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The best switch they never made

Dolphins stick with Jay Fiedler, and his development is proving them right.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published January 10, 2002

DAVIE -- They talk a lot down in South Florida, talk often and talk loud. Throughout last season and into the offseason, there was constant chatter about how the Dolphins needed a new quarterback. A better quarterback. A real quarterback.

Talk was in the stands, at the sports bars, in the papers, on the radio, even in the Dolphins offices, where team officials pursued a trade for Matt Hasselbeck, courted Gus Frerotte and flirted with drafting Drew Brees.

Everywhere, it seemed, except in Jay Fiedler's head.

It's one thing to say that the criticism didn't hurt -- which Fiedler did -- but another to play that way, to not respond by getting either too conservative or too desperate. And Fiedler did that too.

"Jay's stuck in there and been hard-nosed and been thick-skinned, and that's probably one of his best qualities," receiver Oronde Gadsden said. "He's been resilient, knowing what he can do and having confidence in his ability."

After exploring other options, the Dolphins decided they shared that confidence and stuck with Fiedler. And, with a second 11-win season behind him and another opening-round home playoff game coming up Sunday, it looks like the right move.

"You can't argue with winning," tight end Hunter Goodwin said.

The Dolphins opened 6-3 but Fiedler wasn't doing particularly well. He was playing in too much of a hurry, trying too hard to make things happen, and his 15 interceptions hurt the team as much or more as his nine touchdown passes helped.

The Nov. 25 game at Buffalo was a turning point. Fiedler rallied the Dolphins to a 34-27 victory with three fourth-quarter touchdown passes and no interceptions, and hasn't done much wrong since as they won five of their last seven.

"The big key is with the decision making," Fiedler said. "Early on in the year I was getting rid of the ball very quickly, not letting a lot of things develop at times, and the interceptions were up. The sacks were down because of it, but certainly the turnovers are tough things to overcome. ... That's kind of been a little bit more of the focus, to let things develop and let me see everything before getting rid of the ball."

Fiedler was smart enough to play collegiately at Dartmouth and spent six seasons bouncing from Philadelphia to Cincinnati to Amsterdam (of the World League) to Minnesota to Jacksonville. But the 30-year-old, in his second season as a starter, is still learning.

"He's just gaining experience in really understanding what wins games for you and the importance of the turnover thing," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "He's not taking as many chances, he's playing smarter, and that's all good. There's no question he's gotten better as the year has gone on."

While Fiedler's development has been something of a pleasant surprise, Baltimore coach Brian Billick, naturally, said he saw it coming since 1998, when both were with the Vikings.

"You knew Jay had all the elements -- athleticism, intelligence and a good sharp arm," Billick said. "He had a game sense about him. You never got a sense that it got too big for Jay, that glassy-eyed look. He's a very aware athlete."

Fiedler said he never doubted that he would succeed, that his confidence never wavered. "That's part of having a short memory, of putting things behind me, knowing I've done it in the past and been successful in the past," he said.

Teammates say they routinely see examples in the huddle.

"He's just steady, that's the best way to put it," Goodwin said. "He's not a real over-emotional type, rah-rah, yell at you. That's the thing that kind of shocks you about Jay. He's so even-keeled, even in the tough times. That's one of his best attributes."

With an impressive 22-10 record as a starter, back-to-back playoff berths, improving statistics, and the increasing likelihood that the Dolphins will sign him to a multiyear deal to keep him from free agency, Fiedler has quieted most of the skepticism that came with following Dan Marino.

"You're replacing a legend, a guy that's a Hall of Fame quarterback, and it wouldn't have made any difference who we brought in here," Wannstedt said. "It wasn't going to be good enough. The only thing that will help that is winning games, like Jay has done, and time."

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