:33.320 of what a Dan Marino led football team at the 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.360 quarterback position looks like. With all the past happy rules 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:39.320 in the NFL, the gaudy stats posted up. Marino was 0:03:39.400 --> 0:03:42.240 just so so ahead of his time, and he also 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:45.240 had a receiving corps that was well ahead of its time. 0:03:45.440 --> 0:03:47.240 And that's where we're gonna go ahead and pivot into 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:50.480 my guest today. He scored two touchdowns in that game. 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:53.120 He is in the Dolphins Ring of Honor, certainly a 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:56.880 Miami Dolphins legend. He played thirteen years in the NFL, 0:03:57.120 --> 0:03:59.320 And let's go ahead and roll my interview with Nat 0:03:59.440 --> 0:04:02.240 More and I'm thrilled to be joined here on the 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:05.560 Drive Time podcast by former Pro Bowl receiver Ring of 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:08.600 Honor member with the Miami Dolphins. He caught five hundred 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:11.640 and ten passes in his career over seventy undred yards 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:14.200 and seventy four touchdowns. You know at my age, so 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:18.280 sometimes you just need to sit back and watch the game. Well, 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:19.719 that's that's what we love having you on here for, 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:22.440 is to talk about this Dolphins team because you bring 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:24.440 a good perspective from a former player, a guy that 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:26.039 was in the league for a long time, with this 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:28.559 Dolphins team for a long time, and that we talked 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:31.880 off air. We're gonna go into this Monday night thriller 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:35.040 against the Chicago Bears, an absolute beat down from your 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:37.640 hometown Miami Dolphins, and I wanted to talk to you 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:41.000 first and at about the perception of the Dolphins going 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:43.680 into that game against an undefeated Bears team. We know 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:46.520 about protecting this perfect season, all that stuff, but we're 0:04:46.520 --> 0:04:49.120 talking about the previous year's a f C champions a 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:52.560 loaded offense. I have to imagine that the experts predictions 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:55.360 for that game in your house at the Orange Bowl. 0:04:55.520 --> 0:04:57.279 I have to imagine that kind of rerabbed you guys 0:04:57.320 --> 0:05:01.480 up a little bit. Yeah, we were a little disappointed. 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.240 A matter of fact, the right words piste off that 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:08.919 for some some reason, everybody forgot that we were the 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:11.039 team that we're in the Super Bowl the year before. Yes, 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:13.440 we lost to the forty niners, but we had been 0:05:13.480 --> 0:05:16.480 to UH two Super Bowls in the past three years. 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:20.000 And and of course the Barons were a great team, 0:05:20.040 --> 0:05:23.839 and UH defensively they were as good as it gets. 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:26.760 They had Walter Payton. But to think that you're going 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:30.479 to play us on a Monday night at home, UH, 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:33.360 and we don't have a chance, And I think that's 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:35.800 the thing that infuriated us. We didn't look down on 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:38.479 the on the Bears. We thought the Bears were a 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:41.839 great team. We thought they were as good as everybody 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:44.280 made them out to be. But we also felt like 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:46.640 we were pretty good football team. We've been an offense 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:49.159 at Juggernaut for the past three years since the damn 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:52.960 Marino UH entered our system and then in eighty three, 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:55.360 but in eighty four we saw to found our our 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:59.560 gate and UH really really started to put up some points. So, yeah, 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:02.920 we were little disappointed and upset that no one gave 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:05.240 us a chance on on a Monday night football game. 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:07.599 And you mentioned Dan Marino and kind of the impact 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:09.760 he had on the offense, and I spoke a little 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:11.760 bit before I had you on about how he really 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:14.560 revolutionized the game and the passing game in the NFL 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:17.200 into kind of what it is now. And it started 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:19.640 in that game very early, the very first series. You 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:22.000 guys go down the field for a touchdown, and there's 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:24.480 a third and eight team play on that first series 0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:27.440 where Dan breaks the pocket, gets away from pressure. He 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:30.279 then directs traffic and kind of pulls up before the 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:33.000 line of scrimmage for a big time gain. Is that 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:36.240 something that really inspired confidence and the rest of the offense, 0:06:36.279 --> 0:06:38.440 Like we know that no matter what the down and distance, 0:06:38.480 --> 0:06:40.839 no matter what the situation, this guy can really help 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:44.440 bail us out. Well, you know, we we felt we 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:47.880 were a pretty good football team after and then when 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:52.280 we saw the abilities of Dan when he came in, 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:54.760 his ability to throw the football and his ability to 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:57.880 read coverage, the fact that he got it out so quickly, 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:01.400 we knew that he was special. And as he grew 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:05.120 year after year, he got even better. So the confidence 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:08.520 level that we had in him was just mind bottling, 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:11.040 I mean, and and the confidence he had in us, 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:14.320 you know, um, that was the beauty of that football 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:17.880 team is that we had so many weapons and then 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:20.480 could pick and choose how to use them all. And 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:24.080 he had confidence in everybody. And because of that, I 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:27.040 think that year we led the league in storing. That 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:29.600 was definitely a common occurrence for that Dolphins teams, those 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:31.800 Dolphins teams of the eighties, I should say. And you 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:33.920 got the scoring started that night with a thirty three 0:07:33.960 --> 0:07:36.800 yard touchdown pass from Dan Reno. And one of the 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:38.840 things about these games on the broadcast net is you 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:40.680 don't really get a chance to see, you know, the 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:43.400 all twenty two angle, the six or seven replays they 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:46.840 show nowadays on these broadcast versions. And I was curious 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:49.160 if you could kind of walk us through that touchdown 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:51.600 past because it looks like you pretty much just come 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:53.240 off the line, you take a little bit of a 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:55.680 chip from a defensive end on that play, and then 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:57.760 you get out into the route and then that's when 0:07:57.760 --> 0:07:59.679 the magic starts to happen for you. Now you start 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:02.280 breaking guy's ankles and make him plays. What when did 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:05.920 you know you were going to score on that play? Well, 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:08.000 you know, you know a lot of times I think 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:10.560 Coach Shuler don't get the credit that he deserves. You know, 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:13.560 he's the winning's coach in football and and and and 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:16.240 it's for a reason, you know, his strategy. His ability 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:18.840 to look at uh the opponent and see what the 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:22.760 weaknesses are of their defense or or their offense is critical. 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:24.800 And one of the things that he looked at was 0:08:25.240 --> 0:08:29.160 the reason the Bears were having so much success was 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:33.240 against this defense. Everybody kept trying to throw the fade 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:37.560 and hit him for the touchdown versus UH, just get 0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:39.719 a safe play and line it up and play the 0:08:39.800 --> 0:08:42.760 next play. And Uh, he decided to move me to 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:46.360 the tight end position, where now I'm going up against 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:50.720 Dave Dorson or if he blitz, then Wilber Marshall the 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:55.240 linebackers gotta cover me um or you know in the 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:58.920 well in the defense, will Wilbur covers me and the 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:01.840 regular defense they person has government. But if they're blitz 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:07.120 then all I gotta do is five yard route break 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:10.440 to the outside and force Gary Fitzick to have to 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:13.480 tackle me one on one in the open field. Well, 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:16.439 when you've got seven eight people going at the quarterback 0:09:16.480 --> 0:09:21.440 and they're all going uh south and the balls being 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:25.040 thrown north, Well, once you catch the football, you've got 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:28.320 Gary Fensick screaming trying to get there. To make a play, 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:30.160 and I have to jump in here real quick to 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:32.640 let the audience know that we dropped the call right there. 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:34.840 But I called Nat back and picked it right back 0:09:34.960 --> 0:09:38.000 up at that spot of the conversation. So here is 0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:40.680 not more on the strategy of going against that Bears 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:43.600 defense with coach Sula, Dan Reno and the Dolphins offense. 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.760 The coach Shula felt that if they blitzed, what we 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:49.720 would do is just run a little five yard out. UH. 0:09:50.000 --> 0:09:53.080 Forced the free safety, which was Gary Fensick. They have 0:09:53.120 --> 0:09:55.000 to come up and tackle me in the open field 0:09:55.559 --> 0:09:57.320 from thirteen years Steve, and all I have to do 0:09:57.400 --> 0:09:59.360 is make a move on him, and then there's no 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:01.840 one there to make a tackle. And true enough at 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:07.800 worked to perfection. Um, we're we score. The first series, 0:10:08.360 --> 0:10:11.320 we go up seven nothing and uh, and we were 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:14.160 often running and that first score definitely set the tone 0:10:14.160 --> 0:10:16.600 of the game. Now, the next series the Bears had 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:18.920 they had that that I'm not really sure what the 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:20.680 rule is on it, since I'm a little bit younger 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:22.720 of a Dolphins fan, but they kept coming to the 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:25.040 line of scrimmage and they couldn't get the snap off 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.520 because they were complaining about the crowd noise. What was 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:29.319 that like for you guys on the sideline to sit 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:31.920 there and watch them basically get these restarts where they 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:34.040 reached at the play clock and stop the game so 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:37.640 the crowd can quiet down. Well, it's called home and 0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:40.880 field advantage. I mean that night, the stadium was electric. 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:43.640 I mean, uh, you know, someone said something to me 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:47.559 about did you see the perfect season team? Uh? The 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:50.480 seventy two team on the sideline. I'm like they were here. 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:53.080 I didn't even know. But that was the level of 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:56.719 focus that the team had it and the excitement from 0:10:56.720 --> 0:10:58.720 the fans and et cetera. You know, we're we're so 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:01.959 pumped up. And of course, you know, every time that 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:04.280 they came up through a line of scrimmage and they 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:06.720 wanted to snap the football, the fans got louder and 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:09.520 louder and louder. You know, that's the one thing about 0:11:09.559 --> 0:11:12.400 great fans. They're very educated and note and they know 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:15.160 that they can be a factor doing a game to 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:17.600 help their team win, and they take the personal pride 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:19.800 to do so. And they certainly made that impact in 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:21.959 the Orange Bowl and now in that hard Rock Stadium 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:24.520 renovation with the roof on top of the canopy. It 0:11:24.559 --> 0:11:27.199 gets rocking in that stadium as well. Let's go back 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:30.680 to you. You mentioned a game planning schematic standpoint in 0:11:30.760 --> 0:11:33.719 terms of shoelag getting you guys into great situations. And 0:11:33.800 --> 0:11:35.920 one of the things that I noticed watching that game 0:11:35.960 --> 0:11:38.360 back was how Marino was under quite a bit of 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:40.920 constant pressure. How much was that kind of on the 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:43.520 forefront of the game plan that week, saying Hey, Dan, 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:45.600 you're gonna have to move around back there because these 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:50.320 guys are coming. Well, I think Dan knew that. You know, 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:52.880 he was gonna hand a lot of pressure on. We 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:56.120 talked about it all week long. And the thing that 0:11:56.240 --> 0:11:59.120 made everything work is Dan can hold the ball of 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.319 splits and longer and get rid of it and get 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:04.280 it out of here because of the quick release, so 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:08.200 you know, he didn't have to anticipate the throw as much, uh, 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:11.200 and he has that ability to side step and throw 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:14.640 around people. And and that's what we did. And and 0:12:14.720 --> 0:12:16.560 you know, by the end of the first half, you know, 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:18.640 they can say what they want, the game was over. 0:12:18.800 --> 0:12:21.600 You know, at that point they were so frustrated because 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:23.800 they couldn't get to the quarterback. You know, we had 0:12:23.800 --> 0:12:27.480 a pretty damn good offensive line that did the job. 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:31.200 And and you knew that when they blitzed, they were 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:35.160 gonna be one guy free and Dan was gonna throw 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:37.280 around him. And Dan is a tough guy. Dan, you know, 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:40.839 Dan wouldn't and one of them you know quarterbacks that 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:43.760 can't take a shot, He'll stand in there and deliver 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:45.880 the football. And that's what made him so great. You know, 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:49.760 he took personal pride and being the best. And so 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:51.800 when you see people talk about like, let's say the 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.920 Patrick Mahomes and the Russell Wilson's of today's game, how 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:57.640 do you compare what they do in today's you know, 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:00.960 two thousand NFL compared to what Dan was doing back 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:03.839 in those mid eighties. With you mentioned getting off that spot, 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:06.040 having that quick release to be able to beat that 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:09.960 free rusher, because he did have that great release. Well, 0:13:10.000 --> 0:13:12.400 I think the difference is, you know where Dan basically 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:15.400 had bad knees and and couldn't move around as much 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:18.760 as they did. But Dan was like a dancer in 0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:21.880 the pocket. You know, he didn't scramble for his goal 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:23.600 was always to get the ball out and get it 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.720 down field. So he might slide two steps left, two 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:29.760 steps right, and and then two steps up. I mean 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:33.160 he worked the pocket, uh you know, lack of pro 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:36.280 and was able to get the ball off. And what 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:42.120 we see today is uh, quarterbacks that have more scapability, 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:46.679 but they all are an assemblance of what Dan wants 0:13:46.720 --> 0:13:50.640 were throwing the football. The fact that you have enough 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:53.079 confidences you can get it in there to your receivers. 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:56.280 Um you know, uh, you know. The one thing that 0:13:56.320 --> 0:14:00.360 has always been interesting about football is that quote backs 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:03.160 are taught to not throw the ball in the coverage, 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:06.400 do not make the big mistake, and then there's a 0:14:06.440 --> 0:14:09.560 fine line between the guys that have the ability to 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:13.880 fit it in to tight quarters and Dan was one 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:16.000 of the first that did it and made a living 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:18.120 doing it. But that was because he had so much 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:20.800 confidence that if he did throw it in there, his 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:23.400 receivers gonna come down with the football. His receivers were 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:25.760 going to get open. And that's what you see with 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:28.880 some of the young quarterbacks today. You know, they give 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:32.320 their teammates a chance to make a play. And that's 0:14:32.360 --> 0:14:34.080 what you have to love about some of these guys. 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.840 We've got not more here. Dolphins Ring of Arm member, 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:40.000 former pro bowler and member of that team that did 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:42.520 knock off the Bears on Monday Night Football, and you 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:44.680 mentioned that that the game kind of felt like it 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:47.600 was over after the first half, after that block punt 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:49.800 that turned into a touchdown which you scored. We'll get 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:52.400 to that in just one second, but early in that game, 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:55.000 the Bears were jumping off sides a lot. You mentioned 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:57.480 the home field advantage, the crowd noise, and then there 0:14:57.560 --> 0:15:00.800 was the interception number forty three, but Brown comes down 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:02.600 with it and then he gets into a bit of 0:15:02.600 --> 0:15:05.120 a scuffle with the Bears offensive lineman because you kind 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:08.000 of sense that frustration mounting throughout the game from the 0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:13.520 Bears perspective. Yeah, I think any time when you're not 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:17.560 having the great success that you're expecting, uh, you know, 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:20.800 there's some frustration sets in and as you start to 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:23.560 look at your game plan and and and wonder if 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:25.560 you need to get out of something that you're getting 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:29.520 hurt in. But you believe in your system. The question 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.080 is when do you abandon that and and and try 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:35.360 something new in the ball game. And to the Bears credit, 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:37.200 they believed in the forty six. They stayed in the 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:39.720 forty six the whole ball game. Well, that's where we 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:43.640 were prepared to go up against so we you know, 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:46.720 we we didn't have any issues with it. I think 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:50.760 that if we had not lost the a f C 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:55.120 Championship game to the Patriots, when we would have played 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.960 them in the Super Bowl, that would have been the rematch, 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:00.600 and I think we would have saw that changes that 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:03.000 they would have made to make sure that we didn't 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:05.440 take advantage of their forty six defense. I think I 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:07.920 speak for Dolphins fans everywhere that would say that if 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:10.160 we had a time machine can go back and replay 0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:12.360 one game, it would be the a f C Championship game, 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:14.720 because I would love to see that Super Bowl rematch 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:17.840 with y'all in the Chicago Bears. So you've talked about 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:20.320 Marino's kind of ability to extend plays and make big 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:22.680 plays down the field. There was one instance where he 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:24.760 had a third and eight team back shoulder throw to 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:27.640 yourself right up the seam and there was tight coverage 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:30.760 on the play. You uncovered, kind of turned around Pirouette 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:33.640 and made an excellent catch in coverage. What was that 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:36.720 play like from your perspective and running that seam route 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:40.200 where you get the back shoulder throw from Damn well, 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:42.480 I mean, but that's the that's the difference, you know, 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:45.720 having a quarterback that will make the decision and he's 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:49.400 gonna throw it where you can catch it. Um. You know, uh, 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.240 we had that counter report. You know, we worked on 0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:55.000 a lot of this stuff in practice, and you know 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:59.400 the key is being under control so that you can 0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:02.520 make the adjustment and him knowing that you will make 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:05.159 that adjustment. You know, that was the beauty of us 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:08.480 having so many skill position receivers that we all played 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:11.679 a lack. Even though we had different skill sets, we 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:14.280 all played similar whether it was the three or four 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:16.000 tight ends that played, whether it was the three or 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:19.520 four of wide receivers or the backs, and and you know, 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:22.359 we we all ran our routes with discipline, with the 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:25.480 idea that the ball is coming and you just gotta 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:27.639 be ready to make a play. And Dan made a 0:17:27.640 --> 0:17:30.480 fine throw and it was just easier for me to catch. 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:32.760 And the entire night was one of making plays for 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:36.560 the Dolphins offensively, defensively, and on special teams. We hinted 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:38.840 about the blocked punt that went for a touchdown to 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:41.439 you just a couple of plays later, the energy in 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:44.560 that stadium, now I have to imagine was unlike anything 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:47.760 most football players whatever experienced, was that the moment you 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:51.520 knew this game was was kind of on ice. No. 0:17:51.840 --> 0:17:54.399 I mean I can say this is that you know, 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:59.240 that night, the energy within that stadium. In thirteen years 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:02.920 of planning profer snow football, I've never felt it before then, 0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:05.800 and I never felt it after that. And I've been 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:08.280 in some big ball games. I've been in two Super Bowls, 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:12.520 I've been around a loud and rambust his crowds. But 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:20.520 that particular night, Ah, it was so electric that you know, 0:18:20.560 --> 0:18:22.400 the game just sort of slowed down and you can 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:25.679 just see things happening. You can see the development of 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:29.280 everything in front of you. So the game was was 0:18:29.800 --> 0:18:32.720 It was unbelievable game. And we covered your first touchdown, 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:34.960 the big reception on the third and eight team play, 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:37.240 and then you finally scored that six yard touchdown to 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:39.520 make it thirty one to ten after that punt, And 0:18:39.520 --> 0:18:42.000 I want to get your your your feelings about this 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:44.480 play because Dan, like we talked about, kind of falls back, 0:18:44.560 --> 0:18:47.320 buys a little bit of time, anticipates the rush and 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:49.800 we can't see you now on the broadcast version of 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:52.240 the game as far as what your route was, it 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:53.960 looked like it might have been a little pivot route 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:55.840 as far as where you wound up. But I'm curious 0:18:55.880 --> 0:18:57.600 to get your perspective on that play. What did that 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:01.960 play look like from the receiver's perspective. Well, and I 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:05.800 was actually running that particular play against wolver Marshall, who 0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:08.399 you know this time they don't blitz. He's in coverage. 0:19:08.440 --> 0:19:11.720 There's they're in their forty six defense. And I and 0:19:11.800 --> 0:19:15.960 it was called lex so where I started across UH 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:18.920 with him trying to run with me, and I pivoted 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:21.879 and I come back out um and of course once 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:25.199 I once I slowed down and then spit up. All 0:19:25.200 --> 0:19:27.040 of a sudden, he knows he can't run with me, 0:19:27.080 --> 0:19:28.640 so he's got to go as fast as you can. 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:30.560 Now I spend I come back out and I catching 0:19:30.600 --> 0:19:33.200 him wide open, and once again, I go into the 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:35.960 end zone untouched. You go up by twenty one points 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:38.560 on that play. And I think the ultimate iSER, the 0:19:38.600 --> 0:19:41.040 ultimate capper on that game was the forty two yard 0:19:41.040 --> 0:19:44.520