Under the blistering Miami sun, the NFL Kickoff Weekend for the Miami Dolphins was anything but bright and sunny. The Baltimore Ravens flew into Hard Rock Stadium and pecked at the Dolphins to the score of 59-10. By the end of the game people were wondering what was hotter, the sun or Lamar Jackson. Both scorched the Dolphins to begin the NFL Kickoff weekend for both teams.
Walking into Hard Rock Stadium to photograph the game I didn’t know what to expect. Both teams had questions like is Lamar Jackson a real QB and are the Dolphins really tanking? Both seem to be true by the day’s end. Before the slaughter on the field commenced, it was nice to walk around the stadium and take in all the signs for the NFL Kickoff weekend as well as the freshly painted NFL 100 on the grass.
NFL 100
Working as an NFL photographer while it celebrates it’s 100th season is pretty special. It’s also nice to know that the SuperBowl will be in my backyard this year. The NFL 100 logo was adorned on the field, the referee’s hats and with patches on player’s jerseys. There is no mistaking the NFL didn’t want everyone to know they’re going to be celebrating the 100th season of the NFL during the NFL Kickoff weekend and beyond.
Lamar Jackson
The big story was what kind of quarterback Lamar Jackson would be; a running quarterback or a passing quarterback. From behind my camera I saw a passing quarterback. He threw for 324 yards and 5 touchdowns. It got to the point during the game that I just camped out in the endzone waiting for the Jackson to march the Ravens downfield to score and he did. If you were a Ravens fan it was exciting, but if you rooted for the Dolphins you were hoping the clock sped up to end the misery quicker.
This was just game one for me into my second season as a NFL photographer. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for me. Follow me on Instagram to see more pics and videos from the game
