.. at Riverfront. ( Downtown Ft. laud ) Saw them at this bar/club called Automatic Slims. J. Long - huge guy, not really friendly. C. Henne - wallflower - not really friendly. Was at the bar standing there like a normal guy, I think i was the only guy who knew who he was. Smiley - this guy is awesome, told him I'm a season ticket holder and we chatted a bit about how much the dolphins rule. D. Bess - I called him out and I could tell he was very excited that I knew who he was. He told me he loves south florida and wants to stay on the dolphins really bad.. very friendly guy. Was wearing a Cincinnati Reds cap but could spot his dreds from across the room. Among others at the bar were Daren Heerspink - This guy is freken huge, he was acting kinda cocky for a rookie who nobody knows. Trey Darilek - didn't say anything to him.
LOL i guess they're tired of the drunk guy at the bar going " JAKE LONG/HENNE !! " So I can't really blame them for brushing me off. I just noticed that Smiley and Bess were more friendly and willing to converse with a fellow miami dolphin supporter.
Jake Long didn't ignore me, I was like " Jake Long !" and he kinda nodded his head, where as the others actually communicated and opened up to me.
Jake Long probably has a million people all day everyday doing that so I can see why he'd just give you the "whats up" nod. Kinda hard to be relaxing in public when your his size and the number 1 pick. I agree with you about Henne. He def did not seem happy when he was drafted. I would bet that hes a little annoyed not being taken with our 2nd pick. He def doesnt seem like a cool guy either way. Nice to hear about Smiley though. He seems like he would be pretty fun to knock back a case with. Esp nice to hear about Bess. I hope you told him we're all pulling for him over here.
Great story. You know, Smiley seemed half-drunk when he gave that interview from a golf course and trashtalked Alan Faneca, so I have to say.... as much as I love pary-dudes, I don;t know if its a great thing for a player to be really into getting hammered and partying. If Smiley doesn;t have the sense to NOT do an interview drunk, then I already worry about his judgement with appropriate alcohol-use. Obviously this is the ideal TIME for them to get drunk if they plan to, though, as it's a long time before training camp starts. But when I think about it, would I rather our players be party animals, or more boring and reserved? Note, our favourite guy, Beck, is also the one who you wouldn;t even catch at a bar. That said, like all fans, I like rooting for likeable people and I'm happier rooting for Bess and Smiley knowing now that they are cool dudes. Also, Bess is a guy iIlike a lot on film and in terms of his attitude thus far. Jake can be an ******** if he wants as long as he is mean and nasty on the field too. besides, you know it means more to those lower round picks to make the team. Hell, who DIDN'T root for vince Papale in Invincible!?!?! He was a walk on, but still, an UDFA is a long shot to make a roster. Henne is irrelevant until next year or until someone gets injured (which is part of why he wasn;t thrilled to come here, I'm sure). Bpk
I've drank with Smiley before. He's a cool, laid back, funny dude. But when it comes to football he's all business. He's gonna be in the weight room, he's gonna be in the film room, he's gonna help his teammates when he can, and most of all he's gonna show up on game day. He doesn't get intimidated. He doesn't get flustered. And he was always very protective of his quarterback. He's a southern boy who likes his beer and likes to have fun but he knows when it's time to be serious and get the job done.
I don't think it's fair to say Chad Henne isn't excited about being in Miami. I've read and seen plenty of interviews from both before and after the draft that tells me otherwise. Maybe he doesn't have a big personality but it doesn't mean he's upset about being a Dolphin.
Thanks for the info. I can't wait till the pads get put on. I like how the team seems to be shaping up.
i didn't read all the posts so maybe this got mentioned.. but smiley is hanging out with the rooks? maybe because he's new to the team too.. glad to see that our guys aren't spraying champagne and stuff at the bar though-- would rather a wallflower than a psycho, ya know?
I've seen Mormons at bars before, most not drinking alcohol, but some of them do (they aren't supposed to but you know how it goes people break the rules everywhere). I used to be a member of the Church for 7 years and saw a lot of stuff they do they aren't supposed to do, from church members and the missionaries. I was a member of the Church during Scott Mitchell's time as a Dolphin, and I met him a number of times during Church activities, including going out with the missionaries talking to people at their homes. He never used his name or status to get into people's houses and I am sure a lot of people had no idea they were turning down a member of the Miami Dolphins at their front door. Just before Scott Mitchell was here, Merrill Hodge was here in Miami as a missionary and part of his time was spent in our Ward (the Church is divided into geographical regions called Stakes and then subdivided into Wards) as one of the two missionaries (3 months) and I was what was called a "Stake Missionary" (a church member assigned to directly help the missionaries ; like help them get to the store to buy groceries, take them to get their clothes washed, and help them at peoples houses spread the Church gospel) Hodge is a fun guy, very funny and a cutup. Not at all "in the clouds" because he was a "football star" at BYU, never used that against anyone, and never used it when he was teaching people about the gospel. Yes he was a bit more muscular than most of the missionaries, and sometime a person would ask if he played sports or football and he was then say yes, but would never elaborate on himself at all.....tried to stay as humble as possible. I really liked him and have talked to him a number of times since his days here (once to deliver bad news, the man died [Brother Lazarro] that owned the apartment where the missionaries lived, I called ESPN to get the message to him that he had passed, then we talk again once or twice a year....I keep up with about 10 or so of the guys that served during my time in the Church, but Hodge & Mitchell are the only famous ones) I can see John Beck being down to Earth and a guy that would love to sit around and BS about football. I can see him one day as a very successful coach. Anyone else see this in his character ?
Maybe they were just trying to get used to the scene so to speak. Or since they're fresh down in Florida, they're tired of all the publicity and only wanted a simple night out with friends to have a few without being hassled for simply being who they are. Could be a number of reasons. I think in time they'll warm
I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who is getting bad vibes from this guy. I know some will say but you are a John Beck fan, which is true, but that doesn't mean that I want Henne to be bad; cause he is on our team. If he truly feels the way he presents himself though he won't make it long term. It will show up on the field.
Great story. It really sucks being a Dolphin fan living in Pennsylvania. No chance of meeting any dolphins. Although i did meet some of them in Philly when they played the Eagles last year. Jason Allen was real arrogant.
Who the heck is Darren Heerspink? Is that really a name? What position is he trying out for? Any info on the guy, other than with his attitude he's likely a goner?
it's hard to tell based on a single encounter. they may have recently been hounded or just stand-off-ish by nature. good to see here.
I had no idea who this guy was till I went home and looked at the roster. This man stood next to jake long and was just as tall so he was easy to find the roster judging his height.
Henne has the attitude I like. All business and a guy with a chip on his shoulder. It's easy to get carried away when you are in your early twenties, famous and already have a load of money. As a young QB he has to set an early example and lead on and off the field. Great story though.
He knows deep down inside, when he was picked that he wasn't going to beat out John Beck. He played college ball, he knows about Beck
I want the best man to win personally. He can kidnap orphans in March for all I care, just get us back to the playoffs!