The day has finally come when we get to see our Miami Dolphins take on the field in front of their home crowd and it couldn't be against a better opponent than the New York Jets. Just to make it clear, I don't think the Jets are the best opponent we could face in our home opener because they are a good team, but rather because there isn't a single team I get more pleasure out of beating than the Jets, and I am confident we will beat them.

I could try to write a never-ending post on how bad we are going to beat the Jets tonight, but this week only, I have decided that I will let my team do the talking, and I'm just going to stand up and scream while it happens. See you all at the stadium, it's going to be a great night in South Florida

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines addiction as the compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal. If you’re one of those people who go through the week counting down the minutes until kick-off because nothing brings you greater joy than watching the Dolphins take the field, and the idea of a having to fill your Sundays with some other form of entertainment during a bye week is unbearable, then you my friend are a PhinAddict.


Jeff Smith and Jeff Rudman were the first to coin the term "PhinAddicts". Smith who resides in Fort Myers and drives hours to and from each game has been a Dolfan for decades. Rudman is a 26 year season ticket holder who grew up attending Dolphins games at the Orange Bowl during the glory days. The two met only a couple of years ago when near the end of the 2006 season Smith bought West Endzone Field Club tickets from Rudman and was so overwhelmed by the experience that the two decided to attend games together in the Field Club during the 2007 season.

Solely attending games was not enough though, so in 2007 Fro and Stripe were born. Fro and Stripe more than being characters are a true representation of Smith and Rudman’s identity as Dolfans and are so named because of the outfit , or more specifically the headware each of them sport on gameday; Smith an orange afro wig and Rudman a teal mohawk with an orange stripe down the middle.

While at the stadium doing their thing one day their phones began to buzz with texts and phone calls from friends and relatives who had just seen them not only in the jumbotron but also on network TV. Shortly thereafter their true moment of realization would come when they had people coming up to them around the stadium asking them to keep up the good work, it was then that they felt the need to adopt an identity that all Dolfans could relate to, hence the PhinAddicts.

Essentially the PhinAddicts are a byproduct of the 2007 character building one win season. They saw this as a chance to show everyone that they would support any team that wears the dolphins uniform, even if the product on the field is not as productive as it should be. As they expressed to me, they were and continue to be just a couple of passionate fans in the stands who enjoy expressing their “Phintensity” and are looking to raise the bar of “Phinaddicism” reenergizing the Dolphins fan base while bringing back the home field advantage we as a team used to have!

Spreading the word about the PhinAddicts proved to be an easy task thanks to Facebook, where a page with the PhinAddicts name was created as a place for them to easily talk to their fans. The PhinAddicts page might not be the most informative of all Dolfan pages or even the one with the biggest following but that was never their intention upon creating it; what they really wanted was to establish relationships with true Dolphins fans and that is something they feel like they have truly done. “There are days during the work week that we are up most of the night just chatting with other Dolfans from around the world and we love every minute of it.”

Today, they’re not alone in their goal; the PhinAddicts, along with other groups and individuals like the Dolfan Bandits, Fins Chix, FINtastic Four, Papa Pump & Co., Roger Avila & Jr., Finman Finhead, Mike Smoller and his precious girls, Venus Utegg and many others understand that the sports culture in Miami lends itself to bandwagon jumping and together they have set out to change this mindset and they truly believe that they can spread the Phinaddicism not just on a local or national level, but on a global one. “It is gut check time for true Dofans to be accountable as are their players for their play on the field and give it all they have through both the great and challenging times.”

This group of fans has become so tight knit that when one of the members was called out in a local sports talk radio show for choosing to spend much of his available personal time painting his body and pumping up the crowd in practice they decided to use Facebook as a platform to voice their opinion and spearheaded a movement to demand an apology which they received not only on the air but off the air as well.

It is this sense of camaraderie that has made the PhinAddict movement worthwhile for Smith and Rudman, whom I got a chance to interview for this article. It has been almost impossible for me to replicate the passion they showed when talking about what they do which is why I have chosen to share a little bit of that session with you so you can see for yourselves.

Q.- What game are you looking forward to the most this season and why?
A.- Without question the Jets Sunday night home opener. This intense rivalry game on its own would be circled on our calendar but the fact that it represents the return of J.T. in a Jets uniform makes the plot line all the more interesting. Nothing would make us more excited than to pound them in our Home stadium and be able to watch Rex “Cryan” over and over again during the post game press conference. ;)

Q.- What is the best thing that has come from this?
A.- Easy answer; undoubtedly, the camaraderie with fellow PhinAddicts such as Erwin Ridwan, Cynthia Rubio & Mark Tiapkov! The networking has allowed us to meet some amazing soldiers fighting over seas as well as some wonderful veterans. We are so appreciative for what they have done and continue to do keeping America safe and out of harm’s way allowing us to enjoy our liberties. Being asked to participate as a judge for the Miami Dolphins Cheerleading Selection Committee was quite an honor and an amazing experience. We have the most talented and beautiful group of girls in the entire NFL!
Dolphin games give us a sense of community, a familiarity among ordinary strangers joined by one common bond MIAMI DOLPHINS FOOTBALL. We recognize how fortunate we are to attend all home games and the occasional road game. There are so many Dolfans out there who we have come into contact with whose dream it is to simply attend one Home game. It’s an amazing feeling to get recognized whether it is on the jumbotron or by someone walking by you with a high five. Each time we express ourselves on the field we do so knowing full well we are representing those who wish they could be there! If we have our voice left after a game; shame on us!

Q.- Do you have a favorite memory?
A.- There are so many to choose from like reminding Ravens DB Terrell Suggs he picked the wrong endzone to celebrate his INT-TD “NOT IN OUR HOUSE” but we would have to say Camarillo’s TD to prevent our proud franchise from going winless and the ensuing celebration thereafter with the entire team in our Field Club section. That was what we call a “PHINGASMIC” moment. Phingasm – Euphoria following a climactic, game defining moment leading to a Dolphins victory. Look out Wikipedia – here we come!

Q.- Is there anything you look forward to doing in the future?
A.- Raising more money for the Miami Dolphins Foundation. We look forward to meeting new Dolfans and celebrating Super Bowl Victories with our Fan base! Also, we are currently in the process of creating the “ULTIMATE DOLFANS GLOBAL ALBUM”. The Purpose of the album is to bring about the unification of all Dolfans worldwide. We are asking everyone to submit their favorite Dolphins picture of all time for all to enjoy. We currently have hundreds of pictures submitted and are hopeful to have it completed by the 1st quarter of the 2010 season. You really have to see these! Right now we have them in one of our many Facebook albums called; you guessed it, ULTIMATE DOLFANS GLOBAL ALBUM.

As much as they feel have taken from the Dolfan community, the PhinAddicts have also made sure to contribute back in many ways. They collaborated on a project to produce Phinaddicts’ “PHINFANS4LIFE” original art T-Shirts for “$19.72” while donating a portion of the proceeds to the MDF - Miami Dolphins Foundation. Thus far, they have had a very favorable reaction and are very grateful for all the support. Their second print titled “Logo” will be priced at “$20.10” and has just been released so please look out for it! The MDF is devoted to providing and supporting signature Education, Health, Youth Athletic Programs and Volunteer Activities that inspire and engage communities throughout Florida.

They have also made sure to find a way to give something back to the fans that make everything they do possible; so, as a way to reward their Facebook friends, their journey has enabled them to partner up with www.Gold Marlin.com, a successful internet based retail store who is an authorized Hook & Tackle® dealer specializing in innovative technical fishing wear and the casual fisherman lifestyle. Gold Marlin has graciously become a sponsor of their Facebook Score Prediction Contest for all Dolphin road games. The objective of this contest is to be the closest to predict the final score of a Dolphins victory and the winner will receive an authentic Hook & Tackle® garment/s. The contest is usually announced on their FB page a few hours before kickoff and the first person to submit the most accurate score after their submission request post wins.

Ultimately, the PhinAddicts are about one thing, and that is interacting with other fans who share their “addiction” for Dolphins football and so before I go I will share this request with you:

“We love to tailgate at E-12 - Blue Lot in front of Gate D and would hope that everyone reading this knows we encourage all to come by and say hello or just hang with us. We’ve got good food, good vibes and nothing but good times. A tailgate would not be complete without a competitive game of corn hole so if you have not heard of it and are willing to try something new come on over.

We would love nothing more than to travel to each road game and find front row seats to represent our team but unfortunately our obligations to our families prevent us from having the time and resources to make this happen. We do our best to make it to at least one road game a year and we have yet to decide which one it will be for this season. In the meantime, we do the next best thing; hold Dolphin Road Rallys at different sports bars. We usually announce the location a few days before the game on Facebook so everyone can make their plans, so please join us.”

The PhinAddicts were featured as the fan of the week the very first week of the season on ESPNs Facebook page, show them your support by heading over and reading that article as well, and let's do them proud by heading out to support our team each and every Sunday. We know the Dolphins have the best fans in the NFL, let's go out there and prove it.

The Dolphins enter the second week of the NFL season with a positive 1-0 record, something they haven't been able to do for a few years now, but this week they face a stronger opponent when they prepare to take the field against the Minnesota Vikings tomorrow at 1 pm.

The Vikings represent the first big challenge the Dolphins will face in the next few weeks as they prepare to take on four consecutive opponents who all made the playoffs last season, and they have all the tools required to pull of the upset, the question is whether or not they'll be able to pull it together in time to do so. There were a lot of questions surrounding the Dolphins victory last week over the Bills, but I stand strong in my opinion that they were just trying to do enough to get by; we will find out this week whether or not I was right.

The Vikings on the other hand come into this game having lost to the Saints last Thursday in the opening game, a rematch of last year's NFC Championship. For a team that has high Super Bowl expectations two consecutive losses would just not be accepatble. Favre himself has something to prove too since he lacked chemistry with most of his receivers and didn't really connect with any of them in a big way during that game; oddly enough he seemed to have the most chemistry with Camarrillo, a guy we traded and someone whom he has never shared the field before. Favre also probably has a little bone to pick with the Dolphins since it less than two years ago the Dolphins D threw him around all over the field in that final game of the 2008 season when we defeated the Jets and earned the top spot in the division.

It'll be interesting to see how our defense will do against a team like the Vikings, Clemmons will see himself challenged this week and I hope he will make his presence known as he did last week, I expect the same from the secondary and I want to see the D line be strong both, when containing the run and when limiting Favre to throwing from the pocket. Having Dansby show up like last week and get a sack three games into the game would be a nice touch.

On offense I'd like to see Henne cut lose, the Vikings have a strong run defense and the only way we can open up the game is by stretching the field out with our passing game, it's about time we hear the first Henne to Marshall for a touchdown of 40+ yards.

This is a game that we can win and one that I expect for them to win, going into the season I had originally conceded this to be one of the games we would lose, but now that it's here and having watched both teams my opinion has changed. I don't think it'll be an easy one and I'm sure my opinion is strongly biased but here is my prediction anyway: The game will be a nail biter until the end, the Dolphins win it 20-14, and just fo fun Favre thrown one int... I just haven't decided who is the one that picks him... Benny Sapp maybe?

The Miami Dolphins started their season of the right way by pulling in a victory in Orchard Park, against division rivals the Buffalo Bills, which for the time being puts them in first place. A lot of people out there are calling this an ugly victory, yet I wasn’t at all disappointed about the way the Dolphins played.

Going into this game I predicted the final score to be 17-10 so I wasn’t surprised to see the game play out the way it did. First of all, the Bills have always been a tough division opponent at home, and proved to be an especially tough challenge for Henne last year, so cautiousness was to be expected from the QB. Second and most importantly, I believe the team went out there trying to get a victory while giving away the bare minimum as far as our playbook goes.

In the next three weeks the Dolphins will have games which are considerably more challenging than the Bills game was, starting out next Sunday against the Vikings, a game that I think we could just win if we play our cards right, because we have the talent to do it. What I saw on Sunday from the Dolphins was just enough to entice me to see more, because there is a lot more “good” coming this season.

The defense on Sunday was outstanding and that was without being fully unleashed. Dansby took control of it and showed everyone just how aggressive they have to be when he got his first sack just three plays into the game. Clemmons who’s had a question mark on him since the first week of the preseason also made his presence known and gave the fans confidence in the safety position, something they have not felt comfortable with in years. Overall, the defense was dominant, allowing the Bills only 166 yards and nine first downs and putting up two points in the board by way of a safety.

The offense although not as impressive got the job done, and now has an opportunity to go back and make the adjustments needed before next week’s game, but I believe that part of it also was conservative play calling, because again, we don’t want to give up all out tricks against the Bills. Some people have expressed concern over Henne and while it is true that he was taking a little too long to release the ball and maybe locking down on his receiver a little to quickly, you also have to consider the fact that not only was it the first game of the season, where this is normal (just look around the league), but also, his last appearance in Buffalo didn’t end to well, when he got picked three times in a game that was as much of a must win as this one was for us on Sunday.

We started out the season with a W and that is something we should be proud of, next week’s opponent won’t hand it over too easily; so let’s put that win in the books and move on and get ready for will be the first of many challenges. We had a few close hard games last season and we let them slip let’s not do that again this season!

On Monday Night Football, not too far from where the Dolphins earned their first victory, the Jets put on a show Monday night, but unlike Hard Knocks, there was no laughter or obnoxious comments from Rex Ryan as the Jets got exposed on both sides of the ball. The Jets have absolutely nothing on offense and I still believe they are a team running on hopes of having a QB when clearly Sanchez is not everything they have built him up to be. On defense, while still a force to be reckoned with, Cromartie proved to be more of a liability than an asset, costing the team an excessive number of yards in penalties which were enough to convert first downs, leaving people wondering if Revis’ island will be a place team's chose to vacation in when they have a five star resort on the opposite side of the field.

Overall this first week of football couldn’t have turned out any better, the Dolphins secure a win while the Jets lose in such an embarrassing fashion that even ESPN analysts are trying to express some doubts (who knew?). Weekend like this one remind me there is nothing I’d rather do… Is it Sunday yet?

The Miami Dolphins kick off their season in approximately 24 hours against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Expectations are high for this Dolphins’ team going into the season despite all the mishaps that the team showed during preseason and tomorrow’s game is one of those games they just can’t afford to lose.

The last time the Dolphins beat the Bills in Buffalo was in 2003, with last year’s loss being one of the most disappointing ones because it was the one that started us on the downward spiral of loses that kept us out of the playoffs.

This season the stakes are higher as the front end of our schedule is the toughest one, and we need to be able to get a solid win in Buffalo to start the season on solid ground, since as I have pointed out many times before the leader in the division will be established by week 4 when everyone in the AFC East has had the opportunity to play against one another and I don’t want the Dolphins to be digging themselves out of a deep hole from early on.

Our goal going into Buffalo should be to win in as easy a fashion as we can and without giving away to many of our secrets early on, especially on defense since our new defensive scheme is yet to be fully revealed and might be the difference maker in the first few games of the season, starting with the Vikings game in which, I believe, the defense is what will make the difference between walking out with a win or loss.

There are a few things I expect to see in tomorrow’s game, I want to see the chemistry between Henne and his receivers and I want him to be given the opportunity to throw a few long passes to build his confidence. We went out and got ourselves a number one receiver in Marshall, let’s go out and use him! The only way the Marshall effect will cause a ripple effect is if we use Marshall so we need to throw a couple of good long passes to him early on to let other teams know he is truly something they need to worry about.

I also expect the defense to come out strong in this first game, the nice thing about playing Buffalo is that we can present a strong defense, especially when it comes to defending the run, while saving our pass rushing schemes and blitz packages until next week because Buffalo’s passing game doesn’t represent a real threat.

Finally, I want to see a solid secondary and I expect to see a difference in special teams; the team went out and made a few changes to the roster in the past few days and I expect these players that we got to go out there and at least establish their presence on the field.

Football season is finally here, preseason is over and there is no more time for major adjustments. On Sunday our boys will get their gear on and step onto the field ready to show us what they have and how bad they want it, there is no room for error this year, so let’s go out there and show that this season the most overlooked team in the AFC might have just been Miami.

GO DOLPHINS!!! Happy start of the season to everyone.

This review was intended to be much longer, but with the cuts taking place today and the knowledge that the final 53-man roster will be released shortly some of them are better left to discuss once that final roster is released.

I know some people were disappointed with Thursday night's performance, but the truth of the matter is we gained a lot from that game; the first team offense might have not been perfect but they had chemistry on the field and managed a good drive early on, and the defense although they got beat in the secondary quite often at least didn't look completely lost. The thing is, this game was not meant to be about the starters even though they played, it was about those people fighting to earn a spot, and those guys really did leave it all out there, we just have to wait and see which ones actually made the cut, but let me just say that I think Marlon Moore and Roberto Wallace are in.

My favorite part of the game was getting to see Ricky run for 40+ yards one play and getting the chance to see Sparano enjoying himself out on the field when calling plays. The smiles on the players faces at the end of the game is something I want to see all season long, the final score on the other hand is something I hope not to.

Some people have been ready to press the panic button all preseason but I have managed to stay away from it, preseason is what it is, preseason, a time for testing players, combinations and plays and not a reflection of what's to come in the season; remember that we have started the past two seasons with a perfect 4-0 preseason record only to go on and lose the first couple of games, something we can't afford to do this season. I know Sparano loves to win games, preseason or not, but I honestly believe I saw a different approach to this preseason, he was trying to figure out not only what and who works best, but how much they can all do and how far he can push them because this season starts on week 1 and we can't afford to let down.

The first four weeks will determine who the leader in the division is and will leave all the remaining teams playing catch up. By the end of week 4 all teams in the AFC east will have played one another and the way the schedule is set up Miami has the advantage to take on that lead, all we have to do is get a W at Buffalo and take care of business at home. I have stood behind this team for a long time, but this group in particular is something special and I for one can't wait until they step on the field a week from tomorrow and show us what they are truly made of. The time for tests is over, it is now time to go out there and get the wins I know we can get, starting week 1 with Buffalo!

GO PHINS! Let's get this seasn started