-by
Dave Gray
January
15, 2000 - The Dolphins get obliterated by the Jacksonville Jaguars
in the second round of the playoffs, thus putting an end to an era.
I'm speaking of course of Dan Marino's last game. If I remember correctly,
the fans were ready for him to go. The general consensus was that
we needed some new blood to lead the team back to the Promised Land.
Enter Jay Fiedler, backup Jaguars quarterback that ironically was
responsible for 14 of the 62 points scored against us on that horrendous
day. Jay beat out Miami backup Damon Huard for the starting job, to
be Marino's successor in 2000. Talk about some big shoes to fill.
Despite leading the Dolphins to winning seasons of 11-5, 11-5, and
9-7 since then, Jay hasn't received much love from the fans.
Stemming from inconsistent play and a less than stellar playoff record,
many called for Dolphins backup QB Ray Lucas to step up as the team's
starter. Be careful what you wish for. When Fiedler went down at the
end of a spectacular Denver game, Ray took over. To make a long story
short, Ray Lucas won't be returning to the roster next year, as he
led the team to a dismal 2-4 record in Jay's absence. You'd think
that this sort of thing would silence the critics, and to some extent
this has been the case. However, there are still those calling for
Fiedler's head on a platter, especially after another late-season
breakdown.
True, the Dolphins have problems. And yes, the quarterback position
isn't ideal. Fine. But, we have to prioritize. We've got bigger fish
to fry, no pun intended. Take a look at the last few years:
2002-03 - Tampa wins it all, with Brad Johnson taking the snaps. Last
I checked, Johnson wasn't a phenom at the position. Efficient offense
and a powerhouse defense made things work.
2001-02 - New England pulls of one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets,
with backup QB Tom Brady leading the way, while superstar Drew Bledsoe
watches from the bench.
2000-01 - Trent Dilfer lines up behind center to take the Ravens all
the way. The defense got all the credit, deservedly so, and Dilfer
wasn't even re-signed.
It's clear that extraordinary quarterback play isn't needed to get
things done, especially recently. However, efficient play is. This
isn't to say, however, that a team shouldn't seek extraordinary players
at the position. Jay Fiedler is the least of our problems, right now.
Bottom line: the guy wins games. Besides, we need to start at the
heart of the problem, and the QB position it is not. We have a defense
that gets less aggressive every year. Zack looks like he's playing
Linebacker by himself. We still lack a solid receiver to complement
Chambers. The list goes on and on.
If you want to upgrade the quarterback position, I'm all for it, but
my suggestion is this: draft a QB if you can get a steal on a guy
in the 2nd round. They say that this is a QB rich draft, anyway. Have
the newcomer develop for a season or two under Fiedler, and at that
point, make a decision. What we don't need is for the fans to put
the pressure on Wannstedt to make a move too early. I don't want to
see a free agent bum in here. Thanks but no thanks, Kordell. We appreciate
the effort, Aikman, but we're really looking for more of a conscious
quarterback. If you want to play free agency, try grabbing another
receiver for Fiedler to work with, or a punter that can actually punt.
Don't mess with the QB slot, though, unless a real gem comes along.
Fiedler's the best we've got and he's good enough for now. Besides,
we always have the option of bringing Marino out of retirement.
Dave
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