Will Dolphins kicker put his foot in his mouth?

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/563736.html

Will Dolphins kicker put his foot in his mouth?

By ARMANDO SALGUERO
Miami Herald

He connected on 21 of 23 field goals last year, which put Jay Feely in the company of the NFL's most dependable kickers and in the conversation for Most Valuable Player on a Dolphins team that admittedly lacked good players.

So the assumption is that Jay Feely pretty much has it made now.

The assumption is that on a team needing so much help, Bill Parcells and Co. would turn their attention to those blighted areas of the roster and think about refurbishing the posh penthouse of consistent players much later.

But that won't be the case for Feely in the coming training camp.

Feely is on notice that his job is on the line despite the impressive field-goal percentages. And the intriguing thing is one reason Feely can't feel secure now has nothing to do with football.

Feely, you see, is a friendly, outspoken guy. And Bill Parcells and general manager Jeff Ireland don't want their kicker being quite so friendly and definitely not outspoken.

Basically the men who make up the new Dolphins administration believe kickers should be seen and not heard. And that hasn't been the way Feely has conducted his career so far.

He has been on The Learning Channel with his wife. He has worked on ESPN's First Take. Last year he had a regional radio show. He has been something of a media darling and also the object of national attention as Saturday Night Live did a skit about him a few years ago.

Feely also fancies himself a team leader, a go-to guy when younger players need advice and reporters need perspective.

But none of that fits into the ''be seen and not heard,'' philosophy the team's brain trust now covets. So has Jay Feely been told, basically, to shut up?

''Yes,'' Feely says succinctly.

How does he feel about that?

''I am,'' Feely said, biting his tongue, ``going to do the things I need to do to make the people I work for happy, even if I don't always agree with it.''

FEELY'S JOB NOT SAFE

The irony here is that Parcells pretty much put a spotlight on Feely last week when he spoke publicly about the team for the first time. In discussing much of the roster, Miami's football czar was effusive about punter Brandon Fields but curt when talking about Feely.

''There will be competition there,'' Parcells said of the kicker's job.

It was a curious answer then. But it makes sense now.

The Dolphins have rookie Dan Carpenter in camp to provide that competition for Feely. And while the matchup against an incumbent veteran who made 91 percent of his kicks makes Carpenter the underdog, there is one thing this rookie does that definitely impresses:

His kickoffs explode off his leg and typically land in the end zone. And that is where Feely has another problem that factors in this yarn.

Last year Feely averaged 57.8 yards per kickoff, which ranked 44th out of 49 NFL kickers.

In fairness, Feely was working under a disadvantage because former coach Cam Cameron inexplicably ordered him to pooch-kick and directional-kick in nearly half the games Miami played.

The strategy was meant to protect Miami's atrocious coverage teams, but it significantly sacrificed Feely's kickoff average. ''You look at all the other games, my kickoffs averaged 74.5, almost 75 yards,'' Feely said.

TIME WILL TELL

So the table is set for a kicking competition that will be about more than just field-goal kicking.

''I am going to be the best kicker in the NFL this year,'' Feely said confidently. ``I don't know any guy on this team that worked harder than me this offseason. I think ultimately the best kicker will win the competition.''

But will the man with the booming leg control his booming mouth? Can Feely simply stop being himself?

The Dolphins on Sunday brought former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer to camp to talk to players about how to deal with the media. When Fleischer's 45-minute presentation was over, he asked if there were any questions.

Feely was the only player with a question.

According to Fleischer, Feely asked for advice on how to handle speaking about a team stance or policy he doesn't agree with.

[StL FinFan]

I'm really not liking them taking issues with a player conducting himself in a positive manner.  The term "control freak" comes to mind.

[Philly Fin Fan]

I'm really not liking them taking issues with a player conducting himself in a positive manner.  The term "control freak" comes to mind.

Are you are just now realizing this about Bill Parcells?

[StL FinFan]

yeah ... I'm a bit slow sometimes 

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Are you are just now realizing this about Bill Parcells?

This is worse than I remember him being with the Pats. 

How many top notch players did Miami have coming into the season?  Not many.  He has now picked a fight with his test defensive player and best special teams player over nothing.   

[JVides]

This is worse than I remember him being with the Pats. 

How many top notch players did Miami have coming into the season?  Not many.  He has now picked a fight with his test defensive player and best special teams player over nothing.   

Yeah, that's the flip side to Parcells.  I can't help but think of Jimmy Johnson handcuffing Dan Marino 12 years ago and how that ended...

[DolFan619]

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2008/06/jay-feely-under.html?cid=118193248#comment-118193248

Feely under microscope because of his mouth

I told you yesterday I was working on a Jay Feely column for the newspaper.

Well, the interesting column is up on the website.

So why is a column on Miami's kicker interesting?

Couple of reasons. First, Jay Feely is much more than just a kicker. He sees himself as something of a team leader, as a locker room spokesman and perspective guy, and as a valuable player.

One cannot argue the valuable player thing. Check out the 2007 NFL stats for field goal kicking and they reveal Feely was among the league's best. But that is not the reason he's under the microscope with the Dolphins.

Seems that his kickoff average is a concern and his average for the number of interviews and times he speaks out is a bigger concern for the team. (Peronally, it was a shock for me to learn Fidel freakin' Castro resides at the Dolphins training facility.)

I asked Feely outright on Sunday if he had been told by the new administration to basically zip it. I knew the answer already but wanted to hear it from him. Feely was straight with me. He said, "Yes..."

Amazing. But not unique.

I've covered a lot of players and teams that were at odds over how the players dealt with the media and how the team wanted them to deal with the media. Trace Armstrong, who I consider a friend, was forever under the gun when Jimmy Johnson became coach because ... well, because Armstrong had a mind.

Don Shula tolerated Mark Clayton because the receiver was outstanding. But the minute Clayton lost a step, Shula ushered him out and brought in Irving Fryar because Clayton's mouth was a pain for the coach.

I compare Feely's situation to that of Armstrong. The problem Feely encounters is a kicker is a lot easier to replace than a pass-rushing savant, which Armstrong was for a few years.

Anyway, the whole scenario raises a couple of questions.

1. Can Feely stop being himself to save his job?

I imagine a guy that bright feels like he's got a lot to add. But a guy that bright also has to realize it is better to be employed than not. So I assume he will try to dial back on his opinions and spokesmanship. It won't be easy for him.

Example: Team brass noticed that Feely was the only player who asked a question of Ari Fleischer Sunday after the former White House Press Secretary finished a 45-minute presentation on how to deal with the media.

It's not a bad thing that Feely asked a question, in my opinion. But apparently there were eyebrows raised among Miami brass that Feely felt compelled to step up despite previously being told to step back.

The question apparently didn't help Feely, either. He asked how to he might go about defending the organization on issues he might not agree with it on.

"What I told Jay was, and I get that question a lot," Fleischer said, "is I worked for three congressmen, one senator and one president. They ran on their issues. I'm a staffer. I cannot possibly agree with 100 percent of what they espouse ..."

Fleischer apparently put it in terms Feely, who is interested in politics, could relate with. He compared the player's situation with a political party member that doesn't buy into every plank of his party's platform.

"... You don't have to believe every single thing your party stands for," Fleischer said. "But you have to believe in your party and your people ..."

The second issue raised by this situation is what the Dolphins do in picking a kicker. Do they go with the best player, with no regard for how/when/why that player talks to the media? Or do they allow those factors to have bearing on the decision?

What do you think will happen?

[DolFan619]

I'm really not liking them taking issues with a player conducting himself in a positive manner.  The term "control freak" comes to mind.

  Feely isn't as "squeaky clean" as some would think.  I remember when Ricky was coming back to the Dolphins, and pretty much everyone was open to Ricky coming back, except.....  Jay Feely.  Feely was against the idea of Williams return, and spoke up about it.  I remember a lot of people ripping on Feely for that.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Feely needs to shut up and play.  I agree with Bill Parcells notion that kickers should be seen and not heard.

[AprFools_Phins]

Feely needs to shut up and play.  I agree with Bill Parcells notion that kickers should be seen and not heard.

And I keep with what I said before when Feely was talking about Williams. He is just as much a part of the team as everyone else- and is one of the most dependable players we have. If he wants to give his opinion about something he should be able to.

[StL FinFan]

Feely needs to shut up and play.  I agree with Bill Parcells notion that kickers should be seen and not heard.

So if he played a different position it would be ok for him to speak up?

[ethurst2]

Anyone that was inherited from the last regime is due to be sent packing at any time. No one is safe from the last regime, not Ricky, not Ronnie Brown, not Vernon Carey, etc.

I like when guys speak their minds but that's corporate America. If you say too much you're labeled as malcontent and they find ways to get rid of you. It doesn't matter if you work in the mail room or in the board room, if you speak out, you're in jeopardy of losing your job.

This is a subject that deems monitoring and it remains to be seen what happens. I'm betting that Parcells gets rid of Feeley before the end of training camp.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Anyone that was inherited from the last regime is due to be sent packing at any time. No one is safe from the last regime, not Ricky, not Ronnie Brown, not Vernon Carey, etc.

I like when guys speak their minds but that's corporate America. If you say too much you're labeled as malcontent and they find ways to get rid of you. It doesn't matter if you work in the mail room or in the board room, if you speak out, you're in jeopardy of losing your job.

This is a subject that deems monitoring and it remains to be seen what happens. I'm betting that Parcells gets rid of Feeley before the end of training camp.

http://www.thedolphinsmakemecry.com/forums/index.php?topic=10955.msg114566#msg114566