High Hopes…Nope!

Football is a passion of mine.

I was lucky enough to play it for six years on a professional level, first making the roster as a tight end on the 1980 NFC Championship Eagles, briefly in camp with the Baltimore Colts and NY Giants, and three seasons with the 2-time USFL Champion Philadelphia Stars.

It’s a great game. It teaches you hard work, teamwork, and the value of relationships.

So, living in Philadelphia, of course, I have a love affair with the Eagles. And my association with MiamiMan has given me the reason to be a Dolphins fan. We actually did a profile of Dolphins great Larry Csonka in one of our first MiamiMan issues.

Which leads me to the puzzling ending for both of “our” teams this season.

I know, I know. Miami had serious injuries, especially on defense. Vic Fangio, former Dolphins defensive coordinator (now with the Eagles), was an assistant coach with the Stars. He knows what he is doing, but in the end, the Dolphins were in a fight with one hand tied behind their back.

The Eagles were a totally different story. After making a puzzling switch of their defensive coordinator mid-season, the Birds took a swan dive and wound up losing six of their last seven games. They were grounded – Eagles without wings.

There is always next year, I guess.

But oh, what an Eagles vs Dolphins Super Bowl it could have been!