First off how are you?
"I am doing alright."
Is television something you always wanted to do, or did this happen suddenly for you?
"My degree was in journalism at Penn State University. I have worked in TV since I was a teenager in one day or another as an intern at radio and TV stations, and actually doing radio and TV full time before I played professional football. It was something I always wanted to do and I kinda fell into the sports aspect of it. I really thought news was where I would wind up."
Can you take us back to the day when you caught Dan Marino's touchdown pass that broke the all time season NFL touchdown record?
"It was against the Oakland Raiders in the Orange Bowl. I hadn't caught a touchdown pass in quite a while. I had torn my knee up the year before and was out for most of the season. I was just getting back into the lineup. The play that was called was that the ball was supposed to go to the other side of the field, and Dan was in trouble, and he threw it up for grabs, and I caught it in the corner of the end zone. Dan was drilled on the play and when I went over to give him the football he had some dirt and grass in his helmet. I don't think he knew exactly what happened on the play till he came to the sidelines and cleared his head."
What was going through your mind when you beat the entire Redskins secondary for a touchdown in Super Bowl 17?
"I was exhausted. I had a fever and some kind of flu going around on the team and I caught it. Nat Moore had a sprained ankle and I had no choice but to play. I was simply exhausted. They had given me all the cold medication possible before the game. I was just relieved and grateful, but I was exhausted as I had ever been."
What was it like in the locker room after the overtime loss to the San Diego Chargers in the 1981 divisional playoff?
"It was just depressing. A thing about a playoff loss is that the season ends suddenly. One minute you are fighting for a Super Bowl Championship and the next second, the ball goes through the up rights and the season is over. It went to the edge and we were a better football, but once the field goal was kicked our season was finished."
Are you for or against the Dolphins bringing back Jay Fiedler?
"I think Jay Fielder is a quality quarterback. The only way you measure a quarterback is by wins and losses. I don't think he has enough players around him. The Miami Dolphins have spent too much money defensively and not enough offensively. You can't just put Ricky Williams in the back field and pile up all of your offensive money on him and say go win football games. Jay needed an offensive line, quality wide receivers, and it looks like they have taken care of one problem with the wide receiver spot. They have gotta build an offensive line because that's the only way Jay Fielder, AJ Feely, or any quarterback is going to be successful."
Can you tell us, as a former player, of a particular moment when you experienced first hand the mystique surrounding Coach Don Shula?
"There were so many of them. He was always the focal point of the football team. I think what most impressed me about him when we into Super Bowl 17 with a defensive team and a running game. Then two years we went to no defense and running game, and only a pass attack. He had taken the team and completely revamped it and two years later was able to get back to the Super Bowl. I never thought any other coach would be able to do this, but Don Shula did."
How different are the NFL wide receivers of today compared to the ones during your playing days?
"They are not much different. I don't think they run pass patterns. The rules are slightly different then they were then. It seems wide receivers today want to outrun a defense back. They very rarely are able to do that. It was more of a finesse comeback then where you had to be able to set up a defense back and get the defense to react to it. We just don't see that much in the NFL today."
Were you surprised or did you expect Dave Wannstedt to come back and coach the Dolphins again after two consecutive disappointing seasons?
"I thought he would be back. The question always asked is that if you are going to make a coaching change who is going to replace him? There weren't really any candidates out there that were better then Dave. He is a very good coach who has established a very good defensive game, but has ignored the offensive side of the ball. It looks like they are starting to address that. I don't see why Dave Wannstedt won't have success with the Miami Dolphins."
This off season, who do you feel has more of a buzz around them in South Florida? The Dolphins or the Marlins?
"The Florida Marlins definitely. I am just sitting here writing about a story with the Florida Marlins and their new stadium. Our coverage for their opening day will be bigger then it ever has before. The town is in a buzz about this baseball franchise and whether they will stay in town or leave and whether they can give a run at repeating again."
Should the Dolphins try to keep Ogunleye or let him go and hope to get extra draft picks?
"If I were them I would try to dump him as quickly as I could. They have too much money on the defensive side of the ball. They can take that money and spend it on offense. They need another wide receiver, more offensive lineman, and they have to fill some holes. While Ogunleye is a good player, he sure is expendable."
Did Dan Marino tarnish his legacy in any way by accepting the Dolphins front office job, then quitting less than a month later?
"Not his football playing legacy. You can't change what he did on the football field. I do think there are some people in this town who are upset and offended by it, but Dan Marino will be the single greatest Miami Dolphin that has ever been. Dan will be just fine. It will never change what he has done out there on the field."
What will the Miami Dolphins draft in April as the 20th pick in the first round in the NFL draft?
"A wide receiver. They need another one if David Boston turns out to be a bust or if he does not live up to what he was two years ago. They're gonna need another wide receiver to fill that third position."
Maybe you go for an offensive lineman as your first pick to improve your offensive line?
"I hope they don't. They can get an offensive lineman after the June 1st release date. They need another weapon on offense. If they feel they're going to get by with Chris Chambers, David Boston, and Ricky Williams then it's a nice start, but they need another weapon."
Do you think the Dolphins are close to competing for a Super Bowl or is this team in the middle of rebuilding and a few years away?
"I am not sure. We will have to see what they do in the NFL draft and the rest of the off season. If they don't improve the offensive power at the line and with another wide receiver, then this team won't be able to compete for a title."
Thank you so much for your time Jimmy.
"Thanks so much. I appreciate it."
About Jimmy Ceffalo
Jimmy Cefalo is a former Miami Dolphin's wide receiver who played with Dan Marino. Ceffalo even caught a touchdown pass in Super Bowl 17 from Dan Marino. Ceffalo is a sports anchor for channel 10 news in Miami, Florida on the ABC network today.
