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As Fiedler recovers, '06 season slips away

By JOHN ROMANO
Published August 30, 2006

TAMPA - The pass is thrown, and, for just a moment, there is silence. Then comes the thud of a ball finding its target, and the quarterbacks go bonkers.

Practice has ended, but Chris Simms, Tim Rattay, Bruce Gradkowski and others have gathered for an impromptu game of skills. They are whipping passes 20 yards or more, aiming for the crossbar on the end zone goal posts.

Their laughter carries easily from one field to the next, where a solitary quarterback throws softly and silently with a trainer. There are no hard targets in this passing exercise. Instead, Jay Fiedler is aiming only for rebirth.

The preseason is nearing its end, and so, too, is Fiedler's window of opportunity. He is headed to the physically unable to perform list, which means he will miss, at minimum, Tampa Bay's first five games. It also increases the odds that he will not play a down for the Buccaneers in 2006.

"It's questionable. That's all I can say," Jon Gruden said as he watched Fiedler working in the distance. "All we can do is hope for the best."

Not so long ago, this pairing seemed so logical. So natural. The Bucs needed a veteran quarterback for depth. Fiedler had a proven record as a winner and was familiar with Gruden's offense. All agreed it was a perfect fit.

Except for one little problem.

Fiedler can't throw a pass.

The shoulder surgery that ended his season in 2005 is now delaying his season in '06. It was originally thought that Fiedler's shoulder would be ready by the start of training camp. Then the start of preseason games. Now, no one knows.

Fiedler, 34, is talking about additional rehab. He mentions, in passing, the possibility of visiting another operating room to have the shoulder scoped.

"It's already lingered way beyond what I was expecting," Fiedler said. "It kept improving and improving, and I was at a point where I thought I was a week or two away. But that's when it hit a plateau. It hasn't gotten past that."

There is enough pain in the shoulder that Fiedler is reluctant to let loose with his passes. The fear is that the shoulder is not yet stable enough to handle the rigors of an NFL season. That there is the possibility of a setback.

So Fiedler is a quarterback without a huddle. He sits in on every team meeting. He watches videotape. He puts on a uniform and attends practice each day as if the Bucs might suddenly need a quarterback to run the wishbone offense.

Sadly, it's as if Fiedler is playing a game of shadow football.

This was not what the Bucs had in mind when they signed Fiedler to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum of $810,000 in late June. They knew it was a risk - they had gone through a similar injury rehab with Jim Miller a few years ago - but assumed Fiedler was closer to healthy than hobbled.

"It was an investment well worth it. It came with relatively little to no risk," Gruden said. "The information we had was that maybe this injury would come around. Unfortunately, it hasn't fully healed to the point where he can compete.

"You know, there aren't quarterbacks out there growing on trees. I don't know who the backup quarterbacks are in this league on some teams."

If there was a risk for the Buccaneers, it was in not moving sooner to find a veteran to complement Simms on the roster.

It was almost as if the Bucs were caught in a perfect storm of trouble. They had hope of keeping Brian Griese as a backup, but he was given a $5-million bonus to sign with the Bears. For a while, Luke McCown appeared to be the choice as the No. 2 quarterback, but he blew out a knee.

By the time the Bucs got around to looking for more depth, quarterbacks such as Jon Kitna, Jeff Garcia, Joey Harrington and Patrick Ramsey were spoken for. So Tampa Bay had a choice of sifting through the junk pile for the likes of Jeff George and Kerry Collins or taking a gamble on Fiedler.

Now, with his health in question, the Bucs will likely begin the season with the most inexperienced trio of quarterbacks in the NFL. Among them, Simms, Rattay and Gradkowski have a combined 11-17 record.

Fiedler, on his own, is 37-23.

There is still hope, of course, that the shoulder comes around in the next few weeks. But even then, there are no guarantees.

Fiedler will be eligible to come off the PUP list after Tampa Bay's fifth game but at that point will not have seen game action in more than a year.

Do you then waive Rattay in favor of a guy who is a health risk? A guy who wasn't allowed to practice from July through October?

The Bucs will have three weeks to make that decision. That's how long Fiedler will be allowed to practice before the team must decide whether to activate him, place him on injured reserve for the rest of the season or cut him.

"A lot of stuff they do in this offense has been a big part of my game," Fiedler said. "Moving around, scrambling, making quick decisions, making calls at the line. Those are all things I consider my strengths. This offense would be great for me. That's what makes it even more frustrating. I see how successful I can be if physically I could just come around."

Meanwhile, time continues to pass.

And Fiedler, unfortunately, does not.

[Last modified August 30, 2006, 01:37:43]