WEBVTT - Fins Flashback - Dolphins Bills Rivalry with John Offerdahl 0:00:03.720 --> 0:00:16.360 Cutdown Miami Run. What is up, Dolphans and welcome to 0:00:16.440 --> 0:00:19.840 the Drive Time Podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins official 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:24.159 podcast network, covering your team, your Miami Dolphins, each and 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:27.520 every day. How's it going everybody? It is Friday, New 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:31.480 Year's Day. I am your host, Travis Wingfield, and as always, 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:34.239 I am here to bring you your daily dose of 0:00:34.320 --> 0:00:37.080 Miami Dolphins football. And on today's show, we're gonna go 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:39.960 back to the nineteen nineties with the Dolphins and Bill's 0:00:40.080 --> 0:00:43.800 rivalry with John Offer Doll, former Dolphins linebacker. We're gonna 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:46.000 talk about that rivalry, some of the best games, best 0:00:46.040 --> 0:00:48.879 moments for him over the course of his career up 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:51.120 in Buffalo. Plus, we'll get you the latest on the 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:54.320 Dolphins current injury report and Buffaloes report heading into the 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:57.400 Week seven team game as the regular season finale is 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:00.360 upon us. All of that and more on this Friday, 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:09.000 January the first edition of the Drive Time Podcast. Let's 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:11.200 go ahead and kick this podcast off by getting you 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:14.320 the latest on the Dolphins and Bills for Friday from 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:17.880 Orchard Park from Bill Stadium on January three. On Sunday, 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:20.440 we have the latest injury report on this Friday for you, 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:23.319 and it looks like this four Dolphins are going to 0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:25.960 be questionable for the game. Wide receivers Jachem Grant and 0:01:26.000 --> 0:01:30.639 DeVante Parker, defensive and Shack Lawson and rookie guard Solomon Kinley. 0:01:30.640 --> 0:01:33.040 All four of those guys will be questionable for the game. 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:36.199 On Sunday, Buffalo is gonna be without three players. Wide 0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:40.320 receiver Cole Beasley, offensive lineman John Feliciano, and tight end 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:43.760 Reggie Gilliam will all miss Sunday's game. And joining me 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:46.920 now on the Drivetime podcast is five time Pro bowler 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:50.600 spent all eight of his NFL years with the Miami Dolphins. 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:53.240 He is John offerd All, John, how you doing today, sir? 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:58.120 It's good to be on on with I'm doing great. 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:00.280 I was looking forward to getting you on. We we 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:02.560 were looking back at some of these nineties Buffalo Bill's 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:05.040 rivalries and and you know, Scott Stone, our buddy here 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:07.200 at the Miami Dolphins, said John offered would be great 0:02:07.240 --> 0:02:08.519 for it, and I said, we haven't had him on 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:10.560 the podcast yet, haven't had a chance to meet him. 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:12.400 I would be more than happy to do that. I 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:14.680 told you before you came on that I grew up 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:16.520 in the nineties of Dolphins fan all the way out 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:19.120 here in Washington State. But hey, I would love to 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:21.160 talk to John Offerd Doll. And the first thing I 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:23.760 always asked my guests, the alumni, guess, is what's life 0:02:23.800 --> 0:02:27.760 like now for John Offerd Doll. Huh, Well, life is 0:02:28.000 --> 0:02:32.639 uh right now in the COVID mode. It's a little challenging, 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:36.160 it is. I'm in the restaurant business, as is some 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:41.240 of my other fellow alumni. And uh, the restaurant business 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:45.119 has been challenged with COVID nineteen, but that's a one 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:49.720 year element. Life after football has now been thirty years. 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:55.200 I mean I I played in so yeah, I'm about 0:02:55.200 --> 0:02:59.200 twenties seven to thirty three years older than I was 0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:01.240 when I played at the young age of twenty. So 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:07.400 my life is a slower, it is softer, thank God, 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:12.560 and it's challenging, but in a different way. I don't 0:03:12.600 --> 0:03:17.440 get hurt as much in the kitchens of my restaurants 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:20.240 as I do on the field of football, and for 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:23.959 that I am thankful. At the age of what's interesting 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:26.720 about this year is it's it's my number. I'm the 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:29.399 big fifty six. I'm fifty six years old. This year. 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:33.680 So first half of fifty six kind of challenging. Second 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:38.000 half January to August is gonna be unbelievably stullar. That's 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:40.080 the attitude you have to have. That's exactly why we 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:42.440 got you here. We got the upbeat attitude heading into 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:44.880 an important game Sunday for the Dolphins up in Buffalo. 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:48.200 And you know it's to me, John, as a Dolphins 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:50.560 fan life long, I wasn't really you know, privy to 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:53.320 the eighties rivalry with the Jets or maybe the Patriot 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:55.680 you know, the Patriots now coming in later into the fold. 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:58.040 But in the nineteen nineties, it was the Buffalo Bills. 0:03:58.200 --> 0:03:59.840 And so I just want to first off here with 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:02.880 what do you remember most about those trips up to Buffalo, 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:06.960 the games on the road in Buffalo. Yeah, so, first 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:10.040 of all, let me tell you that I I absolutely 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:15.520 respected the Buffalo Bills, the organization, the talent they had um, 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:19.839 the offense and the defense. But the offense Jim Kelly, 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:26.720 unbelievable offensive line, Terman Thomas Um, great receivers. So when 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:30.240 we went up to Buffalo, there were two parts. There 0:04:30.360 --> 0:04:35.520 was the fan experience and the field experience. All right, 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:45.000 First of all, the fan experience was unbelievably, unbelievably Buffalo. 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:47.800 Let's just say that I'm not really gonna be heard 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:52.120 in Buffalo on this interview, this podcast. So but but 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:55.599 you never know, right, But I tell you, when I 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:57.720 would go up to Buffalo, I would see things that 0:04:57.760 --> 0:04:59.600 I hadn't seen before. And I grew up and was 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.040 gott since so I can kind of consider myself a 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:07.680 Northern But um, you know, let's say that the women, uh, 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:12.320 they were as aggressive a fan as I've ever seen 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:16.320 in the NFL, and oftentimes. I mean I remember bus 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:21.200 rides to and from the stadium where I saw things 0:05:21.200 --> 0:05:23.120 I probably shouldn't have seen I wouldn't want to see 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:28.880 again in Buffalo. Uh, that's being very nice, I'm being nice. Um. 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:32.880 I remember going onto the field for pregame warmups. That's 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:35.440 the stadium was so close to the players, and it 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:39.600 still is. You literally were practicing and hitting and doing 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:43.320 things in pregame warmups, you know, five feet away from 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:46.160 the fans that were either spitting on your throwing things 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:48.719 at you, or showing things you don't want to see. 0:05:49.080 --> 0:05:53.640 So it wasn't a crazy environment to play football in. 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:57.600 You had the cold weather, you had just the fall 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:02.600 feel of Buffalo and then the fan experience in your 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:05.680 walk away saying, oh, you either love that or get 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:10.119 intimidated by it. Certainly it was entertaining. Um. The field 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:15.919 experience wasn't as entertaining for us. However, we did do 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:19.680 amazingly well a couple of games in Buffalo. Buffalo had 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.640 an amazing team. Just an amazing team. They went to 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:24.880 the Super Bowl four years in a row when I played, 0:06:25.640 --> 0:06:27.760 and all four of those years I thought they were 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:29.520 the best team in the league. And they didn't win 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:33.080 one game in the Super Bowl. They should have. They 0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:37.080 had an unbelievable team. And uh they put together through 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:40.320 Jim Kelly and the no huddle offense. Uh, such an 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:44.599 effective offense that from a defensive players perspective, if you 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:48.440 weren't on the top of your game, you're gonna get shredded. Um. 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:53.520 So you know that when it got to the field time. Uh. 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:57.560 Uniquely and unusually, we had some great games in Buffalo. 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:01.479 I remember, UH, two years in a row we beat 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:06.480 them soundly in Buffalo. Games that we were expected to lose, 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:10.560 we won and surprised people. Our defense came alive. I 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:13.680 remember a hunted yard return. I don't know, I'm exaggerating, 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:17.240 maybe by Louis Oliver. In one of those games. Brian 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:21.040 Cox alongside me was just fun to play with. And 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:27.800 although they were so explosive and potentially damaging to us, 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:31.120 we put together a package that I kind of think 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:33.800 threw them off. We put together a new defensive scheme 0:07:33.880 --> 0:07:36.680 that they hadn't seen before. I think it was very 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:39.680 effective with the talent that we had on our team, 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:43.800 and we caught them by surprise. Typically, if I remember correctly, 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:47.720 the first game in the series, the second game in 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:51.360 the series down in Miami, I don't remember having such 0:07:51.440 --> 0:07:56.120 great success, and the third game for a couple of years, 0:07:57.360 --> 0:08:00.480 sadly in the playoffs, and we didn't have the success 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:03.560 we would have loved. And you know, I look at 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:06.200 those years as the prime years for Damn Rain on 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:12.320 the offense and UH as challenging or as talented as 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:16.320 that offense was for the Miami Dolphins. UH, the Buffalo 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:19.280 Bills knew how to keep Dan off the field and 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:22.400 their team on the field, and sadly, I think, you know, 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:24.640 both those games I would have loved to have won, 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:27.520 but we didn't, and that was the end of our 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:30.360 playoff experience in my career. Those are the two years 0:08:30.440 --> 0:08:34.920 we got to the playoffs. I think they were nine, Yeah, 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:36.880 they were, they were, and you had you had mentioned 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:38.679 that you guys kind of caught them off guard. There 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:40.920 a couple of times I'm wondering, like, because you guys 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:42.920 play each other so much, and in the playoffs again, 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:45.560 you know, those three games of seasons, sometimes I have 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:47.800 to imagine it's it's pretty hard to have to have 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:50.439 mystery between the two of those two teams. Like, was 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:52.120 it one of those cases of like we knew what 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:53.840 we know what you're gonna do, you know what we're 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:57.600 gonna do, and it's just best man wins type of deal. Well, 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:02.040 to some degree, yes, but I mean, like I think 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:05.360 both years, quite honestly, we put together a defensive package 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:09.280 that kind of caught them off guard. They were prepared 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:12.199 for it the second time, and they were probably fine 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:15.920 tuned by the third time, so that the first games 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:17.800 of those years we won. In the second and the 0:09:17.840 --> 0:09:20.719 third games of those years we didn't. But you know, 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:23.320 I do feel like our defense just wasn't up to 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:26.160 their offense. Although we every year, don't forget now, we 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:29.040 brought in new talent that you know. I remember Brian 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:32.520 Cox was a very talented player. He comes into our system. 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:36.240 We put together a package that surprises them with new talent, 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:39.720 and I think we we were fortunate to soundly defeat 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:42.679 them up in Buffalo. But as the year went on 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:45.400 and they prepared for us and knowing what we were 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:48.240 coming with, uh, you know, they got the better of us. 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:51.559 And quite honestly, not as an offense, but as a 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:55.480 defense and a total team. Uh, you know, they were 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:58.959 better than us. And and in that season you had 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:02.640 mentioned the affair you played in the week fifteen game 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:04.480 that was right before the season finale, and then you 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:06.360 go back in the playoffs and you didn't play in 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:08.839 that game. Does that do you ever think about that? John? 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:10.079 Like what if I could have been out there for 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:14.440 that game? Like? How does that kind of stick with you? So, yeah, 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:16.720 it sticks with me, not in a really sweepful way, 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:22.160 because in my prime of my career, uh, my fifth 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:24.240 year in the NFL, I was fortunate to be All 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:29.000 Pro and UM Pro Bowl and I just had a 0:10:29.040 --> 0:10:33.320 great year leading up to that playoff game. That playoff game, 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:36.400 previous playoff game, I think it was against Kansas City 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:40.040 but whatever, the game before I just tore up my 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:45.320 ankle and I couldn't play. So we had a great team, 0:10:45.360 --> 0:10:47.839 we were prepared and ready, and I couldn't play in 0:10:47.880 --> 0:10:50.280 the biggest game of the year the I think it 0:10:50.360 --> 0:10:53.280 was maybe I don't know, it could have been a 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:55.400 wild card game, but it was against Buffalo and we 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.200 got beat up in Buffalo. And then the second time 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:04.200 in the playoff game against Buffalo. It was another, you know, 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:06.840 great year for me, but I wasn't able to play 0:11:06.920 --> 0:11:09.080 in the playoff game because of my health as my 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:11.280 health started fading away in the last couple of years. 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:15.800 So both of those unbelievably special games, you know, the 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:19.800 defensive captain, the leader, um, the player who was at 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:22.040 his peak except for a couple of games when I 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:26.559 couldn't play. They were the Buffalo Bills games. So I 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:28.960 feel like I let not only let the team down, 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:31.559 and let myself down because I wanted to play in 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:33.880 the big games and I wasn't able to. Yeah, because 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:35.720 you guys allow them just or hold them rather to 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:37.880 just twenty four points in that Week fifteen game, they 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:40.280 come back and score forty in the postseason. I have 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:42.800 to imagine not having your defensive captain out there. I mean, 0:11:43.040 --> 0:11:45.120 it's a big deal. It's a big deal. It's a 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:48.160 big deal in so like, I can just imagine how 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:50.080 how that you and at the time, and I'm sure 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:51.720 your teammates as well, that you weren't able to be 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:54.400 out there. But you know you mentioned reminding me again, 0:11:54.480 --> 0:12:02.439 Travis that often too good, John too good. You did 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:04.920 mention something earlier about kind of their up tempo and 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:07.079 aggressive attack, and a couple of the notes I read 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:09.120 was they would come out to these these early sevens 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:11.160 ago starts, they would march down the field. What was 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:13.720 it about their offense that gave opposing defenses so much 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:15.760 challenges of the in those you know, four Super Bowl 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:19.320 year runs they had. Yeah, so Jim Kelly and there's 0:12:19.520 --> 0:12:22.040 they kind of had a spread offense before there was 0:12:22.080 --> 0:12:26.080 a spread offense, and they could take their Thurman Thomas 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:29.880 and make him receiver in a second, and defenses weren't 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:32.160 prepared for that. We were still in our base defense 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:34.720 and all of a sudden, you know, me and the 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:38.280 other linebackers are covered in Thurman Thomas uh in a 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:40.520 slot position. I'm like, gosh, I've never been on this 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:43.600 far away from the ball in my life, So you know, 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:48.400 it definitely put pressure on players who um weren't used 0:12:48.440 --> 0:12:50.600 to being in that situation. And then if you if 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:53.720 you brought in a strong safety or any type of 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:57.640 slot defender, they would just run the ball so effectively 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:01.960 up the middle. So I do want to give credit 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:05.360 where it's new. And they had a player like people 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:08.280 ask me John, who is the best running back? John, 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:12.839 who's the best lineman? Um Thurman Thomas was definitely one 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:15.480 of the best top five running backs that went up against. 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:19.920 But they had an offensive alignman Jim Richter, who I 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:24.439 just respected uh so much. He was by far the 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:28.160 best run blocker in the league, the best run blocker 0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:31.240 I've ever played against. And we I mean I remember 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:33.480 going to games and just saying, this is a war 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:38.160 against one person, Jim Richter, you know, and he just 0:13:38.320 --> 0:13:41.559 happens to wear Buffalo Bill's hot. But I mean that 0:13:41.640 --> 0:13:44.480 was the kind of respect I had for him as 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:47.360 an individual, and it goes past him to the team. 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:52.080 But you know that type of talent where you can say, 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:54.760 the best player I ever played up against in in 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:59.360 a run defense was a player against the UM you know, 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:03.319 a division opponent the Buffalo Bills. That kind of shows 0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:06.360 you the town for the team too, because boy, if 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:09.319 he's the best player, then you got Jim Kelly, you 0:14:09.440 --> 0:14:15.480 got Andre Reid, Thurman Thomas. It just goes on and on, 0:14:15.559 --> 0:14:18.560 and you just realize that this day you better show 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:20.840 up to play. Yeah, and an embarrassment of riches on 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:24.440 the offensive side of the football there, and you mentioned that, 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:26.080 you know, they were this team that was a little 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:28.200 bit more modern ahead of their time as far as 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:30.600 the spread out attack, when you would have teams that 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:32.680 were in based defenses to defend a fullback in a 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:35.760 running back because that's when two backsets were those were prevalent. 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:38.280 That was a common thing. Now it's obviously changed a lot. 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:41.440 So I'm wondering because you know, talking about modern day football, 0:14:42.080 --> 0:14:45.120 teams talk about or at least maybe media and analysts 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:46.640 and that type of thing, talk about how you have 0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:48.320 to play to win your division. You have to be 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:50.240 able to beat the teams in your division to get 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:51.760 to the playoffs. That's how you make a run to 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:54.640 the Super Bowl. Did you guys go into offseason workouts 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:57.160 or off season programs or into training camp saying we 0:14:57.240 --> 0:14:58.920 gotta find a way to beat those Buffalo Bills. Like, 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:00.720 was that something you thought of or was it just 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:03.920 there another one of the sixteen teams in the schedule. Well, 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:08.960 you know, divisional opponents um and highly talented. The divisional 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:12.360 opponents become, uh, certainly on the top of the priority 0:15:12.480 --> 0:15:15.400 list for players. But I think that ends up being 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:18.960 more of coaching and drafting and free agency and who 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:20.960 are who are we going to bring on our team 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:25.440 that twice a year can defend or perform against the 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:28.400 Buffalo Bills. So you know, I left that up to 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:31.480 the coaches and the personnel directors. But as a player, 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:36.720 you know, certainly those games, you know, become important. It 0:15:36.760 --> 0:15:39.280 was kind of funny, I'm wandering now, but my son 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:42.800 and I were talking about football and how you looked 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:46.400 at the preparation and the performance of a game. And 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:51.760 I'm the I'm one of I fall into the slot 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:54.640 that I prepared for every game like it was life 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:58.360 or death. It was a war. I had to defeat 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:00.720 my player in front of me, be a part of 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:04.560 the team, lead the team towards victory. And I quite honestly, 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:12.040 I think I did that regardless of who I played. Now, 0:16:12.840 --> 0:16:18.480 on the flip side, you know might be you know, 0:16:18.520 --> 0:16:21.560 a team that you might take advantage of, uh the 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:25.600 percent might be the Buffalo Bills. There is always an 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:29.840 enlightened mindset and you know, adrenaline that comes along with 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:33.440 the game that matters, and uh, you know, not only 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:35.960 do you prepare for it more maybe during the week, 0:16:36.400 --> 0:16:39.600 but it comes game time, you know, you're just that 0:16:39.720 --> 0:16:44.080 much more alert of the unbelievable importance of this game. 0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:48.280 And uh, you know to me that that's acceptable. I 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:51.680 don't you know, I'd like to think I'm a great 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:56.880 player every game and I, uh prepare equally, but let's 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:59.000 not you know, let's not fool ourselves. I only give 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:03.760 myself a one one percentage point advantage for a game 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:07.080 against the Buffalo Bills, and probably Buffalo would be the 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:13.359 number one team in my era that I felt that 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:16.679 extra That's that's a really cool inside note. And I'm 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:19.360 sure for a professional athlete, you know, a highly tuned 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:21.240 machine as far as your body goes, and all the 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:23.639 preparation that goes into that. I mean, I'm sure that 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:26.879 one percent is is considerable, especially more so than the 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:29.480 regular person who would have that same analogy. So I'm 0:17:29.480 --> 0:17:31.359 sure that that ramp up, it matters and you can 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:33.520 definitely see the way it plays out on the field. 0:17:33.520 --> 0:17:36.080 So we talked John a little bit earlier about how 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:37.879 you missed some of the games up in Buffalo in 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:40.320 your career, but you did make seven trips to Buffalo 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:42.720 in your eight year career, missed a couple of playoff 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:44.440 game or two and a couple of regular season games 0:17:44.480 --> 0:17:46.720 up there as well. Do you mentioned the drive in 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:48.959 You mentioned you told me a story off the air 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:51.040 about a flag that hits you. Um, do you have 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:53.960 a favorite moment in your Dolphins Buffalo rivalry when you 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:58.840 went to Buffalo the road games? Yeah? So, I, um, 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:03.040 I do? I do? I have a bunch of You know, 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:07.240 I have a photo in my in my office at 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:12.440 home that is a uh how do what I say? Well, 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:16.160 it's a photo of a lifetime, I think because I 0:18:16.200 --> 0:18:19.959 was walking into the Buffalo bill Stadium right behind Brian 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:24.679 Cox and that that moment is frozen and into me 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:28.520 because Brian was talking to the crowd with his middle 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:33.159 finger up and I was in the background just looking 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:36.520 at him, going what are you doing? And then somebody 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:39.959 took a photo of that and it just cracks me up. 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:42.800 Every time I look at it, because it's it's it 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:46.040 kind of I want to get Brian Cox where the 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:51.879 credit that he deserves. He took football to another level 0:18:51.960 --> 0:18:54.240 that I wasn't used to and it was a little 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:57.600 bit more emotional than for me. That than me than me, 0:18:57.760 --> 0:19:01.040 I mean for me, I wasn't as emotional. He was 0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:04.439 a very emotional player and he shared that emotion with 0:19:04.440 --> 0:19:06.679 the Buffalo bill fans and it was just great to 0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:09.399 be behind him that moment, to just get in the 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:13.560 picture with that middle finger. Now, I don't I don't 0:19:13.560 --> 0:19:15.640 want to put the middle finger up to Buffalo because 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:18.040 I absolutely I don't want to respect them and love them. 0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:24.000 But h I played in the game there there that 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:26.960 Thurman Thomas spread out a little bit, I had to 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:29.960 cover him in a man and man uh, I didn't 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:31.720 really like to be in a man of man situation 0:19:31.760 --> 0:19:35.080 at any time in the NFL, but especially against Therman Thomas. 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:38.920 Right the Thurman Thomas, the ball's high. Therman Thomas goes 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:42.399 up our sideline kind of jukes mean goes up our 0:19:42.480 --> 0:19:45.280 sideline and I'm in a trail technique about ten yards 0:19:45.280 --> 0:19:49.639 behind him and so so, and it was Jim Kelly 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:52.280 throws the ball and as I'm chasing Thurman Thomas up 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:55.800 the sideline and uh, I know he's gonna catch the ball. 0:19:56.000 --> 0:20:00.119 I see Coach Shula and he's on the sideline and 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:02.399 he you know you and I for whatever reason, I 0:20:02.400 --> 0:20:04.440 feel like I see his face and he's not too 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:08.600 happy at me. But little did I know the next second, 0:20:08.640 --> 0:20:13.199 I fall on the ground and excruciating pain. And I 0:20:13.320 --> 0:20:18.040 look up and you know, thankfully Louis Oliver probably tackled 0:20:18.080 --> 0:20:20.280 him for attendant fifteen their gain. And I look up 0:20:20.320 --> 0:20:22.720 and Coachula has kind of got a smile on his 0:20:22.840 --> 0:20:25.399 face and he's laughing a little bit, and I'm like, 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:27.640 oh my god, I'm gonna get chewed out by Coach. 0:20:28.160 --> 0:20:32.400 But he's laughing and I'm I'm excruciating pain. I looked 0:20:32.400 --> 0:20:36.760 out and there's a yellow flag between my legs. I 0:20:36.760 --> 0:20:39.760 couldn't believe what happened. I'm like, what the heck do 0:20:39.840 --> 0:20:42.360 I have a yellow flag between my legs? And the 0:20:42.440 --> 0:20:46.399 film the next day proved that the raf through it 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:50.040 like a fifty yard pass. I think came wailing across 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:52.280 the field and hit me right with the sun. Does 0:20:52.359 --> 0:20:56.000 he sign as I'm chasing Thurman Thomas in a trail 0:20:56.080 --> 0:20:59.480 technique and I fall in front of Coach Shula's feet 0:21:00.040 --> 0:21:03.359 and I look up and he's laughing at me, and I, 0:21:04.000 --> 0:21:06.560 you know, I use that as an example for my 0:21:06.680 --> 0:21:09.880 kids and others. That says and life as in football, 0:21:10.640 --> 0:21:13.040 you better watch out. You gotta keep your eyes and 0:21:13.119 --> 0:21:16.200 your head on a swivel because from left field, they're 0:21:16.240 --> 0:21:19.560 gonna come at you right when you're you're not expecting it. 0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:24.640 And thankfully, in my life, I've had good coaches who 0:21:24.640 --> 0:21:27.240 can actually laugh at something like that in the midst 0:21:27.280 --> 0:21:30.520 of getting you know, bottom line, I got beat. So 0:21:31.720 --> 0:21:33.840 keep your eyes open. You had on a swivel, You 0:21:33.960 --> 0:21:36.159 better watch out. I can't help but think of the 0:21:36.200 --> 0:21:38.000 Forest Gump story when he said it felt like a 0:21:38.040 --> 0:21:39.639 dog jump up and bit him in the backside there. 0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:41.800 That's kind of what that reminds me of. You tell 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:44.720 him that story there. But that's great, John, that's great. 0:21:44.840 --> 0:21:47.439 He was an All Pro in spent all eight of 0:21:47.480 --> 0:21:50.120 his NFL years here with the Miami Dolphins. John Offer Doll, 0:21:50.359 --> 0:21:51.840 thank you so much for your time today, so we 0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:55.400 really appreciate it. Uh well, I appreciate being on the 0:21:55.480 --> 0:21:59.960 podcast with your Travis and go fins fins up. Hey, Hello, 0:22:00.080 --> 0:22:02.439 you mentioned Brian Cox. We have. We had him on 0:22:02.480 --> 0:22:04.520 The Fish Tank, our other podcast here in the network 0:22:04.520 --> 0:22:06.600 on Tuesday. That's available and I'm sure you would love 0:22:06.640 --> 0:22:14.240 to hear that. Can you shoot me at linking You 0:22:14.320 --> 0:22:16.600 heard it here first, folks, John offer doll fins up. 0:22:16.680 --> 0:22:18.920 Let's see you guys on Sunday. Take down the Buffalo Bills. John, 0:22:18.920 --> 0:22:23.840 thank you again, sir, and away he goes, John offered doll. 0:22:24.040 --> 0:22:26.280